Two Stanislaus District baseball players could be drafted this year. Here are their stories

Two different careers and two different journeys could meet in the same place for a pair of Stanislaus District baseball players: the 2024 MLB Draft.

Paul Contreras and TP Wentworth played youth baseball together for a handful of years and saw success throughout their amateur careers and with the draft starting Sunday, July 14, and going until Tuesday, July 16, both could hear their names called in one of the 20 rounds.

In the past few months, Contreras did a workout with the Dodgers at their stadium and Wentworth worked out at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. They were not individual workouts, as both players worked out with other prospects. Contreras said prospects were tested in everything from 60-yard dash times to strength training.

“I got out there, stayed there and I wasn’t too nervous at all,” Contreras said of the workout with the Dodgers. “And then when I walked in and saw where I was at, I was nervous and I was like I can only imagine what this place is like filled up.”

Contreras said it’s the best field he’s ever played on. “It gives you perspective of how far but how close you are at the same time and all the hard work you’re putting in on all these different fields,” he said. “If you keep putting in hard work, you’re never going to play on a bad field again.”

Contreras almost quit

After hitting over .500 during his senior baseball season at Gregori High in 2023, Contreras — now a Modesto Junior College student — thought he was done with the game forever.

He was named the CCAL Offensive Player of the Year, but the Division I offers and national interest didn’t come like he thought they would.

“I had a really good year and I just didn’t get picked up by anybody,” he recalled. “I was like if I go to MJC, I’m not gonna get picked up again even if I put up numbers. I just put up numbers here and got nothing.”

Contreras almost went into civil engineering, a career path he wanted to pursue since childhood, but his mom convinced him otherwise.

“She said, ’I think you’re making a big mistake. I think you’re not realizing how good you really are. And I think you should go give MJC a shot and if you don’t like it, you can just stop in the fall,’” Contreras recalled.

Now, just a year after he nearly gave up on the sport, he could be selected.

“The 14th, 15th and 16th are going to be very, very stressful,” he said. “I think my parents are going to watch it, but I don’t think I’m watching it at all.”

There were signs Contreras could have a future in baseball. He said he got on scouts’ radar later in his prep career. He had a workout for the Astros and received offers to play for nearly every school in the Big 8, one of the best athletic conferences in the 3C2A.

But that Division I interest never came, which is why going to MJC was so helpful. Contreras went from 175 pounds to 210, improved his mentality, produced offensively and learned from the team’s veterans how to be a better leader in center field.

He had an impressive statistical season, leading the Pirates with eight home runs and finishing tied for the team lead in hits (58) and RBI (43). He also finished second on the team in batting average (.339). He was named Big 8 Conference first-team gold glove and helped the Pirates finish 27-14 overall, and they hosted a NorCal Regional playoff series.

“It was probably the best thing I ever did. I loved it,” he said. “It was so fun. College ball is probably one of the funnest experiences a baseball player can experience in their life.”

Wentworth could go out of high school

Wentworth, a 2024 graduat from Central Catholic, said he didn’t have the spring he hoped for. But as one of the best two-way high school prospects on the West Coast, he finished atop the Sac-Joaquin Section and the state in a number of pitching and hitting categories.

He finished as the Valley Oak League’s MVP and was The Bee’s Baseball Player of the Year.

Wentworth jumped into the national spotlight in eighth grade, he recalled. Throughout his prep career at Central Catholic, he continued to pick up college interest. That later turned into attention from the pros. During the season opener, more than 20 pro scouts attended games.

“There’s only this little window of time in your senior spring when there’s all those scouts out there,” Wentworth said. “You take advantage of it and soak it all in and I tried to do that. That’ll never happen again like that in that scenario.”

Wentworth and Contreras have heard from pro scouts that being a multi-sport athlete is a big advantage.

Wentworth starred in three sports, taking home The Bee’s Football Player of the Year award and earning first-team All-District basketball honors. He was named VOL MVP in both sports, too.

Contreras threw down thunderous dunks in CCAL basketball games regularly in the winter of 2023 for the Jaguars. He was named an All-District honorable mention as a senior. He had the option to play both baseball and basketball at a number of Big 8 colleges but chose to specialize in baseball during his freshman season.

“Playing any other sport is going to help a lot, it’s going to show them how much more athletic you are,” Contreras said. “A lot of guys that play different sports can almost play anywhere. Growing up, TP played center field and he played quarterback and had a good arm. Then in high school, he pitched and was one of the best pitchers in his class. … Basketball helped me with hand-eye coordination.”

College is on the table

Contreras knows the road for a junior college draft hopeful could end in disappointment.

Players fall in the draft each year, and if those projected to be taken early fall to the later rounds, his status could be affected. Pro organizations favor players from major Division I conferences like the ACC, SEC and Big West over a freshman with JUCO experience.

“There’s a whole bunch of other divisions and if any of those guys fall into the (draft range) that I’m in, they’re probably going to take those guys over me because they’ve seen higher-level pitching than me,” he said. “Trying to stay even-keeled is the mental part of being prepared for the draft.”

After a standout season at MJC, Contreras has signed to Cal State Fullerton, a Big West school where he could play and continue to work on his game if he doesn’t sign after the 2024 draft. After a couple of good seasons, he can be drafted again. Fullerton is a good spot, not too close to home but also close enough for his family to attend games.

“My coach asked me where I wanted to go and I said Fullerton would be awesome, and he made it happen,” Contreras said. “I got a call from them, went on a visit, loved it and committed. That school has always been a dream spot for me.”

In the MLB Draft, each pick is assigned a slot value (money value per pick) but teams can offer above or below value to players.

Wentworth has heard he could go on the second day with an above slot value in this year’s draft. If he signs for over slot value, it means the team that drafted him agreed to pay him more than what MLB says the value of the pick is.

“It’s kind of crazy how it all works,” he said.

A Clemson signee, Wentworth also can elect to go the college route and play in the ACC. As a draft prospect, he’s an outfielder. If he doesn’t sign with a pro organization and attends Clemson, he primarily would be an outfielder but could also see time as a left-handed pitcher.

“One of my biggest decisions in choosing Clemson is they were going to let me two-way,” he said.

The next few days will be a whirlwind for two of the latest draft hopefuls from the Central Valley. They could provide inspiration just like Turlock alum Tyler Soderstrom, who is playing for the Oakland A’s, Cole Carrigg, Soderstrom’s high school teammate currently in the Rockies organization and Big Valley Christian graduate Cameron Butler, who was drafted by the White Sox in the 15th round in 2021.

“You train as a kid and this is one of the dreams,” Wentworth said. “In terms of our area, it’s super cool to represent the 209. There’s been so many good players to come out of here. It’s really special for us, for sure.”