Yuba City native Cates gets drafted by Angels

It's been a while since a player without the last name Stassi has been the most feared hitter in the Yuba City Honkers' lineup.

Try all the way back to 2005.

That season, second baseman Richard Cates led the Honkers in almost every major offensive category and guided Yuba City to its first playoff win since 1999.

Over the past four years, Cates has been building quite an impressive resume down south at Cal State Northridge, including twice being named to the All-Big West Conference Team, culminating in the biggest moment in his baseball career.

Cates, who just finished his senior season at Northridge, was taken in the 21st round of the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday.

Cates was with his family in Yuba City waiting by the phone and admitted he was a little nervous anticipating that call.

"It was a really nerve-racking process," Cates said. "I'm stoked though; it was really cool."

Cates led the Matadors in batting the last two seasons, including a .374 clip this past spring.

Cal State Northridge is part of one of the most difficult divisions in college baseball, the Big West Conference, which includes teams such as Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, Cal Poly and Long Beach State.

He said scouts came out to see him a few times during his senior season, but he never spoke extensively with any of them.

Before the 21st round began, Cates said he received a phone call from the Angels to confirm his draft status.

"They called me at the break between rounds and asked if I was healthy," Cates said. "I guess they're going to send a scout out here in the next couple of days. I have no idea what happens next but I think I'll sign a contract."

Cates predicted he would probably start in Rookie Ball possibly as soon as this summer. The Angels' two American Rookie Ball affiliates are located in Tempe, Ariz. and Orem, Utah.

The 22-year-old, who bats left and throws right, was drafted as a left fielder, a position he played fulltime this season at Northridge.

Over the previous three seasons, Cates shuffled between several different positions before settling in the outfield.

Although he wasn't necessarily a highly-touted prospect coming out of Yuba City High School, Cates garnered the attention of scouts with his ability to excel against Big West pitching.

He also played baseball with the Humboldt Crabs, a well-respected college summer league team in Arcata.

"Playing college baseball is an unreal experience because you get to face a lot of guys that will eventually be in the majors," Cates said. "I'm glad I went to school; there's no way I could have been ready (out of high school)."

Cates attended Faith Christian High his freshman year of high school, but transferred to Yuba City after one season to play under the tutelage of head coach Jim Stassi.

Cates said his best baseball experience ever was playing for Stassi.

"(Stassi) is a great high school coach and cares about kids and their development," Cates said. "He helped me out more than any coach I ever had."

Cates' name is still prevalent in the Yuba City record books.

While in high school he broke the single-season hits record (since broken by Max Stassi and Kevin Noall), triples record (broken by Noall this season) and ranked third all-time in batting average.

"Richard could be one of the best lefties I ever coached and I'm really happy for him," Jim Stassi said. "He deserves a shot, he's got that kind of bat."