Early Look: Orleans

Orleans Firebirds
Manager: Kelly Nicholson
2009 Record: 25-17-2

Bourne became the story of the summer last year when it won its first league championship. How different would the stories have been if not for a Saturday night comeback? In the first game of their semifinal series, Orleans led Bourne 2-0 going into the ninth inning. The Braves promptly scored three runs in their last at-bat and went on to a sweep.

The comeback went into the annals as another piece of Bourne magic, but it also highlighted how close Orleans was to making its own run. It marked the second straight year that Orleans suffered semifinal heartbreak. In 2008, Harwich beat Orleans in that classic 18-inning game.

You can bet Kelly Nicholson and Co., would like to get back over the hump this season, and they’ll bring in a talented group to give it a go.

While the Firebirds only have four returning players — and none who were Cape League stars — I’d call still call them a veteran team, and I think that’s going to be big for them. Right now, there are only four freshmen on the roster, and just one junior. All the rest are sophomores, and sophomores make the Cape League go. They’re the guys with success — and disappointment under their belt — and a Cape League summer is their first real chance to establish themselves as prospects for the next year’s draft. Scouts are watching them more than they’re watching anybody else.

On top of that, I think this is a very good year to have a lot of sophomores.

The college draft crop for this year is a bit thin, but from everything I read, that won’t be the case next year. In the sophomore class, there’s top-shelf talent and there’s depth. Cape League teams will benefit, and Orleans is lined up to benefit more than most.

When I’m writing these Early Looks, I sometimes pencil in the five players I’m excited to see before I dive into research. I do it based on what I already know. I did that with Orleans — then changed four of them. It’s not that those four are struggling — they’re not. It’s just that the Firebirds have a lot of guys who will generate a lot of buzz. From polished bats like Preston Tucker, Steve Selsky and Kolten Wong to big arms like Tyler Anderson, Mitchell Lambson and Alex Panteliodis, the Firebirds have quite a few guys with talent and the college production to match. So far, they haven’t been hit too hard by Team USA, either.

The caveats are always the same, of course. You never know what’s going to happen, who’s going to show up, who’s going to struggle. But I do know this: right now, on April 25, I’m liking what I see.

Roster Rundown
Returning Players: 4
Juniors: 1
Sophomores: 23
Freshmen: 4

Notable

We’ll start with the remarkable story of Josh Poytress. A highly-touted lefty from Fresno State, Poytress arrived in Orleans last summer and, before he ever pitched, started dealing with swelling in his arm. It was eventually identified as a life-threatening blood clot, and Poytress went to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for treatment and surgery. Obviously, he missed the rest of the summer season, but the surgery saved his career and he’s back pitching for Fresno State this spring. He’s expected back in Orleans this summer, and here’s hoping this trip is a lot better. You can read about Poytress’ story on the Beth Isreal web site here.

The Cape League hasn’t had many legitimate two-way players in recent years. Most guys spend the summer focusing on one thing. If Nick Ramirez doesn’t go with Team USA, it’ll be interesting to see what he does. He’s got a big arm out of the bullpen, but he’s also the most powerful hitter in the Titans’ lineup. Either way, he’ll be a fun player to watch.

On the subject of two-way players, I assumed Duke’s Marcus Stroman was more of a shortstop than a pitcher since he stands only 5’9. But from what I’ve read, scouts like him more as a pitcher. He made his first start for Duke this weekend and struck out 10 in a complete game. So yeah, a pitcher.

I keep seeing Ryan Carpenter’s name pop up when I’m looking at prospects stuff, but he hasn’t lived up to his potential quite yet. A tall lefty with a big arm, you can see why scouts are drawn to him. Maybe this summer will be the time when he puts it all together. That wouldn’t surprise me.

Tommy Kahnle was one of those anonymous relievers for Orleans last year, with good but not earth-shattering numbers. I should have been paying more attention. Kahnle was the Division II national tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as a freshman at Lynn University. He’s a big strikeout guy and he could be the next small-school pitcher to make a big Cape League splash.

I don’t think Oregon’s Tyler Anderson will wow anybody with his velocity, but he’s got the potential to be one of the best pitchers in the league. He’s been outstanding this spring, good enough that he’s earned an invite to Team USA.

Go ahead and put Preston Tucker down as my Home Run Derby pick. Too early? Absolutely, but I’ll stick with it. Tucker hit 15 homers as a freshman at Florida and he’s on pace for similar numbers this year. He’s way up there on the list of top incoming hitters, and probably right at the top when you’re talking about power. Definitely a player to watch.

Steve Selsky did not have great numbers for Orleans last summer, but this spring, he has become one of the top players in the Pac 10. If he continues it in the summer, he’ll make the Firebirds very happy.

