Hilltop High School alumnus Greg Allen has succeeded at every level in which he has played the great game of baseball, be it at high school, in college and now as a major league pro.
Allen is now property of the San Diego Padres after being obtained in a nine-player trade with the Cleveland Indians on Aug. 31.
The trade sent Allen, a 2014 Cleveland draft pick and MLB rostered player since 2017, and pitcher Mike Clevinger west while the Padres surrendered six players in the deal.
The Indians dealt Allen, Clevinger and a player to be named later to the Padres in exchange for catcher Austin Hedges, first baseman Josh Naylor and pitcher Cal Quantrill along with three minor league players — Gabriel Arias, Owen Miller and Joey Cantillo.
Allen, a 2011 Lancer graduate, is currently living an MLB dream by playing for his hometown team.
He joins fellow San Diego native Greg Garcia, a 2007 Valhalla High School grad, as sharing that honor on the team.
Garcia, a three time all-league and two-time All-CIF selection with the Norsemen who later went on to play three seasons at the University of Hawaii, joined the Padres last season after being picked up on waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Allen, 27, made his San Diego debut on Sept. 2 with two walks, one hit by pitch, one stolen base and one run scored in a 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim. He made four plate appearances in the road game and reached base three times for a rather auspicious .750 on-base percentage.
He was optioned to the team’s alternate camp the following day and expects to be one of the team’s top replacement options if injuries occur in the outfield.
Allen said faith and a strong belief in himself, and his uniqueness, has allowed him to succeed.
“The faith that I’ve had, something that was instilled in me while growing up, something that is a foundation and pillar to get me through every day,” he detailed in an interview on social media.
“I’m unique because God made me that way. He made each of us that way, and because of that we all have purpose and value. We have the ability to enjoy this life to the fullest.”
Life as a Lancer
Allen earned four varsity letters in baseball while attending Hilltop under head coach Kurt Gritts.
He earned Mesa League Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2011 after hitting .470 with eight doubles and three home runs as the Lancers finished 14-15 overall with an appearance in the San Diego Section playoffs.
He scored 35 runs in 28 game appearances with 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts. He also compiled a 3-2 pitching record with two saves and a 2.18 earned run average as he concluded his prep career as a second-team all-San Diego Section honoree.
He earned first-team all-Mesa League honors as a junior and senior. During his junior season batted .410 with 11 doubles and 31 runs scored in 30 contests as Hilltop finished a highly successful season with a 17-13 overall record, 7-3 in league and advanced four games deep into the San Diego Section playoffs.
As a sophomore in 2009 with the Lancers, Allen posted a .342 hitting average and .464 on-base percentage. He logged 27 hits, 19 runs scored, 10 RBI, two doubles, one triple and seven stolen bases in 26 games. He turned in a .907 fielding average as Hilltop finished 15-15 overall.
He also played football for the Lancers as a senior. He rushed for 61 yards, caught two passes for 80 yards and scored two touchdowns on offense. On defense, he made 18 tackles, including 14 unassisted tackles, while forcing one fumble in a season cut short by injury.
He is fondly remembered by staff and alumni at the west side Chula Vista school.
“I remember Greg well from his days as a Lancer,” noted John Salts, a Hilltop alumnus, who serves as the school’s junior varsity baseball coach and head boys soccer coach. “He was known around campus as a great young man, always with a smile on his face, and nice to all the kids, no matter the grade level.
“He was very humble and, as an elite athlete, this really stood out in a teenager on a high school campus. He was soft-spoken and really let his actions both in the classroom and on the field speak for themselves.
“As an athlete he was a hard-working dedicated ballplayer. His gift of speed caught everyone off guard, even when you knew he was fast.”
Aztec pride
Allen played three seasons at SDSU prior to leaving the program to play professional baseball.
He appeared in 63 games as a junior (all starts), batting .302 with eight doubles, six triples, 26 RBI and 52 runs scored. He compiled a .385 on-base percentage and recorded 25 stolen bases.
He earned preseason second team All-American selection by the Baseball America publication.
The former Lancer earned all-tournament honors at both the Mountain West and NCAA Regional tournaments as a sophomore in 2013. He hit .407 with three doubles, six runs scored and five RBI at the MW tourney. He finished 3-for-8 with a double and triple in two regional playoff games.
He turned in a string of 24 consecutive games during the season when he reached base safely (via a hit, walk or hit by pitch), including a personal best 10-game hitting streak during that span.
