Pippins Add Yakima's Gargus, Mercer Island's Fuchs to 2019 Roster
March 4, 2019 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
YAKIMA, Wash. - Davis High School senior Henry Gargus, and Oregon State freshman Greg Fuchs are joining the Pippins for the 2019 season, head coach Marcus McKimmy announced Monday.
"We start building this roster in the fall," McKimmy said. "Henry and Greg - we've had them committed since the fall. They're incredible lefty bats, and I'm excited to bring them in here to County Stadium, which has always played well to left-handed power bats."
Gargus, a 6-foot, 205-pound first baseman and outfielder who is headed to Stanford in the fall, is entering his senior season at A.C. Davis High School this spring. The Yakima native is ranked by Baseball Americaas the 136^th-best prospect for the upcoming 2019 MLB Draft.
"Henry is one of the highly touted high school players in the country, not just in the Northwest," said McKimmy. "The fact that he lives just mere miles from us in Yakima, that's just a benefit, and an incredible one at that."
Gargus was named a 2018 Perfect Game All-American and participated in the All-American Classic at Petco Park in San Diego last summer. An all-state selection as a junior at Davis, he also won the home run derby at the 2018 Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif. On Friday, Gargus was named to Perfect Game's Northwest Region High School Dream Team for the 2019 season.
"There's pride on both sides," McKimmy said of having a high-level Yakima native stay home for the summer and play in front of family and friends. "Even more important, Henry is an outstanding character, an outstanding individual. His makeup is off the charts."
"Every teacher, mentor, coach, just have rave reviews," McKimmy continued. "These types of guys don't come around in a clubhouse all the time."
Fuchs (pronounced FYOOKS) is a 6-foot, 192-pound outfielder and catcher from Mercer Island, Wash. He is currently playing his freshman season for the reigning NCAA Division I national champion Beavers.
"Greg is versatile," McKimmy noted. "He was a catcher, first baseman, and outfielder in high school, but will primarily play outfield and DH at Oregon State. We see some value in him potentially starting behind the plate for us at times, just to get another bat in the lineup while also playing the corner outfield as well.
"Anytime that you've got a guy that you can put behind the dish in a pinch at the college level and then in the outfield has immense value to your ballclub."
Fuchs made an immediate impact for the Beavers on Opening Day, hitting a pinch-hit, walk-off, 2-RBI single in his first collegiate at-bat to beat New Mexico in Surprise, Ariz. He was named to the Seattle TimesAll-Area team as a senior at Mercer Island High School after hitting .486 with three home runs and 25 RBIs, and earned league MVP honors.
"Oregon State has done such an incredible job of recruiting young talent, really developing those guys into national title competitors," McKimmy noted. "Greg had an immediate impact early on as a non-starter, and that shows you the trust they had in their bench, their young guys, their recruits, and the ability to have depth."
The Pippins open their sixth West Coast League season on June 4 in Clark County to take on the expansion Ridgefield Raptors. The home opener is set for Friday, June 7, at 7:05 p.m. against the Wenatchee AppleSox.
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West Coast League Stories from March 4, 2019
- Pippins Add Yakima's Gargus, Mercer Island's Fuchs to 2019 Roster - Yakima Valley Pippins
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