MORE COVERAGE: 2012 Summer Collegiate Player of the Year, Sean Manaea
Dramatic
Increase in Home Runs
Tells
Story of Summer-League Season
The
2012 summer-college league season is officially over, and it’s
readily evident what the overriding story line was for the
recently-completed campaign.
Offense,
and plenty of it!
There
was a dramatic spike in offensive production in many of the nation’s
top leagues this summer, specifically in the number of home runs that
were launched. Numerous league, team and individual home-run records
fell as the volume of long balls increased exponentially from 2011.
In
the Cape Cod League, the nation’s premier summer league, the number
of home runs jumped to 382 in the regular season, more than the two
previous seasons combined. In 2011, just 159 home runs were hit by
Cape players; in 2010, 158.
Harwich
broke the old Cape single-season record of 59 (set in 1981 by Orleans
during the league’s aluminum-bat era) by clubbing 64. Every team in
the league saw a dramatic increase in home-run production with the
exception of Chatham, which led the Cape with 24 in 2011. The Anglers
still managed to top that total with 26, but that figure was the
lowest in the league this summer.
League
champion Wareham improved from six home runs in 2011 to 51 this
season, and slugged 15 more in seven playoff games. Appropriately,
the Gatemen won the Cape League title in dramatic fashion by homering
twice with two outs in the ninth inning to overcome a 5-2 deficit,
only to launch two more home runs in the 10th inning of an
improbable 8-6 win over Yarmouth-Dennis in the third and deciding
game of the championship series. Gatemen outfielder Tyler Horan
(Virginia Tech) tied the league’s wood-bat record of 16 home runs
and smacked two more long balls in the post-season.
The
dramatic increase in home runs wasn’t limited to the Cape Cod
League. Almost every prominent summer league saw a significant jump
in power production.
The
Florida Collegiate League had the collective total of 51 homers in
2011 compared to 158 this season. The Great Lakes League surged from
99 a year ago to 276 this summer, the New York Collegiate League from
117 to 315. That’s roughly a three-fold increase in each case.
A
sampling of other summer leagues showed the same trend, though the
increase was less dramatic. The Valley League went from 287 in 2011
to 469; the Northwoods League from 599 to 737, the Prospect League
(with two less teams) from 260 to 456, the West Coast League from 99
to 153.
Despite
two less teams, the New England Collegiate League jumped from 291
homers in 2011 to 451 this season. Both Keene and Laconia broke the
NECBL record for homers in a season with 73, with Keene adding 14
more homers in four playoff games. Laconia third baseman Danny
Collins (Troy) shattered the league single-season mark by hitting 19
and also established records for slugging percentage, total bases and
extra-base hits.
NECBL
champion Newport scored more runs (347 in the regular season, 64 in
the regular season) than any NECBL team on record, but wasn’t even
the league’s most prolific offensive club. Keene outhit the Gulls
in both the regular season (.314 to .313) and playoffs (.348 to
.328), and outslugged them by a noticeable margin.
Several
reasons have been advanced to attempt to explain the dramatic
increase in offense from last season to this season, and they range
from a drop in the standard of pitching in summer ball (due mainly to
the proliferation of new summer leagues and college coaches
withholding some of their better arms because of heavy workloads in
the spring), to the use and familiarization of the new BBCOR bats
(less forgiving than aluminum bats, but more in line with wood bats
in use in summer ball, thus enabling a hitter to transition much
quicker into summer competition), to the unusually warm weather in
many parts of the country this summer (balls fly in hot weather), to
the baseballs used.
The
primary reason, according to many summer-baseball observers, has been
the quality of the ball. By almost all accounts, baseballs used in a
majority of leagues this summer were much harder than balls used in
the recent past. The harder the ball, the farther it travels.
Several
of the leagues in question are affiliated with the National Alliance
of Summer College Baseball, an organization that is contractually
committed to the use of Diamond Baseballs. The Cape Cod League has
used Diamond Baseballs for years and went so far this summer as to
study the quality of the 2012 and 2011 balls.
A
significant difference was found in the quality of the balls. Not
only were the newer Diamond balls more tightly wound, but by cutting
open several balls to compare the rubber cores, it was found that the
rubber core in the 2012 balls were much harder than those in the 2011
balls.
