Major League Baseball players and top college prospects hail from all parts of the United States and beyond. We could have a couple of them right here in the making.
The Perfect Game All-American Classic is scheduled Aug. 14 at Petco Park. Francis Parker School infielder Nick Allen and Torrey Pines High School pitcher Kyle Hurt have been selected to be part of that event.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to be invited to the game — to be named among the top 50 players in the country,” noted Allen, a La Mesa resident. “I’ll be playing against the best players.”
Hurt, too, said he is “very excited” to be a part of next month’s Perfect Game All-American Classic.
“I’ve been dreaming about this for years,” Hurt explained. “I’ve been coming here every year to watch it and now I’m playing in it. It’s exciting to be selected among the best players in the nation.”
Former Padres great Trevor Hoffman is serving as honorary chairman for the game.
Drum roll
The future is obviously ahead for both incoming seniors. For starters, both players have selected the University of Southern California at which to continue their baseball careers.
“When I started high school, I wanted to play at the Division I college level,” Allen noted. “My goals haven’t changed. I just want to see how far that can take me.
“I’m hoping to go in and be able to fight for a starting position — as a freshman, I know that opportunity doesn’t come every day.”
At 5 feet, 9 inches tall and 154 pounds, Allen is not a big man but certainly plays beyond his size.
This past season for Francis Parker, he hit .469 in 31 games with 36 runs scored, 46 hits, 14 RBI, 13 doubles, three triples and five home runs. He led the Lancers in home runs, triple and doubles, total hits and runs scored.
Allen also made five pitching appearances, notching a 1-0 record with four saves and a 2.80 earned-run average.
At this point in his high school career, Allen has only been able to make a verbal commitment to play for the Trojans.
“I haven’t signed a letter of intent but I plan to do so in November when I’m eligible to do so,” he said.
Allen lists shortstop as his primary position and second base his secondary position.
He’s been a baseball devotee all his life. One of the players he looked up to while growing up was Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees.
“I wanted to play like him,” Allen explained.
Jeter closed out a star-studded 20-year career with the Yankees in 2014 after earning 14 All-Star Game nods and five World Series championships. He finished his MLB career with a .310 hitting average, 3,465 hits, 260 home runs and 1,311 RBI.
Jeter, now 42, is regarded as one of the most successful MLB players of his generation.
Allen said it’s “very special” to have another player from San Diego County on the team.
“Me and Kyle have played together and against each other since we were 8 years old,” Allen explained. “That’s going to make it more fun.”
Allen started his playing career at Rancho San Diego Little League. He and his 10U teammates won the state title one year and came in second another year in two trips to the state finals.
Allen said it’s a “dream” to be in the position he is in now, though he admits he’ll be a little nervous when first taking the field alongside other top players in the nation.
“I’ve played here before for high school, so this won’t be my first time playing at Petco Park,” he said. “Every time you step on the field, you get butterflies, but the park is so beautiful that it gives you a calming effect at the same time.”
Allen has played at Francis Parker since he was a freshman. His first year on the team, the Lancers finished 22-9 and won the Division III championship by defeating Mt. Carmel 6-4. As a sophomore, the team finished 18-13 and went 1-2 in the playoffs.
This just completed season — Allen’s junior year — Francis Parker finished 19-12 and advanced to the third round of the playoffs with a 2-2 postseason record.
“We’re hoping we can be Division I or in the Open Division next season with a lot of hard work,” he said.
Big bird
Hurt finished the 2016 high school season with a 9-2 record, 1.33 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched.
Despite hitting .220, he slammed four home runs and drove in 13 runs.
Hurt caught the attention of Perfect Game officials by participating in a number of high profile tournaments and showcases, including the recent Perfect Game National Showcase June 15-20 in Ft. Myers, Fla.
In fact, he just returned from another showcase event on the East Coast a day prior to the June 28 press conference at Petco Park announcing his selection to the Perfect Game All-American Classic.
“They’ve been watching me for a few years,” Hurt acknowledged. “They see you play in all these tournaments, and see you develop.”
Hurt said he’s been told scouts have been impressed by his size (6-4, 205) and what he refers to as a “nice starters build” body type.
“The liked my plus-plus change-up, that’s probably my best pitch,” said Hurt, a right-hander who can throw between 93 and 94 mph.
On the varsity roster since his freshman season, Hurt earned First Team All-Palomar League and Second Team All-San Diego Section honors as a junior.
The Falcons advanced as far as the Division I semifinals.
His favorite MLB team is the Yankees.
“I’m from New Jersey,” he said. “My dad took me to a lot of their games when I was little.”
It would be a dream for Hurt to don a New York uniform in the future — or any MLB club’s uniform, for that matter.
Ditto for Allen.
MLB Player of the Month
Padres first baseman Wil Myers earned his first National League Player of the Month Award after recording a record-setting June. Myers set a San Diego franchise record with 11 home runs in June and also equaled a franchise mark with 21 extra-base hits in a month.
