Showing posts with label College Baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label College Baseball. Show all posts

Monday, August 18, 2014

Notes on MLB, MiLB, and Cape Cod Baseball

Jackie Bradley Jr Demoted

Jackie Bradley Jr.
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Jackie Bradley Jr's first season in the majors has been impressive yet disappointing at the same time. His slash line of .216/.288/.290 is the sign of someone who is not ready for major league baseball. But, his 13 assists, eight double plays, 1.000 fielding percentage, and 16.8 UZR indicate Bradley is very deserving of a Gold Glove. He is in the bottom of the league in hitting and the top of the league in defense. What do you do with a guy like that? The Red Sox have decided enough is enough on the hitting side and have sent him down to Triple-A. Considering the expansion of rosters to 40 players is less than two weeks away, this is an interesting time to move Bradley down. They should have moved him down earlier. On the flip side, it is smart to move him down so he can get at-bats and boost his confidence.

Joey Gallo Hits 40th HR in Minors for 2nd Straight Season

Joey Gallo of the Frisco RoughRiders hit home run number 40 yesterday against the Tulsa Drillers. Gallo, the number one prospect in the Rangers organization, is the first player since Ron Kittle in 1981-82 to hit 40 homers in back-to-back minor league seasons. Gallo is on track for an even better year then last. He is hitting for a higher average and getting on base at a higher clip. However, he strikes out way too much and is questionable fielding even though he has a great arm. Gallo will need another season under his belt before he starts making his impact felt in Arlington. 

Rusney Castillo's Decision

Rusney Castillo
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Rusney Castillo is rumored to make his decision on which team to sign for in the near future. Castillo defected from Cuba in December 2013. He is a center fielder with very good speed. When he showed up to his workout last month, he added twenty pounds, which impressed scouts. The added mussel means he has more power now. His defense has been rated as questionable. 28 teams went to his workout and the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, and Phillies are known to be interested. Castillo has potential to become a very good major league center fielder. The big question is when will he be ready. I think he can make an immediate impact, albeit small, in October. He is not going to be of the quality of a Yasiel Puig or Yoenis Cespedes, but he has a good chance of becoming a nice, everyday player.

Y-D Wins Cape League Championship

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox won the Cape Cod Baseball League championship on Saturday by defeating the Falmouth Commodores 10-4. The Red Sox had defeated the Commodores 5-0 in the first game of the best-of-three championship series on Friday. The Red Sox had previously defeated the Orleans Firebirds and the Harwich Mariners in round one and two of the playoffs. Y-D's Walter Buehler and Marcus Mastrobuoni were the Co-Postseason Most Valuable Players. Buehler, a pitcher, went 2-0 in the playoffs, including an eight inning gem in Game One of the championship. Mastrobuoni, a catcher, went five for six with two walks, five ribbies, three runs scored, a double, and a homer during the championship series. This is the fourth title for the Red Sox under Scott Pickler and their first since 2007.

Chris Carter

Chris Carter
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Astros' DH Chris Carter is an interesting case of a player with tremendous power but has trouble making contact. Carter has 29 home runs, a .516 slugging percentage, and a .283 isolated power average. He leads the MLB in fly ball percentage at 53.5%. Those are numbers of a true slugger. However, he makes contact only 65.6% of the time and 78.7% of the time when the ball is in the strike zone, which is worst and third worst in the majors respectively and has 129 strikeouts and strikeout 30.4% of the time. Carter is comparable to Adam Dunn, but without the plate discipline and walks. In Dunn's age 27 season, he had 40 homers, 101 walks, 165 strikeouts, 26.1 K%, 46.5 Fly Ball %, and a 23.8 HR/Fly Ball %. Carter, through 109 games, currently has 29 home runs, 34 walks, 129 strikeouts, 30.4 K%, 53.5 Fly Ball %, and a 21.2 HR/Fly Ball %. Carter will have to make changes to his approach to reach the value of Ă…dam Dunn, but he is currently showing why he may have a part in the Astros' future. 

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Multi-Sport Athletes' Current Baseball Endeavors

Wilson visits Rangers Spring Training

Russell Wilson
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On Monday, Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson visited and worked out with the Texas Rangers. Wilson played baseball at NC State from 2007-2010 and was drafted by the Rockies with the 25th pick in the 4th round of the 2010 Draft. He played two summers in the Rockies farm system and then focused on football. Wilson was unimpressive in the minors. A second baseman, Wilson has a career batting average of .229 and .354 on-base percentage.