It
should be noted that the Coastal Plain League uses a Rawlings
baseball, and it actually saw a decrease in home runs this summer,
from 406 in 2011 to 263, although the league operated with one less
club.
That
lends more substance to the argument that the Diamond baseball was
mostly responsible for the substantial uptick in offensive
productivity. No matter what the reasoning, though, it was evident
that the amount of offense in summer baseball was up dramatically in
2012.
Saluting
the Top Summer-League Performers
With
the acknowledgement that the level of offense in summer baseball was
up dramatically this season vs. last, it goes without saying that the
top 2012 everyday performers in the nation’s summer-college leagues
have vastly-enhanced resumes than in years past. By contrast, the
number of pitchers who performed at an elite level in summer ball
were fewer and farther between.
We’ve
attempted to identify the cream of the crop in both demographics with
our post-season all-star teams.
In
the coming days, Perfect Game will take a look at the top prospects
this summer in some 25 leagues. The players we’ll highlight will be
evaluated on the basis of their upside potential, or their projected
worth as professional-level prospects. We’ll highlight those
position players with the best combination of raw tools and pitchers
with the best raw stuff.
For
the purposes of this exercise, we’re highlighting those players
that simply performed the best this summer in summer competition,
with only passing consideration given to their future potential
worth. In other words, our focus here is on those players who
compiled the best stats, although we’ve given priority to those
players who assembled them in the most-competitive summer leagues.
We’ve
selected a three-tier All-America team, and appropriately the Cape
Cod League has the most selections (11), though is followed closely
by the Northwoods, New England Collegiate and Prospect leagues.
Led
by our summer player of the year Sean Manaea (Hyannis/Cape
Cod), here’s our take on the top performers of the 2012 summer
season:
CATCHERS
1.
JEFF MELILLO, Newport/New England Collegiate (Rutgers)
Topped
NECBL in batting (.404), set league record for OBA; heart and soul of
nation’s No. 1-ranked team
2.
CLAY PRESTRIDGE, West Virginia/Prospect (UC Riverside)
League
batting champ (.394-5-44, 33-13 BB-SO ratio); solid defender, capable
of playing multiple positions
3.
ANDREW KNAPP, Chatham/Cape Cod (California)
Switch-hitter
won Northwoods League batting title in 2011, continued to swing stick
(.293-8-29) on Cape
FIRST
BASEMEN
1.
MATT TELLOR, Springfield/Prospect (Southeast Missouri State)
Prospect
League’s player of the year hit a robust .344-18-66, flashed
prolific power from both sides of plate
2.
JAMES VASQUEZ, Herndon/Cal Ripken (Central Florida)
Cal
Ripken batting champ at .418-12-42; powerful swing, compact frame
with good eye (30-26 BB-SO ratio)
3.
CONRAD GREGOR, Orleans/Cape Cod (Vanderbilt)
Cape
all-star first sacker (.329-8-21) has picture lefthanded swing, sound
plate discipline (38 BB in 44 G)
SECOND
BASEMEN
1.
ROSS KIVETT, Glens Falls/Perfect Game (Kansas State)
Sparkplug
player led league in hitting (.401-3-29), stolen bases (37); stood
out in all phases of game
2.
KOBY KRAEMER, Edenton/Coastal Plain (Indiana State)
Prolific
offensive player (.371-6-24), second in league in
batting/OBA/slugging; solid in field, on bases
3.
GRANT KAY, Keene/New England Collegiate (Iowa Western CC)
Key
player on national JC champs; hit .367-13-37 on summer, arm/feet play
at 2B, has power for third
THIRD
BASEMEN
1.
DANNY COLLINS, Laconia/New England Collegiate (Troy)
Undrafted
in June, had breakout summer (.390-19-37), set league records for
homers, slugging average
2.
JIMMY YEZZO, Winchester/Valley (Delaware)
Chief
power threat (.362-16-62) on nation’s most-prolific power team (84
HRs); settled in at hot corner
3.
TAYLOR SPARKS, Wenatchee/West Coast (UC Irvine)
Has
big raw power (.388-9-30, league HR leader); shared position with
Gonzaga’s Mitchell Gunsolus (.371-3-48)
SHORTSTOPS
1.