The Firebirds have two locals on the roster. Jack Leathersich hails from Beverly, and he was the top prospect in the Valley League last year. Elon’s John Brebbia will be even closer to home; he’s originally from Chatham.

I don’t think every Cape League team has an Arizona State Sun Devil, but it kind of seems that way. The Sun Devils have a large and talented crop of sophomores, so the Cape is a natural destination for many of them. Orleans will welcome Mitchell Lambson, Drew Maggi, and Riccio Torrez, all of whom are having great seasons.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’d like to say that I tend to have man-crushes on small, fast center fielders. Kolten Wong, you’re on my list. He was the WAC Freshman of the Year last season and played for Team USA.

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Preston Tucker
2. Kolten Wong
3. Nick Ramirez
4. Tyler Anderson
5. Steve Selsky

Pitchers

Tyler Anderson – LHP – 6’3 210 – Oregon – Sophomore
John Brebbia – RHP – 6’1 185 – Elon – Sophomore
Pat Butler – RHP – 6’5 200 – Connecticut – Freshman
Ryan Carpenter – LHP – 6’5 228 – Gonzaga – Sophomore
Will Clinard – RHP – 6’4 228 – Vanderbilt – RS Freshman
Andrew Kittredge – RHP – 6’1 202 – Washington – Sophomore
*Tommy Kahnle – RHP – 6’0 225 – Lynn – Sophomore
Mitchell Lambson – LHP – 6’1 200 – Arizona State – Sophomore
Jack Leathersich – LHP – 6’0 205 – UMass Lowell – Sophomore
Burny Mitchem – RHP – 6’6 260 – Dayton – RS Sophomore
Alex Panteliodis – LHP – 6’2 230 – Florida – Sophomore
Josh Poytress – LHP – 6’1 190 – Fresno State – Sophomore
Nick Ramirez – LHP/1B – 6’3 225 – Cal State Fullerton – Sophomore
Kyle Simon – RHP – 6’5 205 – Arizona – Sophomore
Matt Sisto – RHP – 6’5 230 – Hawaii – Sophomore
Marcus Stroman – RHP/SS – 5’9 180 – Duke – Freshman

Tyler Anderson – LHP – 6’3 210
Oregon
Sophomore

Anderson was one of the best arms in George Horton’s first recruiting class at Oregon, which came to campus last season. Anderson got hit pretty hard as a freshman, but this season, he’s living up to the initial promise. In 10 appearances as the Ducks’ Friday starter, Anderson is 6-3 with a 2.64 ERA. In 61.1 innings, he has 65 strikeouts and 20 walks. He’s emerging as one of the best pitchers in the Pac 10, which is saying something when you look at the arms at UCLA and Arizona State. Anderson is starting to get some national attention too, and he has recently been invited to Team USA.

John Brebbia – RHP – 6’1 185
Elon
Sophomore

Brebbia hails from Chatham, but he’ll be spending most of his time at Eldredge Park this summer in a Firebirds uniform. Brebbia is pitching out of the bullpen as a sophomore for Elon. In 17 games, he has an 8.39 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.

Pat Butler – RHP – 6’5 200
Connecticut
Freshman

Butler is also from a Chatham, but it’s Chatham, N.J. As a freshman with the Huskies this spring, Butler has a 6.75 ERA in six appearances (five starts). Connecticut has sent quite a few young, long-on-potential pitchers to the Cape in recent years, and Butler seems to fit that bill. He was picked in the 41st round out of high school.

Ryan Carpenter – LHP – 6’5 228
Gonzaga
Sophomore

Carpenter has plenty of potential. He was rated as the second-best prospect in the Alaska League last summer, and Aaron Fitt liked him as a breakout star this season. The numbers aren’t there yet, though. Carpenter has 35 strikeouts in 31 innings, but he’s also got a 7.20 ERA, and opponents are hitting .295 off him. Still, he’s a player scouts will be watching closely. He was picked in the 21st round out of high school.

Will Clinard – RHP – 6’4 228
Vanderbilt
RS Freshman

Clinard redshirted last season then had a strong summer in the NECBL. He’ll be back in New England this summer with a strong foundation to build on. So far this season, he has a 3.13 ERA while pitching mostly out of the bullpen. He has 24 strikeouts in 31.2 innings. Clinard was a 37th-round pick out of high school.

Andrew Kittredge – RHP – 6’1 202
Washington
Sophomore

Kittredge pitched mostly out of the bullpen as a freshman last year and was a workhorse, striking out 64 in 71 innings. He followed that campaign with a big summer for the NECBL’s Newport Gulls, earning all-league honors with a 2.43 ERA, 41 strikeouts and just three walks. Kittredge has pitched mostly as a starter this spring, posting a 5.97 ERA with 65 strikeouts and 18 walks.