Wilson was drafted by the Rangers in the Rule 5 Draft in December, hoping he could visit and speak to the team during Spring Training and, if he ever wants to return to baseball, Russell will play pro ball for the Rangers. Wilson has fulfilled the first part of their hopes when he went to Spring Training in Arizona. He fielded ground balls at second base during infield workouts and talked to players of all status. Sadly, Wilson did not take an at-bat in the Rangers game vs. Cleveland.  Hw did stay to watch the game. This is great for the Rangers. Not only do they get great media coverage, but they also get Wilson, known as a great leader, to motivate the team. 

Winston playing well on #2 Florida State

The Florida State Seminoles are currently #2 in the Baseball America Top 25 Rankings after winning two and losing one game in Tallahassee. Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston has played in seven of the Seminoles nine games so far (not including game vs. New York Yankees). In four of those games, Winston has come on as a reliever in the final inning or two and in the other three, Winston came off the bench as a pinch hitter and played the outfield. On the mound, Winston already has a save and has given up only one hit against sixteen batters in five innings. At the plate, he has two singles in two at-bats and a walk. His fielding percentage is 1.000, and he also has an assist. 

Tracy McGrady

Tracy McGrady
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Former NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady is practicing in a Houston suburb, hoping to return to a game he loves. No, it's not basketball. The 6'8" 34 year old is hoping to pitch for the Atlantic League's Sugar Land Skeeters. The Skeeters are most famous for signing Roger Clemons, who pitched one game for the team in 2012. McGrady last played organized baseball in 1996, his junior year of high school. He transferred to Mount Zion Christian Academy, a school with no baseball team, after his junior year and gave-up baseball as a result.

McGrady has insisted this is no gimmick. He says he really wants to play baseball and I applaud him for it. It seems that he has always had a love of baseball and wanted to play the game professionally when he was a kid. I give him props for venturing out into a whole new world and doing his best to make it. I think he will make the team. According to reports, he has some good pitches and his tall frame will help him a lot. Also, he will be a revenue booster for the Skeeters, who are about 40 minutes outside of Houston, where McGrady played some of his best basketball.

Monday, June 24, 2013

2013 College World Series Final: UCLA vs. Mississippi St

College World Series logo
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The Men's College Baseball Tournament started with 64 teams vying for eight spots in the College World Series. Now, only two teams in the College World Series remain. They are the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the UCLA Bruins. Both teams have had to earn their way to the finals. Their roads to the finals have been somewhat similar, yet their strengths and weaknesses are different.

UCLA has had recent success in college baseball. This is their third appearance in the College World Series in the last four years. It is also their second appearance in the finals in that time span. They lost in the finals to South Carolina in 2010. The Bulldogs have had nine previous appearances in the College World Series. This is their first since 2007. They have made the tournament the last three years though. Neither team has ever won a College World Series Title.

UCLA are currently 47-17. Their record in the PAC-12 was 21-9 and 39-17 in the regular season. UCLA hosted a regional, with Cal Poly, San Diego, and San Diego State joining them at Jackie Robinson Stadium. In their first game, they beat San Diego State, 5-3. Next up was Cal Poly and UCLA beat them 6-4. That put them in the regional final against San Diego. The Bruins shutout the Toreros, 6-0. After their regional win, they went to nearby Cal State Fullerton to face the Titans in the Super Regional. In game one, they needed extra innings. UCLA got two runners across in the tenth and took home the victory. In game two, UCLA shutout the Titans 3-0 to advance to the College World Series.


Nick Vander Tuig
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Their first game in the College World Series was against a very good LSU team. Adam Plutko went seven strong innings for the Bruins, giving up only run. In the eight inning, the score was 1-1 and Eric Filia was up with a runner on second. He hit a ball to short, but an error was made, allowing the runner to score. That won the game for the Bruins. Their next game was against North Carolina State was just as low scoring. A two-run fifth inning was all that was needed for the Bruins as Nick Vander Tuig went seven strong for UCLA picked up the 2-1 win. In their third game, they went up against the number one seeded North Carolina Tar Heels and it was again, low scoring. UCLA had a four-run lead going into the ninth. UNC started a rally, but it was not enough as UCLA won and advanced to the final.