He led the Aztecs with 51 runs scored, 36 walks and 25 stolen bases (which led the conference). He ranked fourth on the team with 19 multiple-hit games.
He was one of 12 collegiate baseball players nationwide (in all divisions) to receive honors as an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar in 2013 by Diverse: Issuers in High Education magazine.
As a freshman at SDSU in 2012, he played primarily in right field and made two short relief appearances on the mound.
He posted a team-high 22 multiple-hit games and led the team with 11 stolen bases and tied for the team lead with 11 doubles. He ranked second on the team with eight multiple-RBI games.
He committed only one error in 155 chances for a .994 fielding percentage with 10 defensive assists from the outfield.
At the plate, he batted .330 with a .407 on-base percentage in conference play. He earned recognition on the MW all-tournament team after hitting .438 with two home runs, six runs scored and four RBI in four games.
He also earned honors as a MW Scholar Athlete with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher and was a member of the Mountain West All-Academic Team.
Allen comes from an athletic family. His cousin DeWayne Patmon played collegiate football at Michigan and later for the NFL New York Giants. Another cousin Chad Patmon played football at Texas.
He lists his favorite athletes as former Dodger great Jackie Robinson and Padre outfielder Cameron Maybin.
Life as a pro
His success at the collegiate level led to him being selected in the sixth round by the Cleveland Indians in the 2014 MLB amateur player draft. He played for six minor league teams from 2014-19 while logging 483 games with 358 runs scored, 97 doubles, 23 home runs, 165 RBI, 167 stolen bases and a .276 hitting average.
In 2015, he played 123 games for the Lake County Captains in the Midwest League where he hit .273 with a .368 on-base percentage with seven home runs, 45 RBI and 43 stolen bases at the A level.
In 2016, Allen played for the Lynchburg Hillcats in the Carolina League (A-advanced) before being promoted to the AA level with the Akron Rubber Ducks. In 129 total games between the two teams, he hit .295 with seven home runs, 44 RBI, 45 stolen bases and an impressive .830 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.
He made his MLB debut for the Indians on Sept. 1, 2017. He hit his first MLB home run on Sept. 7.
Allen appeared in 25 games for the Indians in 2017 with a .229 hitting average, seven runs scored, one double, one home run, one stolen base and six RBI as Cleveland finished with the best record (102-60) in the American League.
He logged 91 games in 2018 with a .257 hitting average, .310 on-base percentage, 36 runs scored, 11 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 21 stolen bases and 20 RBI as the Indians bowed out in the American League Division Series to the Houston Astros.
He hit his first career walk-off home run to cap a 14-inning win over the Astros on May 27, 2018. His base hit in the 11th inning gave the Indians a walk-off win over the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 29.
He appeared in 89 games last season with Cleveland, hitting .229 with 30 runs scored, nine doubles, three triples, four home runs and eight stolen bases to go with a .346 on-base percentage.
He appeared in 15 games with the Indians this season before being traded to the Padres with a modest .160 batting average, three runs scored, one home run, one stolen base and four RBI.
During his time in Cleveland, Allen said he had a chance to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in that city.
He hopes to rock on with the Padres.
Could Friars just possibly be heading to MLB postseason?
A total of 16 teams between the National League and American League will qualify for Major League Baseball’s 2020 playoffs.
That’s significantly up from the 10 teams — five teams from each league — that have competed in postseason play since the 2012 season.
But in this season like no other, it appears to be the new normal.
And the Padres seem to be a cinch to qualify, at this point of the season at least.
Oh, doctor!
This year’s playoff format features some notable changes.
Eight teams each from the National League and American League will qualify: the top two teams in each of the three divisions, plus two wild card teams with the next best records.
The opening round will feature a best-of-three wild card series rather than a one-game elimination contest. That will be followed by a best-of-five divisional series and a best-of-seven league championship series.
The crowning World Series retains its best-of-seven championship format.
The wild card series starts Sept. 29 and ends Oct. 2, so that doesn’t leave too many games to determine the final standings and playoff seeding.
The Friars appear to have bolstered their chances of a deep postseason run after making a total of six trades that brought in 10 new players and sent 14 players packing to other teams.
The month of October could be very memorable indeed for local baseball fans.
The Padres entered this year’s Aug. 31 trade deadline with the third-best record in the National League at 21-15, second in the NL West to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The trades seem to have improved the product, at least on paper.
But it will be on the field that the reverberations of the last-minute wheeling and dealing will ultimately be felt.
