early look: brewster

BREWSTER WHITECAPS
Manager: Bob Macaluso
Last Season: 22-19-3

Two hitters from last year’s Brewster team will likely be first-round picks in this year’s draft, but only one of them was an all-star. That’s Miami’s Yonder Alonso, who hit .338 with four home runs and 25 RBI. The other is Cal’s David Cooper, whose .284 average was solid but not spectacular.

But both have put up huge numbers this spring. The fact that only one of them did last summer was fitting, considering how things went for the Whitecaps. On paper, they had one of the best offenses in the league with Alonso, Cooper, Charlie Cutler, Blake Tekotte and Jacob Priday leading the way. But none of those players had great summers, which left the Whitecaps on the outside of the playoff picture. In a way, they were the anti-Y-D Red Sox. Y-D had a group of talented players all perform at or above expectations. Brewster had the talent, but not the success.

As the Whitecaps head into the summer of ’08, they’ll be hoping another talented offensive team can deliver. They don’t have anybody returning, but several players in their lineup had huge springs, including James Meador and Connor Powers. At this point, they’ve also only had one player – closer A.J. Griffin – invited to Team USA.

All of that points to the Whitecaps emerging as contenders, but in what’s shaping up to be an extremely difficult Eastern division, they’ll need a big summer to do it.

Roster Rundown

Returning players: 0
Juniors: 1
Sophomores: 19
Freshmen : 4

Notable

• The Whitecaps don’t have as many juniors as Hyannis, probably the oldest team in the league, but they have a lot fewer freshmen. Of the four on the roster, two are redshirts, leaving Brewster with only two true freshmen. That’s probably not a bad thing, considering how few freshmen succeed on the Cape.
• On paper, the Whitecaps look like they might be a little short in the starting rotation. Most of their pitchers have come out of the bullpen this spring, with only two players – Vanderbilt’s Caleb Coltham and Missouri State’s Buddy Bauman – in weekend rotations. Several players will have to be stretched out for Brewster to have enough.
• California’s Blake Smith is one of the top two-way players in the country, and he’ll bring his game to Brewster this summer. A lot of times, two-way players focus on one thing when they’re on the Cape, but Smith has been so good at both, that he’ll probably get a chance to show what he can do.
• Brewster has three catchers and two are from powerhouse programs Arizona and Miami. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the third catcher, the one from the small school, makes the biggest impact. Southeast Missouri’s Jim Klocke was a legit Freshman All-American last year, and he hit .357 this year.
• The Whitecaps have the makings of a powerful lineup. Smith had nine home runs this year, Southeast Missouri’s Jim Klocke had six, Mississippi State’s Connor Powers had 11, Loyola Marymount’s Ryan Wheeler had six and Florida’s Matt den Dekker had nine.
• When you plug in projected starters, Brewster’s lineup looks about as good as anybody’s from top to bottom, with the above players joining San Diego’s James Meador and Clemson’s Mike Freeman as potential standouts.

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Blake Smith
2. Caleb Coltham
3. Connor Powers
4. Jim Klocke
5. James Meador

Pitchers
Buddy Bauman – LHP – 5’10 175 – Missouri State – Sophomore
Wade Broyles – RHP – 6’2 200 – Ole Miss – Sophomore
Garrett Claypool – RHP – 6’2 175 – UCLA – Sophomore
Caleb Coltham – RHP – 6’3 210 – Vanderbilt – Freshman
Rob Gilliam – RHP – 6’1 195 – UNC Greensboro – Sophomore
A.J. Griffin – RHP – 6’5 215 – San Diego – Sophomore
Chris LaGrow – LHP – 6’3 185 – South Alabama – Sophomore
Mark Lamm – RHP – 6’4 215 – Vanderbilt – Freshman
Rory McKean – RHP – 6’3 210 – Ole Miss – Sophomore
Iden Nazario – LHP – 6’0 192 – Miami – Freshman
Matt Packer – LHP – 6’0 190 – Virginia – Sophomore
Blake Smith – RHP/OF – 6’2 220 – California – Sophomore
Ryan Woolley – RHP – 6’1 190 – Georgia – Sophomore

Buddy Bauman – LHP – 5’10 175
Missouri State
Sophomore
Bauman was solid as a freshman when he posted a 4.85 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 39 innings. After an all-star campaign in the Northwoods League, Bauman grabbed a spot in the weekend rotation this year and closed out the regular season with a 6-4 record and a 4.66 ERA. He struck out 71 in 75 innings.

Wade Broyles – RHP – 6’2 200
Ole Miss
Sophomore
Broyles red-shirted his first year at Ole Miss then saw limited action last season. He still hasn’t see much action this year, making just six appearances. He’s put up good numbers while he’s been in there, though, with a 2.70 ERA and nine strikeouts.

Garrett Claypool – RHP – 6’2 175
UCLA
Sophomore
Claypool pitched in a swing role as a freshman and finished with a 3.54 ERA, good enough to earn him Freshman All-American honors from several publications. He has been in a similar role this year, making a few starts and pitching out of the bullpen the rest of the time. He has posted a 4.13 ERA, though he has walked 30 batters and struck out only 24.

Caleb Coltham – RHP – 6’3 210
Vanderbilt
Freshman
Coltham redshirted last year but he has made a major splash this season. Pitching in Vandy’s weekend rotation, Coltham has put up similar numbers to those of teammate Mike Minor, one of the more highly-touted hurlers in the country. Coltham has gone 7-5 with a 4.26 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 80.1 innings.