Tommy Kahnle – RHP – 6’0 225
Lynn
Sophomore

Kahnle made the trek from his native New York to Boca Raton, Fla., and D-II Lynn University. He promptly became one of his team’s most explosive arms. Pitching as a starter and a closer last year, he had an ERA of 4.54 but he struck out 87 in 79.1 innings. He was the closer at the end of the season and he saved Lynn’s victory in the Division II national championship game. He was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Kahnle played with Orleans last summer and had a 2.41 ERA in 15 relief appearances. This spring, he’s starting and he has a 4.57 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 63 innings.

Mitchell Lambson – LHP – 6’1 200
Arizona State
Sophomore

Lambson had a record-breaking freshman season in Tempe. Pitching out of the bullpen, he set a new ASU freshman record for strikeouts with 99 in 83.2 innings. Opponents hit .199 against him and he allowed only 58 hits in those 83.2 innings. This year, Lambson has picked up where he left off. In 23 appearances, he has a 2.70 ERA with 55 strikeouts and only 13 walks in 43.1 innings. Jordan Swagerty has become ASU’s closer, but Lambson is just as big a bullpen weapon.

Jack Leathersich – LHP – 6’0 205
UMass Lowell
Sophomore

Leathersich is a native of Beverly, Mass, and he’s having a pretty good sophomore season for UMass Lowell. He’s made eight starts, and he has a 4.59 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 49 innings of work. Last summer, Leathersich was dominant in the Valley League with 64 strikeouts in 37 innings as a reliever. PG Crosschecker tabbed him as the Valley League’s top prospect.

Burny Mitchem – RHP – 6’6 260
Dayton
RS Sophomore

Mitchem might be one of the biggest guys on the Cape this summer. This season for the Flyers, Mitchem is 4-6 with a 5.52 ERA. He’s given up a lot of hits, but he has also struck out 64 and walked only 14 in 60.1 innings.

Alex Panteliodis – LHP – 6’2 230
Florida
Sophomore

Panteliodis was one of several talented arms in Florida’s big recruiting class a year ago. This season, he has established himself as the best. Pitching in the Friday starter role, Panteliodis is 6-2 with a 3.18 ERA. He has 45 strikeouts and 10 walks.

Josh Poytress – LHP – 6’1 190
Fresno State
Sophomore

As mentioned above, Poytress had a life-threatening blood clot in Orleans last summer, but it was resolved with surgery, and Poytress has made a quick recovery. A 16th-round pick out of high school, Poytress is 5-3 this year for the Bulldogs with a 4.47 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 58.1 innings.

Nick Ramirez – LHP/1B – 6’3 225
Cal State Fullerton
Sophomore

Ramirez was a Freshman All-American last year when he hit .287 with 10 homers and put up a 2.61 ERA as a reliever. This season, Ramirez has continued his emergence as one of the best two-way players in the country. On the mound, he’s got a 3.91 ERA, but he’s really shined at the plate. He’s hitting .371 with eight homers, 18 doubles and a team-best 43 RBI. Ramirez has been invited to Team USA.

Kyle Simon – RHP – 6’5 205
Arizona
Sophomore

Simon doesn’t have the strikeout numbers of most of his future Orleans teammates, but he’s still having a strong sophomore season. He’s 6-3 with a 3.79 ERA for the Wildcats. In 71.1 innings, he has 36 strikeouts.

Matt Sisto – RHP – 6’5 230
Hawaii
Sophomore

Hawaii always sends a pitcher or two to the Cape, and Sisto is the representative this year. After a strong freshman season, Sisto has had some struggles this year. He’s 3-4 with a 7.38 ERA.

Marcus Stroman – RHP/SS – 5’9 180
Duke
Freshman

Stroman was a highly-touted two-way talent in high school, and he got drafted in the 18th round by the Nationals. Stroman had a firm commitment to Duke, though, and he stuck with it. Playing both ways for the Blue Devils, Stroman is starting to make a splash. He’s hitting .252 but he’s pitched well out of the bullpen and he was outstanding Friday (April 23) in the first start of his career. He tossed a complete-game, five-hitter with 10 strikeouts.

