The New England Collegiate League has always played in the considerable shadow cast by its older, more established neighbor, the Cape Cod League. And its top players, for the most part, are far less recognizable than the elite-level college prospects that are attracted to Cape Cod each summer.
But the NECBL is not lacking in talent. It’s just not quite as far along the development path as the typical Cape player. Just last year, the slam-dunk No. 1 prospect in the NECBL was a then-relatively unknown freshman righthander from San Diego State, Stephen Strasburg, who vaulted into national prominence off his showing in the league and is now a heavy favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft.
In 2006, two rising Kentucky college products were ranked as the league’s Nos. 1-2 prospects by PG Crosschecker. Third baseman Chris Dominguez, then a red-shirt freshman third baseman from Louisville, has an outside chance of joining Strasburg as a first-round pick next June. Lefthander Christian Friedrich, a freshman from Eastern Kentucky at the time, was a first-rounder this June.
Both Dominguez and Friedrich moved on to the faster-paced Cape Cod League after spending a summer in the NECBL, and that progression is typical of many of the top prospects who play in the 12-team NECBL. Of the league’s top 10 prospects from 2007, four moved on to the Cape in 2008, four signed pro contracts and two (including Strasburg) graduated to USA Baseball’s college national team.
Fourteen of the 25 prospects on the accompanying list came to the NECBL this summer as college freshmen and, in keep with the NECBL’s reputation as a steppingstone league, most will move up to play in the Cape in 2009. However, two of those freshmen, No. 1-ranked Dan Mahoney and No. 2-ranked Devin Harris, are draft-eligible as sophomores and may jump right to the pro ranks on the strength of the breakthrough seasons they both had this summer in the NECBL.
FAST FACTS
Year League Established: 1993.
States Represented in League: Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont.
Level of Competition (1-to-4 Scale): 2.
No. of Teams in League: 12.
Regular-Season Champion: Sanford Mainers.
Post-Season Champion: Sanford Mainers.
Teams, PG Crosschecker Summer 16/Final Ranking: No. 8 Sanford
Mainers, No. 18 Newport Gulls.
No. 1 Prospect, 2007 (per PG Crosschecker): Stephen Strasburg,
rhp, Torrington Twisters (San Diego State; played with Team USA in 2008).
First 2007 Player Selected, 2008 Draft: Ryan Lavarnway, c,
Manchester Silkworms (Yale; Red Sox, sixth round).
Most Valuable Player: Matt Adams, 1b, Pittsfield Dukes.
Most Outstanding Pitcher: Tim Boyce, rhp, North Adams
SteepleCats.
Top Prospect (as selected by league): Dan Mahoney, rhp,
Newport Gulls.
BATTING LEADERS
Batting Average: Mike Tamsin, 3b, Newport Gulls (.417).
(.470).
Slugging Percentage: Sean McNaughton, of, North Shore
Navigators (.607).
On-Base Average: Mike Tamsin, 3b, Newport Gulls (.526).
Home Runs: Kyle Conley, of, Newport Gulls; Alex Gregory,
1b-3b, Newport Gulls (8).
RBIs: Alex Gregory, 1b-3b, Newport Gulls (40).
Stolen Bases: Adam Dimino, of, Holyoke Blue Sox; Shevis Shima,
inf, Holyoke Blue Sox (21).
PITCHING LEADERS
Wins: Justin Albert, lhp, Holyoke Blue Sox; Tim Boyce, rhp, North
Adams SteepleCats (7).
ERA: Casey Harman, lhp, Vermont Mountaineers (0.68).
Saves: Dusty Odenbach, rhp, Vermont Mountaineers (11).
Strikeouts: Tim Boyce, rhp, North Adams SteepleCats (65).
Opponent Batting Average: Michael Ness, rhp, Pittsfield Dukes
(.166).
BEST TOOLS
Best Hitter: Sean McNaughton, of, North Shore Navigators.
Best Power: Kyle Conley, of, Newport Gulls.
Fastest Base Runner: Juan Carlos Perez, of, Holyoke Blue Sox.
Best Defensive Player: Gerald Ogrinc, c, Vermont Mountaineers.
Best Velocity: Dan Mahoney, rhp, Newport Gulls.
Best Breaking Ball: Chase Reid, rhp, Newport Gulls.
TOP 25 PROSPECTS
| |
PLAYER |
POS. |
TEAM |
B-T |
HT |
WT |
YR |
2009 SCHOOL |
| 1. |
Dan Mahoney |
RHP |
Newport Gulls |
R-R |
6-4 |
200 |
So. |
Connecticut |
| SCOUTING REPORT: Mahoney came on by leaps and bounds this summer—and pitched more in keeping with his stature as a 16th-round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 2007 out of a Massachusetts high school. Working strictly in relief for Newport, he went 1-1, 1.66 and saved seven games in 15 appearances. In 22 innings, he walked nine and struck out 36. He fanned seven more in three playoff innings. Mahoney was used exclusively in a starting role in the spring at UConn and went 0-5, 7.91. In 46 innings, he had team highs of 36 walks, nine hit batters and 22 extra-base hits—and just 30 strikeouts. He thrived in his transition to the bullpen, and it was apparent to Northeast scouts who saw him in both the spring and summer that vastly improved control and an opportunity to air out his big fastball in short bursts were at the root of his turnaround. He didn’t necessarily paint corners more consistently with any of his pitches, but did a much better job of getting ahead of hitters early in the count. His fastball was most frequently in the 92-93 mph range, but also topped out at 96 and scouts believe he will pitch at that velocity more often going forward as he fills out his athletic, 6-foot-4 frame and streamlines his mechanics. His fastball was so overpowering, at times, that he got a lot of swings-and-misses high in the strike zone. Mahoney was more than just a one-pitch pitcher, though, as his sharp-breaking, 76-77 mph curve was a solid second pitch. He was at his dominant-best when he had command of that pitch. Mahoney is eligible for the 2009 draft as a 21-year-old sophomore and could easily factor into the top 2-3 rounds if he can repeat his summer success, but teams will need to be wary of his financial demands as money was the primary reason he didn’t sign out of high school. |