It goes without saying that the best teams have the best players. That will be evident this weekend at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park as the Victoria HarbourCats (16-8) and Bellingham Bells (16-4 heading into Thursday night’s game against the Edmonton Riverhawks) battle in the penthouse of the North Division of the West Coast League while elite prospects Dean West and Andrew Valdez of the Bells and Dallas Macias of the HarbourCats display their individual wares on the diamond.
Outfielder West, headed to the NCAA Pac-12 with the UCLA Bruins as Baseball America’s 98th ranked high school prospect for the 2023 MLB draft, was the No. 1 player on the initial WCL Spotlight list released this week with input from MLB scouts. The 20-player WCL Spotlight rankings will be issued every two weeks followed by a season-final list in August.
Bjorn Johnson of the Cowlitz Black Bears, headed to the Auburn Tigers of the SEC as Baseball America’s 103rd ranked player for 2023 MLB draft July 9-11 in Seattle, is second on the WCL Spotlight list and MJ Sweeney of the Wenatchee AppleSox, son of five-time MLB all-star Mike Sweeney and headed to the University of Texas Longhorns, is No. 3. Valdez of Bellingham is listed at No. 19.
Infielder Macias of the HarbourCats is ranked No. 14. The Oregon State freshman was a late arrival in Victoria because the annual Pac-12 power Beavers were involved in the NCAA Div. 1 regional playdowns, but has wasted no time in getting acclimatized to Victoria and is batting .289 in nine games with the ’Cats with three doubles, eight RBIs and six runs scored and is fielding .857 at second base.
“This is my first time in sa国际传媒 and I’m loving it up here and the experience has been awesome,” said the native of Parker, Colorado, who was that state’s top-rated high school ball player in Grade 12.
“The guys, coaches and fans are awesome. I’m spoiled by the fans we have at Oregon State — I am playing at my dream school — and the fans in Victoria are great, too.”
The WCL is among several summer collegiate leagues across North America in which NCAA players can extend their seasons into the summer after their university and college seasons end in the spring. The collegiate summer-ball process is considered key to player development as it better emulates what life will be like in Single-A pro ball with games every day and gruelling bus travel on the road as opposed to weekend-only play and flying to away games in the NCAA. The shrewd players don’t squander the opportunity.
“Summer ball teaches you endurance,” said Macias.
“As a player you love playing every day because each new day is a new opportunity.”
Especially when you can learn from the likes of HarbourCats head coach and five-season former MLB infielder Todd Haney.
“[Haney] has that old-school mentality about playing hard and giving it your all, and that’s a great fit for me, because I take pride in playing a hard and gritty game and grinding it out,” said Macias.
“But Todd Haney also gives you the freedom to have fun.”
The players ranked in the WCL Spotlight are cited for a reason and are considered pro prospects. It isn’t lost on any of these players that there are 40 WCL alumni in the Major League Baseball this season and 20 who played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Or that four former HarbourCats have gone on to play in MLB. Nick Pivetta is with the Boston Red Sox and Andrew Vaughan with the Chicago White Sox and Nathan Lukes has played with the Toronto Blue Jays and Alex De Goti with the Houston Astros.
“The goal is definitely pro ball,” said Macias.
The HarbourCats and Bells meet tonight and Saturday and Sunday afternoons on Caledonia with Victoria needing a sweep to have any chance of overtaking Bellingham for the first-half North Division title and playoff berth that goes with it.
DIAMOND DUST: Elijah Ickes of the Nanaimo NightOwls, an infielder headed to his home state University of Hawaii Rainbows as the top-rated Grade 12 player in the state, is ranked No. 7 on the WCL Spotlight list. Nanaimo (11-12 heading into Thursday night’s game in Yakima against the Pippins) opens a three-game home set against the Port Angeles Lefties tonight at Serauxmen Stadium.
