early look: hyannis

HYANNIS METS
Manager: Rick Robinson
Last Season: 20-21

The best number to sum up the 2007 season for Hyannis is a simple one: 25. That’s the number of players who donned a Hyannis uniform. For the Cape League, that’s unusually low. Most teams are up in the 30’s, thanks to temporary players, players who leave early, etc. Hyannis had none of that typical turnover. Their 25-man roster rarely fluctuated.

That stability served them fairly well – they were probably the steadiest team in the league. While Y-D was putting up ridiculous numbers and Bourne was adjusting on the fly, while Chatham and Falmouth were riding a rollercoaster, Hyannis was always right there.

Unfortunately for the Mets, that consistency didn’t pay off in the standings. They finished a half game out of second place and missed the playoffs.

But that won’t stop the Mets from trying for consistency again.

The ’08 Mets appear to have shied away from the biggest of the big-time prospects. On top of that, they’ll have what is sure to be the oldest roster on the Cape, with seven juniors. A lot of teams don’t have any.

Now, it would be almost impossible for the Mets to avoid any and all turnover like they did last year, and with a new manager, they’ll have a different look. But they do look steady once again. They bring back five players, all of whom were solid. Returning pitchers Andrew Doyle and Austin Hudson should anchor the staff, while shortstop Ryan Jackson, catcher Dale Cornstubble and outfielder Joey Gonzales bring a veteran presence to the lineup. With a few good-looking players mixed in, the Mets look like they can make some noise.

But, if it’s anything like last year, the volume probably won’t go up and down too much.

Roster Rundown

Returning players: 5
Juniors: 7
Sophomores: 11
Freshmen : 7

Notable

• As I mentioned above, the Mets have a lot of juniors, which could be interesting if they all make it to the Cape
• If there are any who don’t make it, Brown’s Ryan Lavarnway and Virginia’s Andrew Carraway are the likeliest candidates. Lavarnway is one of the best hitters in the country, while Carraway is one of the ACC’s best pitchers.
• If we do get to see Lavarnway, look out. He led the NCAA in hitting last year and hasn’t fallen too far off the pace this year. With questions about his ability to stick at catcher, he may be thinking of using the summer to prove himself, so it may not be a foregone conclusion that he’s gone, even if he gets drafted high.
• Miami’s Ryan Jackson was one of the top defensive shortstops in the league last year but now he’s got some offense to go with his defense. He has hit .360 this year.
• In Furman’s Jay Jackson, Michigan’s Adam Abraham and Brown’s Matt Nuzzo, the Mets have three of the most versatile athletes around. Jackson was a baseball and basketball star in high school and now pitchers and plays in the field for Furman. Abraham played junior hockey before switching to baseball, where he, too, pitches and plays in the field. Nuzzo was the top football player in Massachusetts in high school before switching full time to baseball this year.
• Speaking of other sports, with a pitching staff that includes 6’5 Austin Hudson, 6’6 Drew Muren and 6’7 Alex McRee to go with Jay Jackson, the Mets might make a decent basketball team
• Can we go ahead and call Hyannis the smartest team in the league? They’ve got two players from Brown and one from Yale, not to mention one from Virginia and one from Vanderbilt
• Serious predictions will come later, but I really like this Hyannis team as a sleeper pick. They’ve clearly taken a different approach than the Wareham’s and Chatham’s of the world, and I could see it paying off, both in terms of experience and stability.

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Ryan Lavarnway
2. Andrew Carraway
3. Ryan Jackson
4. Jay Jackson
5. Adam Abraham

Pitchers
Colin Bates – RHP – 6’1 185 – North Carolina – Freshman
Russell Brewer – RHP – 6’1 185 – Vanderbilt – Freshman
Andrew Carraway – RHP – 6’2 200 – Virginia – Junior
Jeff DeCarlo – LHP – 6’2 190 – Michigan – Sophomore
*Andrew Doyle – RHP – 6’3 215 – Oklahoma – Sophomore
*Austin Hudson – RHP – 6’5 190 – Central Florida – Sophomore
Jay Jackson – RHP – 6’1 195 – Furman – Junior
Eric Katzman – LHP – 6’0 210 – Michigan – Sophomore
Alex McRee – LHP – 6’7 238 – Georgia – Junior
Drew Muren – RHP – 6’6 185 – CS-Northridge – Freshman
Matt Ridings – RHP – 6’0 195 – Western Kentucky – Sophomore
Ryan Sharpley – RHP – 6’4 195 – Notre Dame – Freshman
Graham Stoneburner – RHP – 6’1 190 – Clemson – Freshman
* returning player

Colin Bates – RHP – 6’1 185
North Carolina
Freshman
After redshirting last year due to a blood clot in his shoulder, Bates has been lights out this season in a relief role. In 20 appearances, he has a 5-0 record, a 1.49 ERA and 46 strikeouts against 11 walks in 42.1 innings.

