Shushkewich: Chester, Valero, Vincelli-Simard lead Cali Canucks

May 26, 2023

Canadian Draft Connections with California State Division I Programs

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

California State University is the largest public university system in the United States, spanning 23 campuses across the state with almost 500,000 students enrolled within their programs.

Six of those campuses play Division I baseball within the NCAA, including Bakersfield, Fresno, Fullerton, Long Beach, Northridge and Sacramento State, with six Canadians suiting up within these programs and another lone Canuck suiting up for the Division II program at Monterey Bay in INF Cole Murchison (Toronto, Ont.).

Five of the six players are draft-eligible later this summer, as only Cody Hendriks (Coquitlam, BC) at Bakersfield campus is in his sophomore campaign, with two players suiting up in their junior years while the remaining three are seniors within their respective programs.

With the Regional Tournaments and College World Series starting to come into focus as the month turns over into June, let’s look at how the Canadians playing Division 1 at a California State affiliated program are doing heading into the 2023 draft.

Juniors

Cesar Valero – OF (Calgary, Alta.)

Sacramento State

Ranked at No. 5 on the Canadian Baseball Network’s projected draft list this summer, Valero has been one of the top bats in the Hornets lineup all season long, amassing a .281 batting average and a .519 SLG through 185 at-bats. He finished the spring season with 23 extra-base hits, 10 of which were home runs while collecting 49 RBIs on his way to a .903 OPS.

A product of the Okotoks Dawgs and the Junior National Team, Valero made just two errors in the outfield. Prior to Sacramento State, Valero spent two years with Oregon State, where limited playing time and COVID-19 during his freshman campaign limited him to 18 at-bats through the two seasons, with the right-handed batter seeing an increase in time after making the switch.

Valero will be one player to keep an eye on this summer as he could be one of the top five Canadians drafted when all is said and done.

Noah Takacs – RHP (Victoria, BC)

Sacramento State

In his third season at Sacramento, Noah Takacs made three starts for the Hornets, with his last start coming against USC in March where he was lifted early after experiencing stiffness. Through those three outings, Takacs finished with a 3.00 ERA through 15 innings with six hits allowed to the tune of five earned runs compared to 17 strikeouts.

The injury comes at an unfortunate time, as this is a season where he was slated to get reps in the rotation throughout the year and it is serious enough to sideline him for the 2023 campaign in the West Coast League, as he was set to join the Victoria Harbourcats.

Seniors

Fynn Chester – RHP (Victoria, BC)

Fullerton State

In the Big West Conference this spring, Chester split the season between the rotation and the bullpen, making seven starts through 17 total appearances. The former Victoria Eagle amassed a 4.21 ERA on the year with 27 earned runs allowed through 57 2/3 innings, striking out 42 batters for a 6.6 K/9 this season.

The only player on this list to not suit up for the Hornets at Sacramento, Chester started his post-secondary journey in 2020 at Salt Lake Community College, spending two years with the Bruins before taking his talents to Fullerton. Chester is currently ranked at No. 11 on the Canadian Baseball Network 2023 projected draft list.

Zach Gagnon – RHP (Saint-Julie, Que.)

Sacramento State

A senior at Sacramento after spending two seasons at Clarendon and then two seasons at Tarleton State, Gagnon made eight appearances for the Hornets, working mostly out of the bullpen with two starts mixed in on the year. Through 13 innings, Gagnon authored a 13.15 ERA with 19 earned runs on the season, posting a rough stretch in March where he allowed 12 earned through six innings.

Martin Vincelli-Simard C-INF (St. Therese, Que.)

Sacramento State

A product of the Vauxhall Jets, Vincelli-Simard has certainly found his rhythm over the past three seasons, as the 6-foot-2 right-handed hitter continues to find ways to mash. He led the Hornets in doubles (16), home runs (17), RBIs (60), SLG (.684), and OPS (1.092), earning First Team honours in the Western Athletic Conference.

Vincelli-Simard’s 35 career home runs with the Hornets tied a program record with Harvey Hargrove and he finished the season as arguably one of the top batter’s in the lineup on a nightly basis. In his fifth year of the program, there is a high chance he could hear his name called during the draft in July.