PGCBL Spotlight: Josh Gardiner and John Razzino

The PGCBL season has to come to the close, with the Amsterdam Mohawks beating the Newark Pilots in the league's championship series to claim their third consecutive PGCBL championship. The league recently announced their Player and Pitcher of the year, as well as their All-League Team and Coach of the Year.

Jayson Yano of the Pilots, the subject of the PGCBL Spotlight a few weeks ago, was named the PBCBL Pitcher of the Year for a dominant summer on the mound.

Josh Gardiner of the Amsterdam Mohawks was named the PGCBL Player of the Year, and was an integral cog of a dynamic offense that included several standout performers. Teammate John Razzino posted equally dominant numbers, making undoubtedly a tough decision for PGCBL officials when naming the player of the year.

Just take a look at the numbers:

Josh Gardiner (Radford)

• .415 batting average (second in the league)
• .543 on-base percentage (first)
• .511 slugging percentage (tied for fourth with Razzino)
• 56 hits (fourth)
• 56 runs (fourth)
• 29 RBI (fifth)
• 69 total bases (tied for seventh with Razzino)
• 29 walks (second)
• 10 hit-by-pitch (tied for first)
• 16 stolen bases (in 21 attempts, tied for seventh)
• 177 plate appearances (tied for eighth)

John Razzino (Franklin Pierce)

• .370 batting average (third)
• .449 on-base percentage (sixth)
• .511 slugging percentage (tied for fourth with Gardiner)
• 50 hits (tied for sixth)
• 34 RBI (second)
• 5 home runs (tied for third)
• 69 total bases (tied for seventh with Gradiner)
• 23 stolen bases (in 26 attempts, first)

Gardiner in particular had a knack for getting on base, whether it be via the base hit, walk or hit by pitch. Both made the most of their time on the bases, showing off the 6.50 (Gardiner) and 6.40 (Razzino) speed in the 60-yard dash as recorded at the league's All-Star Game in Elmira, by stealing bases almost at will and scoring runs in bunches.

Both were named to the PGCBL All-League Team as linked above and helped power the Mohawks to a 36-11 record, easily the best in the league, and the league championshp.


Around the Cape

Garrett Cleavinger, LHP, Oregon - Southpaws who throw 95 mph will and always have garnered attention, and Cleavinger is no exception. Scouts have come away highly impressed with the hard throwing lefty this summer, and he’s been particularly sharp in his relief outings down the stretch. Working at 93-95 mph with his fastball, Cleavinger can miss bats even without his best off-speed command. But, when he does have his sharp 79-81 slider working, he’s as tough to square up as any pitcher on the Cape. Cleavinger profiles as a swing-and-miss setup man that could likely be fast tracked to the big leagues.

Ian Happ, OF, Cincinnati - Happ entered the summer with high expectations placed on his shoulders, following what was an eye opening summer on the Cape last year. And, for awhile, he was solid but perhaps not as eye popping as some expected. But, over the last couple weeks Happ has taken off and begun to look like a potential first round selection again. He’s driving the ball to all fields from both sides of the plate, and has particularly impressive opposite field pop from the left side. His speed and athleticism are also big difference makers.

Andrew Stevenson, OF, LSU - Sometimes it takes a summer of watching a player on a consistent basis to fully appreciate what they can do on a field. Andrew Stevenson is one of those players. He will not light it up in batting practice or jump off the page physically, but all this LSU standout does is perform time and time again. He’s consistently squared up some of the league’s best pitching, using a line-to-line approach and keep his hands back exceptionally well. He’s an above average hit tool player with plus speed. Couple that with his outstanding instincts on the bases and you have a made to order top-of-the-order threat at the next level.

Kolton Mahoney, RHP, Brigham Young - Most summers on the Cape there is at least one singular pitching performance that everyone seems to remember for years to come. Kolton Mahoney had one of those outings on Wednesday night in Orleans’ playoff opening game. The Brigham Young righty fanned 13 batters over seven scoreless and couldn’t have looked more in command. He spotted his 91-94 mph fastball expertly, attacking hitters and changing eye levels in the process. He dropped in two variations of his breaking ball, including a downer curveball at 75-76 and a two-plane slurve at 79-82. He also used his 80-83 mph changeup more than I’ve seen in prior outings.

Reagan Bazar, RHP, Louisiana-Lafayette - Remain patient with Reagan Bazar, because when it clicks the finished product could be very special. Statistically, it’s been an up and down summer for the 6-foot-8 Cotuit righty, but it’s also been a summer of progress. Known to hit 100 mph during the spring, Bazar has lived at 91-95 mph this summer but with improving mechanical consistency along the way. His fastball, given his tremendous plane and easy arm action, also plays up significantly. He flashes an above average breaking ball as well. Given his youth and his frame, this is an arm to watch very closely.