UCLA is based around their pitching and defense. Vander Tuig is 13-4 with a 2.31 ERA and two complete games. Plutko is 9-3 on the year with a 2.29 ERA. David Berg is lights-out when he comes out of the bullpen. He has an 0.96 ERA and 77 strikeouts with 23 saves. He already has five this postseason. Their team fielding percentage of .980 is sixth in Division I baseball. Many of their fielders have made very few errors. Filia has played in all 64 games for the Bruins and has not made one error.

Mississippi State are currently 51-18. They went 43-17 in the regular season and SEC Tournament and 16-14 in the SEC. To start the tournament, they hosted their own regional. In their regional with them was South Alabama, Mercer, and Central Arkansas. In their first game, they defeated Central Arkansas, 5-3 and then South Alabama, 6-2. They then lost to Central Arkansas 5-2, but redeemed themselves with 6-1 victory over UCA to make the Super Regional in Charlottesville. The Bulldogs defeated Virginia, 11-6, in game one of the best-of-three series. Game two was moved back a day due to rain, but it didn't matter. Mississippi State withheld a late rally and won 6-5.

Their first game of the World Series was against Oregon State. The Beavers got out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but the Bulldogs soon countered with three runs in the top of the second. Oregon State then got one run in the fourth and one in the fifth. Mississippi State regained the lead with two runs in the eighth and took a 5-4 lead. The Bulldogs held on to win. Next up was Indiana. Mississippi State got on the board first with one run in the first. Indiana then got three unanswered, followed by a run for the Bulldogs. Then, in the eighth inning, Mississippi State drove in three runs to take the lead. Indiana got one run in the ninth, but could not get the tying run across. The Bulldogs won the game 5-4. In their next game they faced Oregon State again, this time with a chance to make the final. Mississippi State scored one run in the fourth and three in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead. They kept the lead for the rest of the game, only giving up one run. They won the game 4-1 and their trip to the final.

Hunter Renfroe
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The Mississippi State lineup is led by two juniors, Adam Frazier and Hunter Renfroe. Adam Frazier is a great lead-off hitter. He has a .358 batting average, .404 on-base percentage, twenty doubles, seven triples, and a nation-leading 106 hits. In the postseason, he has sixteen hits including four doubles. Renfroe is an excellent middle of the lineup guy. He has 18 homers, 65 RBIs, and a .637 slugging percentage. The thirteenth overall pick in this year's draft already has one homer here in the College World Series. They have a very good bullpen. Ross Mitchell is 13-0 on the year with zero games started and a 1.27 ERA. Jonathan Holder has 21 saves on the season (including three in the their three College World Series games) with 86 strikeouts and a 1.24 ERA.

This looks to be a very good College World Series final. I feel the match-up is very even. I expect the series to go to a third game. Mississippi State, will, in the end, win the series and take home their first College World Series title. I believe their hitting can beat UCLA's pitching. The Bruins do not have the power at the plate to come from behind multiple times. The Bulldogs pitching may not be great, but they can shut down the UCLA lineup. In a few days, there will be celebrations down in Starkville.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

2013 MLB Draft Notes and Numbers

Mark Appel

Mark Appel
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For the second straight year, the Houston Astros had the first pick in the draft and for the second straight year, Mark Appel was available to be picked. In 2012, they instead drafted Carlos Correa and Appel dropped to the Pittsburgh Pirates at nine. Appel could not strike a deal with Pittsburgh and he returned to Stanford for his senior season. This proved to be the right move. The Houston native went 10-4 with a 2.12 ERA, .203 opponents batting average, and 130 strikeouts for Stanford and was drafted by the Astros with the number one pick. Appel has the potential to be in the majors and stay by as early as next April. He has good stuff that can develop in to great stuff. I have high hopes for Appel. 

First Round Numbers

Number of Picks: 33
Number of College Players selected: 18
Number of High School Players selected: 15
Number of Pitchers selected: 15
Number of Position Players selected: 18
Number of College Pitchers selected: 9
Number of High School Pitchers selected: 6
Number of College Position Players selected: 9
Number of High School Position Players selected: 9
Number of RHP selected: 11
Number of LHP selected: 4
Number of Catchers selected: 2
Number of Infielders selected: 10
Number of Outfielders selected: 6