Myers hit .321 during June. He is the first Padres player to win the monthly award since Chase Headley in back-to-back months in 2012.
“This (month) is probably the most meaningful (in my career), coming after two years of not doing anything, being in and out of the lineup,” Myers told the MLB.com website. “I’m finally getting consistent at-bats, so I’ve been able to do this — and I know this is something I’m very capable of doing.”
Myers was named among the National League reserves for Tuesday’s All-Star Game for which he is already serving as MLB ambassador for All-Star Week. Entering the week, Myers was hitting .282 with 19 home runs and 57 RBI.
Arrow-shooting pitcher Fernando Rodney likely was selected to the NL All-Stars pitching staff for his exploits with the Padres this year (0.31 ERA with 17 saves in 28 games) but will represent the Florida Marlins after being traded by San Diego last week.
The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox both were rewarded generously by fans at the All-Star Game ballot box.
The Cubs made All-Star Game history by becoming just the second team to have its entire infield start in an All-Star Game. Cubbies chosen include Anthony Rizzo (first base), Ben Zobrist (second base), Addison Russell (shortstop) and Kris Bryant (third base).
The Cubs generated a total of seven All-Star Game picks. Also selected to participate are outfielder Dexter Fowler (currently on the disabled list) and pitchers Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester. It’s obviously a proud day for Chicago fans.
The Cubs entered the week with a 52-31 win-loss record and nine-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central Division. Will this be the year the team’s World Series “curse” finally ends?
The NL starting line-up, as voted by the fans, also includes San Francisco catcher Buster Posey and outfielders Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) and Yoenis Cespedes (New York Mets). Former San Diego State University standout and West Hills High School grad Stephen Strasburg (Nationals) will represent the NL on its pitching staff.
Boston, which entered the week three games out of the lead in the American League East Division, has six All-Star Game selections: shortstop Xavier Bogaerts, outfielders Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts, designated hitter David Ortiz (who will be making his 10th All-Star Game appearance) and pitchers Steven Wright and Craig Kimbrel.
Reigning World Series champion Kansas City received four All-Star Game selections, led by catcher Salvador Perez, the top American League vote-getter.
American League starters include Perez (catcher), Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer (first base), Houston’s Jose Altuve (second base), Bogaerts (shortstop), Baltimore’s Manny Machado (third base), Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout (outfield) and Bradley and Betts, both outfielders from the Red Sox.
This marks the first time in All-Star Game history that the entire starting infield and catcher are 26 or younger in age.
The Padres sit 16 games behind NL West Division-leading San Francisco but, as of Tuesday, owned the best record among all the cellar-dwelling teams in MLB.
Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game will be broadcast on the FOX-TV network, starting at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
All-Star Week
Fall Out Boy, Rachel Platten, Empire of the Sun, Andra Day and Akon, among others, will join Gwen Stefani, OneRepublic and Tori Kelly as performers during MLB All-Star Week. Concerts are scheduled Friday (July 8) and Saturday (July 10) at the Embarcadero Marina Park South. Fall Out Boy will also perform two songs prior to Monday’s home run derby at Petco Park.
”
Other events associated with MLB All-Star week include FanFest at the San Diego Convention Center (Friday through Tuesday) and Sunday’s Futures minor league baseball game at Petco Park.
Check MLB.com for exact times for all events.
Futures Game
Grossmont High School alumnus Joe Musgrove will represent the United States team in Sunday’s Futures Game (4 p.m. telecast on the MLB Network). A six-foot-five right-handed pitcher, Musgrove has emerged as one of MLB’s top pitching prospects. In 145 innings since 2015, across four levels, the El Cajon native has struck out 148 hitters while yielding just 13 walks to go with an earned-run average under 2.00.
A first-round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 (46th player overall), Musgrove has played for nine teams in seven leagues throughout the MLB’s minor league system since he turned pro right out of high school at 18.
The Houston Astros acquired Musgrove’s contract via a trade with the Blue Jays in July 2012. Musgrove has played for four teams since 2015. He was assigned to the Lancaster JetHawks from the Quad Cities River Bandits in May 2015, then assigned to the Corpus Christi Hooks in June 2015.
The Astros selected Musgrove’s contract from Corpus Christi last November and, in March, optioned him to the Hooks. The Astros them promoted Musgrove to their Fresno AAA-affiliate on May 13.
The former Foothiller standout has also spent time with teams in the Gulf Coast League and Appalachian League (both at the rookie level). In two seasons at the AA-level, Musgrove complied a 6-1 win-loss record and 1.51 ERA.
The 23-year-old pitcher has a 2.00 ERA with 19 strikeouts against just two walks since his promotion to the AAA-level.
Musgrove was named a Baseball America Short-Season All Star in 2014 and was named the New York-Penn League Pitcher of the Week in August 2014 for Tri-City. He was named a MiLB (Minor League Baseball).com organization all-star in 2015 with Houston.
Musgrove is one of two Astros prospects who will be participating in the Futures Game, joining teammate Alex Bregman, an infielder who is also currently playing at the AAA level.