Position Players

*Matt Koch – C – 6’0 210 – Loyola Marymount – RS Sophomore
Ronnie Shaeffer – C – 6’2 205 – UC Irvine – Sophomore
Jayce Boyd – INF- 6’2 185 – Florida State – Freshman
Drew Maggi – SS – 6’0 180 – Arizona State – Sophomore
Shon Roe – SS – 6’2 200 – Loyola Marymount – Sophomore
*Riccio Torrez – INF – 6’0 195 – Arizona State – Sophomore
Preston Tucker – 1B – 6’0 215 – Florida – Sophomore
Joe Loftus – OF – 6’4 210 – Vanderbilt – Sophomore
Nick Cox – OF – 6’0 185 – Columbia – Junior
Will Piwnica-Worms – OF – 6’3 195 – Duke – Sophomore
*Steve Selsky – OF – 6’1 205 – Arizona – Sophomore
Kolten Wong – OF – 5’9 190 – Hawaii – Sophomore

Matt Koch – C – 6’0 210
Loyola Marymount
RS Sophomore

Koch suffered an injury before the start of last season and took a medical redshirt. The injury didn’t keep him out of summer ball and he made it to Orleans, where he hit .191 while starting 32 games behind the plate. This season, Koch is hitting .263 with a team-best 10 home runs and 21 extra- base hits.

Ronnie Shaeffer – C – 6’2 205
UC Irvine
Sophomore

Shaeffer was a Freshman All-American last season after leading the Anteaters with a .388 batting average. He’s picking up where he left off this season, emerging as one of the top catchers on the West Coast. He’s hitting .350 with three homers and 21 RBI. Last summer, Shaeffer was an all-league pick in the West Coast League.

Jayce Boyd – INF- 6’2 185
Florida State
Freshman

A 19th-round pick out of high school, Boyd has made an immediate impact in Tallahassee. As a starter at first base and a middle-of-the-order bat, Boyd is hitting .324 with four homers, 10 doubles and 22 RBI.

Drew Maggi – SS – 6’0 180
Arizona State
Sophomore

Maggi grabbed the starting shortstop job midway through last season and never gave it up as he helped spark ASU’s run to the College World Series. He hit .309, stole 21 bases and scored 63 runs, a school freshman record. Maggi has been a big part of ASU’s huge success this year. Batting leadoff, he’s hitting .385 with a .483 on-base percentage and 23 steals.

Shon Roe – SS – 6’2 200
Loyola Marymount
Sophomore

Roe hit .259 as a freshman but has taken things up a notch this season. He’s hitting .283 with 10 extra-base hits and 19 RBI.

Riccio Torrez – INF – 6’0 195
Arizona State
Sophomore

Like Maggi, Torrez is a big part of a sophomore class that’s helped ASU become one of the top teams in the country. Torrez hit .280 as a freshman, and he’s hitting .346 this year with six home runs and 14 doubles. Torrez was a 32nd-round pick out of high school. He was a late arrival to Orleans last year but he made a big impression, hitting .346 with two home runs in 17 games.

Preston Tucker – 1B – 6’0 215
Florida
Sophomore

Tucker served notice last April that he was a player to watch when he set a school record with 11 RBI in a game against Central Florida. He continued to emerge as one of the best freshmen in the country and ended up leading the Gators in the Triple Crown categories. He hit .364, drove in a school-record 85 and crushed 15 homers. Tucker shared SEC Freshman of the Year honors with LSU’s Matty Ott. This season, Tucker is having another outstanding campaign. He’s hitting .345 with seven homers and 31 RBI.

Joe Loftus – OF – 6’4 210
Vanderbilt
Sophomore

After hitting .263 in his freshman season with the Commodores, Loftus headed to Harwich, where he hit under .200 in the kind of summer a lot of freshman struggle through on the Cape. Loftus will make the move to Orleans this summer, and he’s having a pretty strong spring. He’s hitting .268 with five homers. Loftus is a Minnesota native and he was a late-round pick of the Twins out of high school.

Nick Cox – OF – 6’0 185
Columbia
Junior

Cox was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2008 when he hit .355 with 35 steals. He hit .290 last year with 19 steals, but he has only played in 13 games this season because of injuries. Cox hit .293 in the Alaska League last summer.

Will Piwnica-Worms – OF – 6’3 195
Duke
Sophomore

Piwnica-Worms had a solid freshman season, and he’s been solid again as a sophomore. While starting every game, he’s hitting .307 with three homers, 10 doubles and 30 RBI. He played in the Northwoods League last summer.

Steve Selsky – OF – 6’1 205
Arizona
Sophomore

Selsky had a decent freshman season and a decent summer with Orleans last year. This year? A little better than decent. Selsky is hitting .421 with six home runs, 23 extra-base hits, 39 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He leads the Wildcats in all those categories and is a shoo-in to be a first-team all-conference pick.

Kolten Wong – OF – 5’9 190
Hawaii
Sophomore

Wong is a Hawaii native but that didn’t stop scouts from noticing him in high school. In the 2008 draft, he was a 16th-round pick, but he stuck with his commitment to Hawaii, and it’s paying off. Last year, he was picked as a Freshman All-American by several publications and the WAC Freshman of the Year before making Team USA over the summer. This season, Wong is hitting .357 with three homers, 15 extra-base hits, 25 RBI and 10 steals. He has struck out just 10 times in 154 at-bats.