By Jesse Gomez | Photos By Chace Bryson
Each year the top 220 or so high school baseball players from across the country come together to compete in the Area Code Games — a five-day showcase at Blair Field in Long Beach. The eight regional teams representing, each represented by a Major League affiliate, fill their roster with primarily the top rising seniors in the country.
This year that’s the Class of 2020.
SportStars spent July 11 at the NorCal invite-only tryout hosted by the Oakland A’s. More than 120 players — from all points of Northern and Central California and even Northern Nevada — gathered at Banner Island Ballpark in Stockton. Players participated in batting practice, fielding drills and a continuous 22-inning scrimmages in hopes of cracking the top 25 percent.
Here are six short profiles of players who competed at the event, five of which made the eventual 29-man roster headed to Long Beach Aug. 5-9.
JAYSHAUN WISE: Benicia, INF
When you’re told you can’t do something, there’s two ways to handle it: Listen to the negativity and accept defeat, or use it as fuel to prove doubters wrong. Jayshaun Wise chose the latter.
“I was a bigger kid early on in high school playing shortstop and people would tell me I needed to move to a corner position,” Wise said.
Unwilling to give up a position he excelled at and had a passion for, he put in the time to make sure no one would take his spot. He added muscle and focused on his footwork. Adding that to his above average hands, it was no longer a question if he was at the right position.
Growing up around his uncle, Cory Dunlap, who was drafted by the Dodgers, gave him an edge when making the most of each opportunity.
“My father and uncle have spent real time with me, missing work to make sure I get better,” Wise said.
Even after his invite to the prestigious tryout, he’s sticking with a prove-everyone-wrong mindset. He and his Benicia teammates did just that in May when they won the North Coast Section Division II championship as the No. 10 seed. Wise will look to close out his high school career with back-to-back titles come springtime.
NICK KRESNAK: Acalanes-Lafayette, RHP/INF
It was a common occurrence for Kresnak to be the big kid on the field. Even at a young age he tended to tower over most — something he quickly learned to embrace.
“I always felt I had more to prove,” Kresnak said. “You have to have the tools to go with the physical (side), and I feel I can compete with the best out there.”
He certainly proved that case during batting practice at the tryouts. He effortlessly carried the bat through the box making sound contact with the ball while the scouts looked on. Although more than capable at the plate (.366 average with 19 RBI as junior), most would attest he’s even more valuable on the mound.
Kresnak posted a 1.09 ERA with six wins accompanied with 56 strikeouts last season. The 6-foot-1 Washington commit has been picking up a bat and ball for as long as he can remember. He hopes to turn that dedication into a big-league reality very soon. His future on the diamond shines bright, but this fall will be his second year starting at quarterback for the Dons football team. As a junior, he passed for more than 2,500 yards with 25 touchdowns and rushed for two more.
MICHAEL BROWN: Vacaville, 1B
With a 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame, it’s impossible to miss Brown when he takes the field.
The lefty has superb hands at first base with plus power at the plate, all of which makes his athletic build the least impressive trait of his game.
Although he concedes baseball is “the best sport in the world”, he may not have had much of a choice. His father, Michael Brown Sr. played for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization after being drafted in the fifth round out of Vacaville High. Getting handed a bat and ball at a young age, Brown gives all the credit to the support system around him.
“My dad showed me the grind; what it takes to get through slumps,” he said.
Brown is happy to take the torch from his father and compete with the best in the world at the game they both cherish.
When he returns to the Bulldogs in the spring, Brown will look to close out his impressive high school career with a Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I three-peat. He finished the 2019 season with a .312 batting average, 22 RBI and led the team with 12 doubles and three home runs.
These short profiles were part of a larger collection that ran in the August 2019 issue of SportStars Magazine. View the whole issue now at SportStarsMag.com
BREAKOUTS
AC Games At A Glance
WHEN: Aug. 5-9
WHERE: Blair Field, Long Beach State
TEAMS/REGIONS: Oakland A’s (Northern California), Milwaukee Brewers (Southern California/Hawaii), Texas Rangers (Texas/Louisiana), Kansas City Royals (Pacific Northwest), Chicago White Sox (Midwest), Washington Nationals (Southeast), New York Yankees (Northeast), Cincinnati Reds (Arizona/Colorado/New Mexico/Utah/Nevada/El Paso,Texas)
FORMAT: Round robin with each team playing five games. All games are seven innings. The second day of the showcase includes a home run derby.
NOTABLE ALUMNI: Albert Pujols, Clayton Kershaw, Kris Bryant, Jay Bruce, Bryce Harper and Giancarlo Stanton.
A’s 2019 Area Code Games Roster
Player Pos. School
- Isaac Ayon RHP Buchanan-Clovis
- Jadon Bercovich RHP Damonte Ranch-Reno
- Brendan Bobo INF Harbor-Santa Cruz
- Rio Britton LHP Capital Christian-Sacramento
- Michael Brown 1B Vacaville
- Sam Brown 1B/RHP Petaluma
- Cole Carrigg C Turlock
- Rylan Charles OF Bishop Manogue-Reno
- Riley Cooper LHP Clovis North-Fresno
- Treven Crowley RHP Hilmar
- Chase Davis OF Franklin-Elk Grove
- Jack Grant INF San Ramon Valley-Danville
- Petey Halpin OF St. Francis-Mountain View
- Kyle Harrison LHP De La Salle-Concord
- Nick Kresnak INF/RHP Acalanes-Lafayette
- Brian McClellin SS Vacaville
- Kade Morris RHP Pitman-Turlock
- TJ Nichols RHP Oakmont-Roseville
- Andy Owen RHP Jesuit-Carmichael
- Eddie Park OF Valley Christian-San Jose
- Omar Plascencia C Lodi
- Tyler Soderstrom C Turlock
- Cole Tremain INF/RHP Vista del Lago-Folsom
- Rowan Trosky INF Carmel
- Tommy Troy INF Los Gatos
- Juaron Watts-Brown RHP Hanford
- Jacob Weiss C Atwater
- Carson Yates OF Leland-San Jose
- Nick Yorke INF Archbishop Mitty-San Jose
3 comments
Nicely done. Great job of getting this info out.
Good luck in Long Beach!
Thank you Jesse! Thank you Chace!
Like the Mueller Report, no one can say they read the whole thing.
nice
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