REED HARPER, Fayetteville/Coastal Plain (Austin Peay State)
Passed
over in draft, but may have been best all-around player in CPL
(.337-2-31, 14-11 BB-SO ratio)
2.
ALEX BLANDINO, Yarmouth-Dennis/Cape Cod (Stanford)
Steady
hand at plate (.316-5-34), in field in leading Y-D to brink of Cape
Cod League championship
3.
ZACK SHANK, Danbury/New England Collegiate (Marist)
NECBL
all-star SS was steady in all phases; hit .318-5-29, stole 13 bags,
showed off best arm in league
OUTFIELDERS
First
Team
PHIL
ERVIN, Harwich/Cape Cod (Samford)
Cape
League MVP got off to blistering start, hit .323-11-31, second in
HRs; potential five-tool talent
BEN
MOORE, Alexandria/Northwoods (Alabama)
Prolific
offensive player went on second half tear in NWL; hit .335-16-84, led
in RBIs, tied for HR lead
HUNTER
RENFROE, Bethesda/Cal Ripken (Mississippi State)
Huge
power/arm strength, also prime-time prospect as C and RHP; spent
summer in CF, hit .366-16-52
Second
Team
ELIOT
CALDWELL, Butler/Prospect (Winthrop)
Surprise
offensive performer (.388-7-47, 65 R, 27 SB); showcased athleticism,
bat speed, true CF skills
MICHAEL
CAMPOREALE, Edenton/Coastal Plain (Washington)
Dominant
offensive performer in CPL; hit .340-9-42, led league in homers,
RBIs, slugging, doubles
JULIAN
RIDINGS, Waynesboro/Valley (Western Carolina)
Led
Valley League in batting (.419-7-39, 15 SB), significant force at top
of batting order, on bases, in CF
Third
Team
DANIEL
ALDRICH, Cotuit/Cape Cod (SIGNED/Yankees)
Undrafted
after so-so spring, had breakout summer (.350-10-26), earned
contract; has explosive power
ERIC
FILIA-SNYDER, Wisconsin/Northwoods (UCLA)
Late
arrival to NWL, but fueled huge second-half surge by Woodchucks
(.383-6-37, 24 SB, 27 BB/13 SO)
JAMES
RAMSAY, Duluth/Northwoods (South Florida)
Significant
offensive force, solid approach at plate; hit league-high .381, also
tops with 94 hits, 10 triples
DESIGNATED
HITTER
1.
TYLER HORAN, Wareham/Cape Cod (Virginia Tech)
Saw
time in LF, at 3B; huge season at plate (.342-16-40), tied Cape
record for most HRs in wood-bat era
2.
GIANCARLO BRUGNANI, Chillicothe/Prospect (Grand Valley State, Mich.)
Huge
raw power in 6-3/225 frame; followed up 18 HRs in spring with 20 on
summer; hit .311, 66 RBIs
3.
ROB PEHL, Yarmouth-Dennis/Cape Cod (Washington)
Unheralded
freshman was offensive force on Cape (.333-10-45); a 2B by trade,
needs to solidify play in field
UTILITY
1.
J.D. DAVIS, 3b/rhp, Wisconsin/Northwoods (Cal State Fullerton)
Saw
limited action in NWL, but raw power (.344-3-26), raw arm strength
(4-0, 2.10) were readily evident
2.
DANIEL MENGDEN, rhp/c, San Luis Obispo/California (Texas A&M)
Promising
summer as 2-way talent interrupted when hit on arm; saved nine games
with 95 FB, flashed big power
3.