Russell Brewer – RHP – 6’1 185
Vanderbilt
Freshman
Another redshirt freshman at a powerhouse program, Brewer has worked mostly out of the bullpen for the Commodores and has excelled in that role. In 20 appearances, he has a 2.50 ERA, 47 strikeouts and just seven walks. He’s also been used as a closer at times and has recorded five saves.

Andrew Carraway – RHP – 6’2 200
Virginia
Junior
Carraway was a reliever last season and pitched well. As a starter this year, he’s done better than well. In 11 starts, he’s 3-3 with a 3.43 ERA. He has struck out 66 and walked only 10 in 60.1 innings. This comes after a solid summer in the NECBL. Carraway had a 2.19 ERA and struck out 40 for the Newport Gulls.

Jeff DeCarlo – LHP – 6’2 190
Michigan
Sophomore
DeCarlo is a New England kid, hailing from Medford, Mass., so he’ll be close to home this summer. He has pitched well for the Wolverines in his sophomore season, posting a 3.00 ERA in seven appearances, all but one out of the bullpen. He appears to be the crafty lefthander type.

Andrew Doyle – RHP – 6’3 215
Oklahoma
Sophomore
Doyle pitched last year on the Cape and was quietly solid. Despite a 4-1 record and a 2.83 ERA, he flew under the radar, at least for me, and was overshadowed by fellow frosh Kyle Gibson and Andy Oliver. But if Doyle, who has a 4.48 ERA this spring for Oklahoma, can have another god summer, he’ll step out of the shadows a bit.

Austin Hudson – RHP – 6’5 190
Central Florida
Sophomore
Hudson joins Doyle as a returning pitcher for the Mets, and he too will try to build on a strong summer. He finished with a 3.59 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 47.2 innings. Though he started all summer, he has been in the bullpen this spring, posting a 4.78 ERA in 18 appearances.

Jay Jackson – RHP – 6’1 195
Furman
Junior
Jackson is listed as just a pitcher on the Hyannis roster so that may be his focus this summer. But this spring, he’s one of the most versatile players around. He’s hitting .319 with eight home runs, and on the mound, he’s 9-2 with a 2.90 ERA. He could be an interesting player to watch for the Mets.

Eric Katzman – LHP – 6’0 210
Michigan
Sophomore
Katzman has pitched mostly in relief for the Wolverines this spring, and he has done it well. In 14 appearances, he has a 3.21 ERA. Katzman was all-everything as a high school pitcher in New Jersey.

Alex McRee – LHP – 6’7 238
Georgia
Sophomore
It’s unclear exactly how big McRee is – the Georgia site says 6’6 230 – but whatever the exact measurements are, McRee is tall. He is also putting in a good season this spring, with a 3.76 ERA mostly out of the bullpen.

Drew Muren – RHP – 6’6 185
CS-Northridge
Freshman
Muren has the projectable frame that scouts like and he has pitched fairly well this spring for Northridge. In eight appearances – six starts – he’s 3-4 with a 4.20 ERA. His strikeout numbers are low for a power pitcher, though. He has just 15 in 30 innings. Muren has also seen a lot of time in the outfield and has hit. 264 in 129 at-bats.

Matt Ridings – RHP – 6’0 195
Western Kentucky
Sophomore
Ridings has been the best starter for the Hilltoppers this spring, posting a 9-2 record with a 4.29 ERA. He has struck out 80 and walked 30 in 77 innings. Ridings also led the team in strikeouts as a freshman, when he earned All-American honors from Ping Baseball.

Ryan Sharpley – RHP – 6’4 195
Notre Dame
Freshman
Like fellow ND freshman Evan Danieli – who will play for Falmouth – Sharpley is a highly-touted, highly projectable hurler. He has put up good numbers to match, with a 4-1 record in six starts and a 2.45 ERA. He has struck out 28 in 29.1 innings. Sharpley’s brother, Evan, also plays for Notre Dame.

Graham Stoneburner – RHP – 6’1 190
Clemson
Freshman
Stoneburner redshirted last season due to a torn ACL, but he has moved into the rotation this year. A fairly highly-touted prospect out of Virginia, Stoneburner has shaken off the rust this year to post a 5-4 record and a 4.98 ERA.