Chad Jones

Chad Jones when he was at LSU
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With the 285th overall pick in the draft, the Cincinnati Reds selected Chad Jones. Jones is one of the most interesting picks. He hasn't played baseball since 2010. He was a two-sport star at LSU, winning the BCS Championship in 2007 and the College World Series in 2009. Jones was drafted twice before. He was selected in the 13th round in 2007 Draft by Houston and in the 50th round in the 2010 Draft by Milwaukee. He gave up baseball for football after being drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. However, he never played a down in the NFL due to injuries sustained in a car accident. Jones has had 18 surgeries since then. After being released by the Giants last year, Jones attempted a comeback in football. It was not very successful, so he turned his attention back to baseball. He was originally an outfielder but moved to pitcher during the 2009 season. From reports, it looks like he has gotten some of his stuff back. Jones' fastball is the reportedly hitting the 90s and his slider is working well. If he can have success and stay healthy, Jones may have a chance to make the big show.

Players from Bahamas, Curacao, and Italy

Bahamas, Curacao, and Italy each had one player born in that country drafted this year. The first of these three players was Champ Stuart of the Bahamas. He was drafted by the Mets with the 176th pick (6th round, 10th pick). He went to Bernard College, a Division II school in North Carolina for the last three years. He had a .300 batting average and .444 on-base percentage for Bernard this year.

Sherman Lacrus followed in the foot steps of fellow Curacao native, Atlanta Braves Shortstop Andrelton Simmons and went to Western Oklahoma State College. The result was being drafted 820th overall (27th round, 24th pick). He can hit for power as he had 12 homers on the season, get on base as his on-base percentage was .503, and can run evident by his 26 steals. He played both Catcher and Outfield at Western Oklahoma, but he will most likely stay in the outfield. 

The Baltimore Orioles selected Federico Castagnini from Verona, Italy with the 909th pick overall (30th round, 23rd pick). He spent the last season at Creighton University after two seasons at Barton Community College. This year, Castagnini batted .320 with 54 hits and eight doubles. While at Barton CC, he was a NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention. He is a third baseman, but may have to move because he does not have the power to give the production needed from the spot.

Top College Teams Represented 

Rankings based on seeding in College World Series'

 #1 North Carolina: 6 Players Drafted---Notable: Colin Moran, 3B, 6th overall (1st round, 6th pick) 
#2 Vanderbilt: 6 Players Drafted---Notable: Mike Yastrzemski, OF, 429th overall (14th round, 23rd pick)
#3 Oregon State: 7 Players Drafted---Notable: Matt Boyd, LHP, 175th overall (6th round, 9th pick)
#4 LSU: 9 Players Drafted---Notable: Ryan Eades 43rd overall (2nd round, 4th pick)
#5 Cal State Fullerton: 4 Players Drafted---Notable: Michael Lorenzen, RHP, 38th overall (Competitive Balance Round A, 5th pick)
#6 Virginia: 3 Players Drafted---Notable: Kyle Crockett, LHP, 111th overall (4th round, 5th pick)
#7 Florida State: 5 Players Drafted---Notable: Stephen McGee, C, 277th overall (9th round, 21st pick)
#8 Oregon: 6 Players Drafted---Notable: Ryon Healy, 1B, 100th overall (3rd round, 27th pick)

Cory Hahn

Cory Hahn
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A great moment happened in the 34th round on Saturday. With the 1020th pick in the draft, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected Cory Hahn. Hahn went to Arizona State, but he only played three career games. He was drafted by the Padres in 2010 Draft, but decided to head to Arizona State instead. On February 2011, Hahn slide into the knee of New Mexico second baseman Kyle Stilner. He was taken off on a stretcher due to a spinal injury. The 2010 Mr. Baseball in California is now paralyzed from the chest down. He was spent the last two seasons as a student coach for the Sun Devils. He was drafted in the 34th round because he wore the number 34 at ASU. The Diamondbacks are hoping to make Hahn an employe. This is one of the greatest story in baseball this year. 

Sunday, June 24, 2012

College World Series

The College World Series has lived up to it's normal standards with another great tournament. This year, there have been upsets, surprise runs, and a great looking finals between the Arizona Wildcats and South Carolina Gamecocks. 


The 8 teams that made it to the College World Series are Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Kent State, South Carolina, Stony Brook, and UCLA. Stony Brook was in it's 1st ever appearance at the College World Series, but didn't have any luck. After beating the #1 seed  LSU in the Super Regionals, they lost the first 2 games they played. Florida were the runner-ups in last year's tournament and were looking good coming into Omaha, however they lost their first two games and they were out. UCLA and Kent State both had 1 win, but 2 loses. This was also Kent State's 1st CWS appearance. Florida State lost 10-3 to Arizona to send Arizona to the finals and Florida State packing. South Carolina beat Arkansas in the semi-final. However, it was only the Razorbacks 1st loss. Since the CWS is a double elimination tournament, they played a 2nd game to see who would make the finals. South Carolina won that game, 3-2, to make it to their Finals.


