Baseball America is in the process of naming its top 10 prospects for each Major League Baseball franchise, and a pair of Simi Valley High graduates have already made the initial lists.

Pitcher Nick Barnese, a 2007 SVHS grad, has been named the seventh-best prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays' organization.

Barnese spent last season with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the Class A ShortSeason New York-Penn League, where he posted a 5-3 record with a 2.45 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched.

Catcher Bryan Anderson, a 2005 Pioneer grad, has been ranked the fifth-best prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals.

During the past two seasons, Anderson has been selected to participate in the Futures Game during the MLB All-Star break.

"It's awesome," said Simi Valley head coach Matt La Belle, who coached both players.

"I'm very proud of those guys because they worked hard to get where they're at. I tell every player I have that hard work will eventually pay off. For those guys it's paying off on a larger scale than most of us."

Another area ballplayer, '08 Westlake grad Cutter Dykstra, was seventh on the Milwaukee Brewers' top 10 list.

Slugger Andrew Lambo, an '07 grad of Newbury Park, is all but certain to crack the Los Angeles Dodgers' top 10 list when it's released on Jan. 30.

— Stephen Dorman