Position Players
Curt Casali – C – 6’2 215 – Vanderbilt – Freshman
*Dale Cornstubble – C – 6’0 180 – Central Michigan – Junior
Ryan Lavarnway – C – 6’4 225 – Yale – Junior
Adam Abraham – 3B/RHP – 6’0 215 – Michigan – Junior
Casey Frawley – 2B – 5’10 160 – Stetson – Sophomore
John Hinson – 2B – 6’1 190 – Clemson – Freshman
*Ryan Jackson – SS – 6’2 175 – Miami – Sophomore
Matt Nuzzo – SS/3B – 6’0 200 – Brown – Junior
Ben Paulsen – 1B – 6’4 205 – Clemson – Sophomore
Steve Daniels – OF – 5’11 180 – Brown – Junior
Ryan Eden – OF – 6’1 195 – New Orleans – Sophomore
*Joey Gonzales – OF – 5’9 180 – UC Riverside – Sophomore
* returning player

Curt Casali – C – 6’2 215
Vanderbilt
Freshman
One of the top high school prospects in New England last year, Casali, who hails from New Canaan, Conn., took his game south and has turned in a solid freshman season for the Commodores. He has had to fight for playing time, but has seen action in 28 games and has posted a .317 batting average and a .463 on-base percentage.

Dale Cornstubble – C – 6’0 180
Central Michigan
Sophomore
Statistically, Cornstubble is a bit of an anomaly among Cape Leaguers. This will be his second summer with Hyannis and he’ll be there despite a career average at Central Michigan that’s in the .250s. But by all accounts, Cornstubble is a tremendous defensive catcher, a quality that’s extremely valuable. And with the potential to hit better, he should play a big role for the Mets this summer.

Ryan Lavarnway – C – 6’4 225
Yale
Junior
There have been questions about Lavarnway’s defense and he may end up being an outfielder not a catcher, but when it comes to offense, there are no questions. As a sophomore, Lavarnway led the nation in hitting with a .467 batting average. He spent the summer in the NECBL and was named one of the league’s top prospects. He is draft eligible this year so he may not make it to Hyannis, but if he does, you can expect him to be one of the league’s top hitters.

Adam Abraham – 3B/RHP – 6’0 215
Michigan
Junior
Abraham will be the only player on the Cape with this claim: he’s been a professional athlete. Not too long ago, he was giving up baseball to play major junior hockey in Canada, which is considered a professional level. He had his eyes on the NHL draft. These days, after giving up hockey to play baseball full-time at Michigan, Abraham probably isn’t too far away from the MLB draft. This season, he has hit .344 with seven home runs and 50 RBI.

Casey Frawley – 2B – 5’10 160
Stetson
Sophomore
Another Connecticut kid who headed South, Frawley will be back in New England this summer toting a solid resume. After hitting .303 as a freshman, Frawley has batted .346 for Stetson this season, with seven home runs and 34 RBI.

John Hinson – 2B – 6’1 190
Clemson
Freshman
Hinson can play all over the infield and has seen pretty significant action as a freshman for the Tigers. In 38 games, he’s hit .271. Hinson was a 40th-round pick out of high school last year.

Ryan Jackson – SS – 6’2 175
Miami
Sophomore
Jackson was a big prospect out of high school and though he started all year as a freshman for the Hurricanes, he hit only .236. Playing for Hyannis last summer, he met similar results, finishing the season with a .215 average and no home runs. But Jackson has had a breakthrough this season, posting a .360 average and a team-best 19 doubles, to go with the stellar defense that was always there.

Matt Nuzzo – SS/3B – 6’0 200
Brown
Junior
Nuzzo is a Cape League veteran, having spent parts of the last two summers in Falmouth, though he was only there for 12 games last year. At one time, Nuzzo, who was a star football player in high school, was a backup quarterback at Brown, but he decided to focus exclusively on baseball this year. He has hit .298 with six home runs.

Ben Paulsen – 1B – 6’4 205
Clemson
Sophomore
Paulsen showed flashes of potential as a freshman then put his tools on full display in the NECBL last summer, hitting .318. He has built on that performance this spring, notching a .322 average with 12 home runs and 45 RBI.

Steve Daniels – OF – 5’11 180
Brown
Junior
Another Ivy League junior, Daniels profiles as a leadoff-hitting centerfielder for the Mets. In the same role for Brown, Daniels has hit .341 with a .427 on-base percentage and a team-best 19 steals.

Ryan Eden – OF – 6’1 195
New Orleans
Sophomore
After college teammate Johnny Giavotella turned in a solid summer for Harwich last year, Eden will try to do the same this summer with the Mets. Eden has hit .297 with two home runs this spring for the Privateers. He also has 15 steals.

Joey Gonzales – OF – 5’9 180
UC Riverside
Sophomore
Gonzales arrived to Hyannis a little late last year but still made his presence felt, hitting .255 in 27 games. That performance came after Gonzales earned Big West Freshman of the Year honors. This season, Gonzales has hit .326 with four home runs.

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