Chargers holding pair of aces

PATRICK SHELBY/Acorn Newspapers L.A. GUNS—Agoura junior Robert Stock, left, and senior Jason Stoffel will anchor the Charger pitching staff this season. Both hurlers’ fastballs have been clocked in the mid-90s, and both are currently working on changeups that could prove devastating to opposing hitters. Grip it and rip it? Good luck against Agoura’s co-aces this season.

The names Robert Stock and Jason Stoffel should be familiar to most high school baseball connoisseurs in the Conejo Valley—and beyond—because of their ability to consistently hit 90-plus miles per hour on any available radar gun.

“They are premier pitchers, not just of Southern California, but I think all of California,” said Calabasas head coach Bret Saberhagen, a two-time Cy Young Award winner and MVP of the 1985 World Series as a member of the Kansas City Royals.

“They’ve got velocity. They’ve got the know how on how to pitch,” Saberhagen said.

Stock, a 16-year-old junior, has spent the past several years establishing himself as one of the nation’s finest prospects at both pitcher and catcher.

He was named Baseball America’s top 13-year-old in 2003, then won the award again in both the 14and 15-year-old divisions in ’04 and ’05. In addition, Stock was named the Baseball America 2005 Youth Player of The Year.

The three previous Youth Player of The Year winners are Camarillo native and current Tampa Bay Devil Ray’s outfielder Delmon Young, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2003 amateur draft, Anaheim Angels farmhand Nick Adenhart, and Cameron Maybin, the No. 10 overall selection in last year’s draft by the Detroit Tigers.

As Agoura’s starting catcher a season ago, Stock hit .405 with seven home runs and 29 RBI. He pitched almost exclusively in relief, posting a 2.84 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 19.2 innings.

During the summer, Stock was a member of the USA Junior Olympic team that lost to Cuba in the finals of the World Youth Championship in Mexico.

He started early in the tournament against the Netherlands, striking out 15 batters, and was back on the bump against Cuba in the final, but lost 5-0.

“It was my favorite thing I did this summer,” Stock said, “to get to play for the USA and with all those good players.”

After returning from Mexico, Stock joined his Agoura teammate, Stoffel, to play in the Area Code Games (ACG) in Long Beach.

Before meeting up with Stock for the ACG, Stoffel spent his summer traveling as well, playing tournaments in Atlanta and Baltimore.

Following the ACG, Stoffel rested his arm throughout the fall so he could return to the mound in top shape for the upcoming season.

Stoffel said he’s now throwing strikes on a consistent basis, adding that he continues to work on a changeup to compliment his fastball and curve.

“It’s going to be a valuable pitch,” Stoffel said of the changeup.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior flamethrower was 8-2 last year with a 2.22 ERA. Stoffel had 65 strikeouts and only seven walks, although he did hit nine batters.

Those numbers helped Stoffel land a scholarship to play at Arizona. He said committing to the Pac-10 university early on helped alleviate some of the pressure heading into his final year at Agoura.

“I thought it took a lot of pressure off me, just helped me focus on the season a little bit more,” Stoffel said. “I was definitely happy with that.”

One major change for Agoura this season will be moving Stock from the bullpen to the starting rotation, where he’ll join Stoffel as a co-No. 1 starter.

“It could be interesting,” AHS third-year head coach Scott Deck said. “We could actually have Stock or Stoffel throw (on) Wednesdays or Fridays, and then have one of them relieve the other one if need be.”

When he’s not pitching, Stock will catch. He said his arm is strong enough to handle the wear and tear of throwing from off the mound, and from behind the plate.

“If I pitch and then go play outfield, I think it’s worse,” Stock said. “My arm’s just sitting there getting cold, then I get a ball and make one big, huge throw. Catching, I’m just tossing back to the pitcher, and maybe sometimes to second.”

Stoffel’s role will remain the same. He’ll start on the mound once a week during league competition and will play first base when he’s not pitching.

After hitting .328 last season with 17 RBI and six doubles, Stoffel said he believes he’ll be even better with the bat this year.

“I focused more on hitting (in the offseason),” Stoffel said. “I was doing drills, taking a lot of live hitting, lots of tee work.”

With a No. 4 ranking nationally in the Baseball America/National High School Baseball Coaches Association Top 50 preseason poll, the two power pitchers, who’ve grown up playing together since they were youths, know anything but a CIF championship this season might be considered a letdown.

They refuse, however, to let the early expectations overwhelm them.

“It’s great, but it’s only a preseason poll,” Stoffel said. “We’ve got to back that up with play.”

Stock said success is only a matter of the Chargers coming together as one, cohesive unit.

“We have a lot of talent,” Stock said. “When we put it all together, I think it’ll be scary.”

Scary like a 94 mile-per-hour fastball.