There is little doubt that talent across the board was a bit down on day one of Area Codes. Despite the buzz in the air and the sunny California weather, the actual baseball on the field left something to be desired for most of the day.
Entering the last game of the afternoon, few arms had truly popped. Kowen Rader and George Ferguson performed well in a crowd littered with MLB scouts, but the belle of the ball was Ethan Gustus for the Athletics Area Code team.
The A's matched up with the fellow California-based ACG Brewers, in what might be the most star-studded matchup of the week. Gustus and his fellow Vanderbilt commit, Davis Wilson, toed the rubber against Jordan Ayala and Striker Pence. Those are four arms with real draft buzz in the '27 cycle.
Gustus stands at a wiry 6'6, hailing from Roseville, California. When …