MATT NADOLSKI, 1b/lhp, Goldpanners/Alaska (San Diego State)
More
upside on mound (0-1, 2.70, 13 IP/17 SO) with low-90s FB, but more of
a factor at plate (.290-7-26)
STARTING
PITCHERS
First
Team
AARON
BLAIR, rhp, Yarmouth-Dennis/Cape Cod (Marshall)
Y-D
ace from start to finish; was second in league in wins (6-0), first
in ERA (1.17), added two playoff wins
SAM
LEWIS, rhp, West Virginia/Prospect (SIGNED/Royals)
Overlooked
in spring at D-II school, was dominant in summer with two no-hitters,
18-SO playoff game
SEAN
MANAEA, lhp, Hyannis/Cape Cod (Indiana State)
Overwhelmed
hitter friendly-Cape with superior stuff; in 52 IP, went 5-1, 1.22,
85 SO, allowed 21 H/7 BB
CHANDLER
SHEPHERD, rhp, Amsterdam/Perfect Game (Kentucky)
Led
PGCBL in wins (7-0), ERA (1.31), opponent average (.154); led Mohawks
to league championship
Second
Team
JACK
FISCHER, rhp, Wisconsin/Northwoods (Wake Forest)
Northwoods
pitcher of year had plus command of sinking FB; went 6-1, posted
league-best 1.76 ERA
ALEX
HAINES, lhp, Vermont/New England Collegiate (Seton Hill, Pa.)
Small-school
pitcher dominated big-school talent in NECBL; went 5-2, 0.90, topped
league in ERA, SO
PAUL
PAEZ, lhp, Southampton/Atlantic Collegiate (Rio Hondo, Calif., JC)
Sat
out spring season at California JC, drafted by Mets, dominated on
summer (7-2, 1.65, 60 IP/82 SO)
TOM
WINDLE, lhp, Brewster/Cape Cod (Minnesota)
Bright
light on last-place team on Cape; went 3-2, 2.35 (38 IP, 7 BB/47 SO)
with mid-90s stuff
Third
Team
MATT
ANDERSON, rhp, Palm Springs/Southern California Collegiate
(SIGNED/Mariners)
Undrafted
in June at Long Beach State, but earned pro shot with 95 FB, 5-1,
1.17 record (54 IP/8 BB/80 SO)
DEREK
CALLAHAN, lhp, Wenatchee/West Coast (Gonzaga)
Top
starter on WCL champs; went 6-2, 2.69, led WCL with 56 SO in 63;
lanky LHP with low-90s FB
ANDREW
ISTLER, rhp, Wilson/Coastal Plain (Duke)
Overshadowed
in spring at Duke by Marcus Stroman, had impressive summer, led CPL
in ERA, OBA
COREY
TAYLOR, rhp, Baltimore/Cal Ripken (UNC Greensboro)
Dominant
arm in CRL (6-1, 2.76, 49 IP/51 SO); FB not overpowering, but
excelled with curve/change
RELIEF
PITCHERS
First
Team
JASON
JESTER, rhp, East Texas Pump Jacks/Texas Collegiate (Texas A&M)
Registered
20th SV of summer as Pump Jacks nailed down TCL
championship; small RHP, FB up to 97
DAN
SLANIA, rhp, Cotuit/Cape Cod (Notre Dame)
Cape
leader with 11 SV; intimidating frame with 95 FB, plus SL, surprising
command (33 IP, 4 BB/46 SO)
Second
Team
ANTHONY
BAZZANI, rhp, Alexandria/Northwoods (Eastern Kentucky)
Dominated
league for second year in row with big FB (T-95 at all-star game);
had league-high 17 SV
PETE
KELICH, rhp, Newport/New England Collegiate (Bryant)
Both
starter/reliever for NECBL champs; 2-1, 2.20, 4 SV in season; 2-0,
0.69 (13 IP/23 SO) in playoffs
Third
Team
HUNTER
LEMKE, rhp, Santa Barbara/California (Texas State)
Pounded
strike zone from three-quarters angle; led CCL with 13 SV, went 1-0,
1.48 (24 IP, 4 BB/34 SO)
JACOB
DORRIS, rhp, LaCrosse/Northwoods (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi)
NWL
strikeout leader (80 in 53 IP) as middle reliever; mid-80s FB, but
dominated with unhittable slider
SUMMER
LEAGUE PLAYER OF YEAR
Sean
Manaea, lhp, Hyannis/Cape Cod (Indiana State)
TOP
RISING FRESHMAN
Cole
Irvin, lhp, Cowlitz/West Coast (Oregon)
TOP
RISING SOPHOMORE
Ben
Moore, of, Alexandria/Northwoods (Alabama)
TOP
RISING JUNIOR
Sean
Manaea, lhp, Hyannis/Cape Cod (Indiana State)
TOP
RISING SENIOR
Jeff
Melillo, c, Newport/New England Collegiate (Rutgers)