Matt Price has 5 career wins in Omaha
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This is South Carolina's 3rd straight appearance in the CWS Finals. They won the last 2 championships and are looking for a 3 peat. They are led by Junior's Christian Walker and LB Dantzler. Walker is hitting .319 with 11 HRs, 55 RBIs, 12 two-baggers, 75 hits, and a .446 OBP. Dantzler has 10 diggers, 48 ribbies, 15 doubles, and a .266 batting average. Both have experience in the last 2 championships. Senior Michael Roth is the ace of the staff with a 9-1 record and a 2.49 ERA. Junior Closer Matt Price has 13 saves and has a CWS record of 5 wins. 


Arizona is looking for College World Series title number 4 and it's 1st since 1986. Junior Kurt Heyer is the star of the staff with a 2.24 ERA, 113 K's and a 13-2 record. Konner Wade is 10-3 with a 4.17 ERA. Sophomore Johnny Field leads the team with a .373 average with 18 doubles, 7 triples, and 3 homeruns. Robert Refsynder has 7 round-trippers and 64 RBIs, both team highs, and a .357 average. Seth Mejias-Brean leads the team in two-baggers with 22, and also 60 RBIs and a .360 batting average.


I expect a great finals in the College World Series.

Monday, February 20, 2012

The Start of the 2012 College Baseball Season

With pitchers and catchers just starting, baseball seems like its weeks away from the start of the regular season in America. However, college baseball just finished up the first 3 days of their season. It had a lot of action for the 1st games of the year. Here are some of the top match-ups of the weekend.

Florida In Action With Cal Fullerton

Florida is ranked #1 in many of the preseason polls and was runner-up in last year's College World Series. Cal State Fullerton was ranked in the top 25. There was a lot riding on this series. 


The 1st game of the series was close through the 7th inning stretch. It was all tied up at 3. In the bottom of the 7th, Florida scored 4 runs and took a 7-3 lead. They held the Titans to no runs for the rest of the game and won. In the 2nd game, Cal State Fullerton took a 2-0 lead by scoring 1 run in the 1st and 3rd. In the 4th inning, Florida got some baserunners and brought them home, scoring 4 runs. They add an insurance run to make their lead 3 in the 8th and won 5-2. Gators 1B Preston Tucker and C Mike Zunino both had 2 hits, 1 RBI, and 1 run. In the last game of the series, Florida started off hot by scoring 3 runs in the 2nd. It looked like the sweep was in their hands. But, Cal State Fullerton scored 4 runs in both the 4th and the 5th. Florida tried coming back but could only score have 1 player cross the plate in the 7th and 8th. Cal State Fullerton won 8-5. Titan 1B Carlos Lopez and DH JD Davis both had 3 hits and 3 RBIs. 

Stanford and Vanderbilt 

This match-up was the most anticipated of the weekend. Vanderbilt made the College World Series for the 1st time last year and Stanford made the Super Regionals. Stanford is ranked inside the Top 5 and Vandy is ranked from 10th to 23rd. 


Stephen Piscotty drove in 7 runs in Game 3 of the series vs. Vandy
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In the 1st game, Stanford didn't look rusty at all, crossing the plate once in the 1st, once in the 2nd, 3 times in the 3rd, once in the 5th, once in 6th, and once in the 8th. 1B Brian Regina was 3 for 4 and 2 RBIs. Vanderbilt tried to to come back, but could only score 2 runs in the 9th to add to the 1 run they had before. Stanford won 8-3. Game 2 was much like Game 1 for Stanford. They were rolling to start the game. Scoring 1 run in the 1st, 4 in 3rd, 1 in the 4th, and 3 in the 5th. The Commodores scored more but couldn't catch up. Stanford won 9-5. The rubber game was a blow out. Stanford dominated 18-5. Stanford had a 8 and 7 run inning. Cardinal 3B Stephen Piscotty had 2 hits, 2 runs, and 7 RBIs from a 3 run double and a grand slam. 