The net result is that the Pads now have two local high school products on their roster — Valhalla High School’s Greg Garcia and former Hilltop standout Greg Allen.
In 26 appearances this summer, Garcia had compiled a .275 hitting average with three doubles, seven RBI and three runs scored.
Allen, who became a left-handed batter to make better use of his speed, reached base three times in his debut with the Pads and scored one run.
While having two locals on the Padres is definitely good for public relations, Garcia and Allen are but a tip of the iceberg in terms of talent on this year’s squad.
Mike Clevinger, who was obtained along with Allen in a blockbuster nine-player trade with the Cleveland Indians, has been among MLB’s pitching aces the past three seasons, posting 38 wins from 2017-19.
He bolsters a San Diego pitching rotation that also includes right-handers Dinelson Lamet, Chris Paddack, Zach Davies and Garrett Richards. The bullpen features 10 additional arms to call on in an emergency.
Davies had logged a 6-2 record and 2.23 ERA in eight games while Lament was 2-1 with a 2.62 ERA in eight games.
Pierce Johnson was 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA in 16 appearances while Paddack was 3-3 with a 4.43 ERA.
The Pads’ new-found pitching depth complements the Friars’ ranking as the team with the highest scoring offense in baseball (5.69 runs per game).
Offensive leaders at the plate through 40 games for the Friars included second baseman Jake Cronenworth (.333 hitting average, four home runs, 17 RBI), shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (.308, 14 home runs, 37 RBI), third baseman Manny Machado (.301, 12 home runs, 33 RBI), first baseman Eric Hosmer (.296, eight home runs, 30 RBI) and right fielder Wil Myers (.290, nine home runs, 25 RBI).
Optimism abounds.
“We’re aiming for the big cake, man,” Tatis told reporters after a recent game.
“We’re aiming for everything. The boys are ready. We have a very good team out here. The new guys that have come in, they’re adding to our game.
“I think we’re aiming for the big cake, and why not? Let’s go win the World Series.”
MLB on deck
With the shortened season, teams may be able to make up significant ground with just a few wins at the right moment of the season.
The Atlanta Braves (23-15) and Philadelphia Phillies (19-15) are contending for the NL East lead while the Chicago Cubs (23-15) seem to have control of the NL Central. The Dodgers, with the best record in the MLB at 30-10, ended last week with a six-game lead on the Padres (24-16) in the NL West standings.
The Padres had reduced that lead to 4.5 games as of Monday (Sept. 7).
The Tampa Rays (27-12) led the AL East over the Toronto Blue Jays (21-17) and New York Yankees (21-17) in games through last Friday.
The Chicago White Sox (24-15) are battling Cleveland (23-15) and the Minnesota Twins (24-16) for supremacy in the AL Central while the Oakland Athletics (22-13) are vying with Houston (21-16) for the AL West lead.
Pro soccer: notebook:
San Diego Loyal taking on Chula Vista identity
SD Loyal attack explodes with 3-0 win against host LA Galaxy II
The San Diego Loyal SC trains for its USL Championship matches at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center. The team, playing in its inaugural season, is quickly taking on a Chula Vista identity.
The club signed a pair of South County natives — goalkeeper Austin Guerrero (Otay Ranch High School) and defender Jordan Chavez (Mater Dei Catholic High School) —
in advance of its return to play match on July 11 following the suspension of the season in March.
The Loyal remained loyal to the South County region by adding former Mater Dei Catholic standout Alejandro Guido to its roster on Sept. 1.
The club announced on Sept. 8 that it had hired newly-installed Chula Vista resident Tim Daniels as an assistant coach.
Defender Sal Zizzo, who prepped at Patrick Henry High School and has the honor of being the first player signed by the Loyal, currently lives in Chula Vista with his wife and family.
With the recent spate of signings, the Loyal now boasts seven players with San Diego roots on the team.
Recently signed forward Miguel Berry, who scored twice in a 3-0 win at the L.A. Galaxy II on Sept. 9, was born in Barcelona but grew up in Poway, while midfielder Eric Avila (La Costa Canyon) and goalkeeper Jake Fenalson (Rancho Bernardo) both hail from North County.
Guido, who earned 54 caps with United States national youth teams (U17 to U23) from 2010-15, signed a three-year deal with Club Tijuana in March 2012 and made his professional debut in a 2-1 victory against Celaya in a Copa MX match on Aug. 22, 2012.
