Year of the Pitcher in high school baseball?
My sympathy to hitters in Southern California this spring. They're going to need a little luck to help their teams score runs if they happen to run into one of the many talented pitchers on teams.
And when the pitchers face each other, bunting will be the name of the game.
Let me name just a few of the elite pitchers: Cole Irvin, Servite; Lucas Giolito and Max Fried, Harvard-Westlake; Shane Watson, Lakewood; Chase DeJong, Long Beach Wilson; Felipe Perez, Fairmont Prep; Hunter Virant, Camarillo; Kyle Twomey, El Dorado; Rio Ruiz, Bishop Amat; Justin Garza, Bonita; Brent Wheatley and Art Moran-Vidrio, Orange Lutheran.
And there's plenty more.
It could be the year of the pitcher in high school baseball in 2012. Get your radar guns ready.
-- Eric Sondheimer