Xavier- UNC Features Upset, Blowouts

University of North Carolina easily handled Xavier in the 1st game of a doubleheader with a 10-2 victory. Tar Heel SS Tommy Coyle scored 3 times and got 2 hits, including a 3 bagger and C Jacob Stallings had 2 runs, 2 hits, and 2 RBIs. Xavier was 30-27 last year and 14-10 in conference, which placed them 4th in the A-10. 


Game 2 of the doubleheader was much different. Xavier had a 5-0 lead at the end of the 5th. After the 7th, it was 5-4. Xavier scroed 3 in the 8th and then 2 in the 9th to close the game with a 10-4 win. C Derek Hasenbeck had 3 hits in 3 at bat with 3 RBIs and a run in his debut. Musketeers 2B Seth Willoughby was 3 for 4 and then came in to pitch in the 8th and got the save. 


In the rubber game of the series, UNC scored 6 runs in the 1st to take a 6-0. In the top of the 2nd, Xavier scored 8 runs to take a 8-6 lead. UNC scored 2 more runs to tie it up at 8 in the bottom of the 2nd. Xavier scored one run in the 4th to take the lead, but in the bottom of inning UNC scored 5 runs and the 2 in the 5th. By the time the final out was made, UNC won 16-10.

Back to Back Champ South Carolina Sweeps VMI

South Carolina has 2 College World Series victories. Both have been in the last two years. Their 2010 championship was last one ever played at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium and the 2011 championship was first one ever played at the new TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. This year, they are trying to make it a 3-peat. They started their season against Virginia Military Academy.


South Carolina started the season at home at Carolina Stadium vs. VMI
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In the 1st game of the 3 game series on Friday, both teams had crossed home plate by the bottom of the 8th. 3B LB Dantlzer hit an RBI single to put South Carolina ahead 2-1. That's how the 1st game ended. The 1st game of Saturday's, South Carolina scored 1 run in the 1st and 1 in the 3rd. VMI tied it up in the 6th. In the bottom of the 6th, Gamecock C Dante Rosenberg, who went 2 for 4, hit a RBI double that scored the GWing run. In the 2nd game of the doubleheader and the last one of the series, South Carolina dominated with a 13-1 win. They blew the game open in the 3rd when the scored 4th runs. They never looked back.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Cape Cod Baseball League is More Then Premier

Cape Cod, home of fantastic seafood, beautiful lighthouses, great beaches, and the Cape Cod Baseball League. The Cape League has for years been called the primmer summer collegiate baseball league. It has no real competitor for the top spot. Primmer is an understatement, the Cape Cod Baseball League is one of the top baseball leagues in the country and is the undisputed  collegiate baseball league/conference (Includes summer leagues and NCAA Conferences).

Why? It is quite simple. The CCBL has all the qualities of a great league. The scouts get they want by the players using wooden bats. In college players use metal bats which is much different. By using wooden bats, scouts can see if a player can hit well with a wooden bat. If they don't the scouts learned something they never would have known before. It will also show the scouts if the fielders will react differently for when the ball comes off a wooden bat. All in all, the Cape League is a scouts heaven

2007 Y-D Red Sox
The scouts also see top players vs. top players. They see how great players work with each other. One prime example of this is the 2007 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Players on the team included C Buster Posey (5th overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, 2010 NL Rookie of the Year, 2010 World Series Champ, Injured but on San Francisco Giants roster), INF Gordon Beckham (8th overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, 2009 Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year, Currently with Chicago White Sox), C/1B/DH Jason Castro (10th overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, Injured but on Houston Astros roster), Collin Cowgill (5th Round pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, Currently on Arizona Diamondbacks roster). and many more stars. They blended really well and played really well. This showed them that they can fit well in a new environment and perform well.

The League 10 teams, Bourne Braves, Brewster Whitecaps, Chatham Anglers, Cotuit Kettlers, Falmouth Commodores, Harwich Mariners, Hyannis Harbor Hawks, Orelans Firebirds, Wareham Gateman, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, that have great volunteers and workers. Withouy them there would be no league. They spend most of their summers working. Where do the players live during the season, in volunteers homes. Volunteers are the players that unofficially run the league.

The 2011 CCBL season ended 2 days ago in Falmouth with Harwich beating Falmouth in 7-5, sweeping them in the best of 3 series. Next year, I suggest you head to Cape Cod to see some games, go to the Hall of Fame (Yes they do have a Hall of Fame, it is located at the JFK Museum in Hyannis), and most importantly, have fun.