He spent the 2013-14 on loan to Ascenco MX side Dorados and later signed with Los Angeles FC on Major League Soccer in February 2019.
The 26-year-old midfielder is on loan from the MLS team for the balance of the USL Championship season.
Guido has made an immediate impact with the Loyal by helping inject some much-needed fluid play into the attack.
Guido made his Loyal debut as a second-half substitute in a road match Sept. 2 in Las Vegas (a 1-1 draw) and earned his first start with the Loyal in the Sept. 9 matchup against the Galaxy II.
Guido assisted on the team’s opening goal against the Galaxy II (scored by Berry) and nearly scored a minute after Berry’s second tally of the night after forcing L.A. goalkeeper Abraham Romero to dive backward and slap the ball away on a 30-yard volley shot.
Guido represented the United States during the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico.
Guerrero, who played youth soccer in the region with the San Diego Surf prior to attending the University of Portland, earned the start in the Loyal’s Aug. 22 home match against Reno 1868 (a 3-1 loss).
Chavez, 23, joins the Loyal after playing locally for Albion SC and Chula Vista FC.
“Jordan impressed us from the day we first saw him play for Chula Vista FC,” Loyal head coach Landon Donovan said. “He is a humble and kind young man who has improved tremendously in his short time with our club. As a native of Chula Vista, he is committed to this community and is a huge asset to our club.”
Zizzo, 33, represented the United States at the 2017 U20 World Cup in Canada. He grew up playing youth soccer for the Hotspurs USA in El Cajon and later attended UCLA for two years.
He made 43 appearances with the Bruins, scoring eight goals while adding 14 assists.
After signing a three-year contract to play in the German Bundesliga, Zizzo returned to play in MLS from 2010-18. He came out of retirement to sign with the hometown Loyal.
As an assistant coach, Daniels, 27, will assist on all aspects of the technical side including creating and running training sessions, match preparation, film and statistical analysis and scouting.
“Tim has been a wonderful addition to our staff,” Donovan said. “He has a tremendous work ethic, has a great demeanor around our players and is dedicated to helping our club grow. We are fortunate to have him here at SD Loyal.”
Daniels relocates from Michigan where he spent years working with Loyal assistant coach Nate Miller while serving as assistant coach at Spring Arbor University and Lansing United.
As a part of the staff at Spring Arbor, Daniels helped the Cougars finish with two Crossroads League regular season titles and one Crossroads League tournament title. His most recent stint included being an assistant coach at Lansing Ignite from USL League One.
“I am thrilled to be joining SD Loyal and the San Diego community,” said Daniels, who is originally from Wheaton, Ill., and resides in Chula Vista with his wife Kristiana. “The club has created a very special environment and I look forward to working every day alongside the talented staff and players.”
Making the grade
The newcomers have combined with the team’s core to push the Loyal to a three-game unbeaten streak – consecutive ties against Orange County FC (0-0 on Aug. 29) and Las Vegas Lights (1-1 on Sept. 2) and one win (3-0 at the LA Galaxy II on Sept. 9).
The Loyal (4-4-4, 15 points) hosts Orange County FC on Sunday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m. at USD’s Torero Stadium), in an important match that could determine which team qualifies for postseason play.
The top two teams in the Group B standings advance to the playoffs. The Loyal currently sits in fourth place but is within striking distance of both the second place Galaxy (6-5-0, 18 points) and third place Orange County (5-3-3, 18 points.)
The Loyal has four regular season matches remaining on its 2020 schedule, placing a premium on each of those games for point production.
But help could be on the way.
The Sept. 9 win over the Galaxy II at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson was the Loyal’s first win since defeating Las Vegas, 2-1, July 25 at USD’s Torero Stadium.
Berry made history by scoring in the first minute of play to notch both the fastest goal in club history as well as his first professional tally.
Guido found Berry in the penalty box and Berry didn’t waste the opportunity by burying a shot past Romero inside the right post.
Rubio Rubin, who joined Guido as a Loyal signee on Sept. 1, added to the scoring with a 20th minute goal off a pin-point pass from teammate Jack Metcalf to help the Loyal take a 2-0 lead.
Berry closed out scoring in the match with a goal in the 38th minute by blasting a shot between Romero’s legs after making a long run.
The Loyal showed it could close out the victory by holding the hosts scoreless in the second half. Dominating possession was key — and something Donovan has been looking from his team all season.
Maybe the Loyal has finally solved things for itself. Donovan & Co. can only hope it’s not too late.
