Spartans Needs Are Many as Large Class of Recruits Shows

San Jose State Has Many Needs So Lots of Recruits

The Spartans suffered through a very poor year where Coach Nakama was still learning what his players could do or not do. Pitching was horrible with the exception of Kalei Contrades while hitting was ok but not great. Most of the hitters are gone so both pitching and hitting need shoring up. Where does a coach start? Shotgun approach I guess. Bring in numbers if nothing else. Let's see what he picked up. By the way, I wrote a lot of this during the season and then finished with more complete information. I think you'll figure that out as you read.

Shane Timmons, OF, Capistrano Valley HS, Mission Viejo, CA
Shane is hitting a mediocre .256 in 85 ABs. He has shown a little pop with 2 home runs. He hit .337 last year. He ended up at a poor .243 with 2 home runs. He has a lot to prove.

Josh Goldberg, RHP, Woodrow Wilson HS, Long Beach, CA
Says he wants to hit but hit .172 his junior year (2013) in 29 ABs. Doesn't look likely. On the mound he was 3-3 and 1.77 in 31 IP for a mediocre team. He's hitting a healthy .351 this year so he has found which end of the bat to grab. He is really shining as a pitcher. He's 6-1 and 0.67 with 47 strikeouts in 41 IP. He still walks too many and any pitcher who walks too many makes my skin crawl. He finished at 9-2 and 1.09 in 58 IP. He had 63 strikeouts and 33 walks in those innings. His walk numbers are still high. Chosen Second Team All Southern Section by the California Baseball Coaches Association.

Eric Anderson, RHP, Sanger HS, Hallmark, CA
Eric pitched for Reedley last season as he was traded for a high draft pick. Just kidding. He recently threw a no-hitter against his old school. I could find no stats but the team is having an average year against tough opponents in the Clovis area.

Justin Beck, INF, Upland HS, Upland, CA
He is currently hitting .286 with 1 home run for his team. His OBP is .407 which is pretty good considering his BA. He ended up at .248 which ain't much. He has a lot to prove.

Matthew Brown, RHP, Benicia HS, Benicia, CA
You'll like this. His team is 18-3 and he's 6-1 and 0.35 in 40 IP. He has 56 strikeouts and 16 walks and that's what I like to see (don't we all?). Those kinds of stats could get him drafted. He made CalHiSports.com third team All-State team. He's also a big un at 6'4" and 230. Fits the mold in my book. If he shows up at SJS I project him as a starter. He ended up 10-1 and 0.60 with 87 strikeouts in 69 IP.

David Campbell, SS, Colfax HS, Colfax, CA
Wow! There's more. David is hitting .538 with 5 home runs in 52 AB. That's a home run every 10 ABs. That's positively Ruthian. He also has 20 RBIs. He's a shortstop so I don't know if he will last in the draft as he has hit .500 over his varsity career with 8 home runs. A real gem. He ended up at .554 with 6 home runs and 25 RBIs. Averaged .509 in three years of varsity ball. He was named to the first team for CalHiSports.com All-state for medium schools. That's what I'm talkin' about.

Daniel Harris, RHP, Capistrano Valley HS, Mission Viejo, CA
Daniel is 2-2 and 2.02 (all those deuces!) in 27 IP. He has 16 strikeouts and 16 walks. Those both have to improve.

Rashaan Kuhaulua, RHP, Kapa'a HS, Kapa'a, HI
I couldn't find anything. However, the Spartans have had pretty good luck with kids from Hawaii. That's if they aren't so good as to get drafted in the fourth round and sign.

Corey Olivet, OF, Los Gatos HS, Los Gatos, CA
Corey is hitting .342 with no home runs. he has 26 hits in 76 ABs. He ended up at .330 and 0 home runs.

Dylan Sugimoto, LHP, Waipahu HS, Waipahu, HI
This took some searching. Dylan is 3-2 and 0.88 in 32 IP. He has 33 strikeouts and 13 walks which is pretty good. He did make honorable mention all-state last year so thumbs up for that. Found a little more. He hit .405 with 1 home run for league play. In 40 IP he was 4-2 and 0.88 with 39 strikeouts and 13 walks.

Hilario Tovar, RHP, Selma HS, Selma, CA
I couldn't find anything current. He made small school first team all-state by CalHiSports.com in 2013. I can work with that. He hit .524 last year and .289 this season. He had two home runs in both seasons. As a pitcher he was 2-0 and 2.00 this season in 14 IP. Compare that to 61 IP with 78 strike outs last year. He fell down in production both as a hitter and a pitcher. Also read that he is an incoming freshman for Cal Poly so I'm confused. More research. He had a down year due to injuries I have read.

Jeremiah Wylie, RHP, Helix Charter HS, La Mesa, CA
No stats that are current. According to Perfect Game his fastball is in the high 80s. Not bad. He was 2-1 and 3.06 in 2014. In 16 IP (?) he had 11 strike outs.

Josh Nashed, RHP, Leland HS, San Jose, CA
Josh was the winning pitcher against Bellarmine in the CCS championship game. His star seems to shine more brightly as an infielder, however, and that's where I see him as a Spartan. As a pitcher he was 2-0 and 0.50 in 14 IP. He had 17 strike outs so he can throw the ball. As an infielder he hit .475 with 2 home runs. That's very good.

Dillan Smith, OF, Palomar College, San Marcos, CA
Dillan will be coming in as a junior and should start in either left or right. The date of the announcement of his signing was June 24, 2014 so he's a late signing. He hit .381 last season and is a first team All-State pick for juco players. He was also the conference player of the year. He's built for speed as Nakama has him projected as a leadoff hitter. He will be needed.

The lineup and the rotation are both screaming for help and there is some talent here. Dillan Smith could start in the outfield but I see hime more as a fourth outfielder. Nashed is probably the star of the class and could break into the rotation. Campbell has power and that's a rare commodity with San Jose State. I think he's a lefty and I see him as a DH. Brown also should get a shot at the rotation as will Goldberg. That would make the Spartans one of the youngest rotations in college ball if it goes to my guesses. Catcher remains a question mark.