Rob Gilliam – RHP – 6’1 195
UNC Greensboro
Sophomore
Gilliam had a high ERA as a freshman but then went to the Valley League and led the league in ERA. This spring, his ERA is back up around six but he has struck out 54 in 56.1 innings.

A.J. Griffin – RHP – 6’5 215
San Diego
Sophomore
Griffin was one of the initial invitees to Team USA, so he may not wear a Brewster uniform this summer. If he does, the Whitecaps will have themselves one of the premier closers in college baseball. Griffin has 13 saves this year, a 2.04 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 39.2 innings.

Chris LaGrow – LHP – 6’3 185
South Alabama
Sophomore
LaGrow put up great numbers as a freshman, stepping into the closer’s role and notching eight saves with a 3.03 ERA. He has moved out of the closer’s role this season, and out of his 10 appearances, seven have been starts. His ERA has jumped up to 5.62.

Mark Lamm – RHP – 6’4 215
Vanderbilt
Freshman
Like Coltham, Lamm redshirted in his first season with the Commodores but has made a good impression this year. In 14 appearances, mostly out of the bullpen, Lamm has put up a 3.30 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 30 innings.

Rory McKean – RHP – 6’3 210
Ole Miss
Sophomore
Another former redshirt, McKean has gotten his feet under him this year after seeing limited action last season. In 22 appearances, McKean has a 2.40 ERA with 40 strikeouts and 16 walks in 45 innings of work.

Iden Nazario – LHP – 6’0 192
Miami
Freshman
One of several impact freshman playing for Miami this year, Nazario was expected to play big roles on offense and on the mound. He has seen action both ways, but he has had his biggest success with the ball in his hands. In 10 appearances out of the bullpen, he’s posted a .84 ERA with 15 strikeouts.

Matt Packer – LHP – 6’0 190
Virginia
Sophomore
Packer has been an absolute workhorse this season for the Cavaliers. He has made 22 appearances and all but four have been out of the bullpen. Still, he’s fourth on the team in innings pitched and leads the team with a 1.19 ERA. He has struck out 53 and walked only 15 in 60.2 innings.

Blake Smith – RHP/OF – 6’2 220
California
Sophomore
Smith has been a valuable two-way player for the Bears this spring. He has started 50 games in the outfield and has posted a .290 batting average with nine home runs. On the mound, he has a 2.70 ERA in 14 relief appearances. He has struck out 29 in just 16.2 innings.

Ryan Woolley – RHP – 6’1 190
Georgia
Sophomore
Woolley was tremendous out of the bullpen as a freshman, posting a 3.14 ERA in 19 appearances. This season, Woolley has only made three appearances, but I can’t find anything that explains why that is.

Position Players
Dwight Childs – C – 6’3 178 – Arizona – Sophomore
Yasmani Grandal – C – 6’2 210 – Miami – Freshman
Jim Klocke – C – 6’0 195 – Southeast Missouri – Sophomore
Mike Freeman – INF – 5’11 185 – Clemson – Sophomore
Garrett Gore – INF – 5’10 176 – North Carolina – Junior
James Meador – INF/OF – 6’1 205 – San Diego – Sophomore
Derek Poppert – INF – 6’2 185 – San Francisco – Sophomore
Connor Powers – INF – 6’2 230 – Mississippi State – Sophomore
Ryan Wheeler – INF – 6’4 220 – Loyola Marymount – Sophomore
Matt den Dekker – OF – 6’1 205 – Florida – Sophomore

Dwight Childs – C – 6’3 178
Arizona
Sophomore
Childs saw a lot of time last year for the Wildcats and finished with a .232 batting average. He has struggled a bit more this year, with a .214 average in 47 games.

Yasmani Grandal – C – 6’2 210
Miami
Freshman
Grandal was a 27th-round pick out of high school and has made an immediate impact for the Hurricanes. Splitting time at catcher with sophomore Jason Hagerty, Grandal has hit .244 with five home runs and 19 RBI to go with a .358 on-base percentage.

Jim Klocke – C – 6’0 195
Southeast Missouri
Sophomore
Klocke hit .324 last year as a freshman and didn’t miss a beat this season. He closed out the year with a team-best .357 batting average, to go with six home runs and 40 RBI. He also had a .469 on-base percentage and struck out just 21 times in 185 at-bats.

Mike Freeman – INF – 5’11 185
Clemson
Sophomore
Freeman played for Georgia last year then transferred to Clemson. He’s been a big addition for the Tigers this year, leading the team with a .332 batting average. Freeman played last summer in the NECBL and was solid, finishing with a .297 average.

Garrett Gore – INF – 5’10 176
North Carolina
Junior
Gore emerged as the Tar Heels’ starter at second base last year and finished the year with a .324 average. He has moved to shortstop this season and has hit .278. Last summer in the Coastal Plain League, Gore hit .400.

James Meador – INF/OF – 6’1 205
San Diego
Sophomore
Meador played in roughly half of San Diego’s games last year as a freshman and never really got his feet under him. But this year, he has been the team’s best hitter, posting a .385 batting average with six home runs and 51 RBI.

Derek Poppert – INF – 6’2 185
San Francisco
Sophomore
Poppert played in 47 games and got 30 starts as a freshman, finishing his first campaign with a .297 batting average. He’s had a rough go of it this year, though, with a .226 average.

Connor Powers – INF – 6’2 230
Mississippi State
Sophomore
Powers started hitting from day one in Starkville and hasn’t stopped. After batting .306 with eight home runs as a freshman, Powers has been one of the SEC’s most fearsome hitters this year, despite missing a third of the season with injury. He leads the team with a .348 batting average and has also belted 11 home runs.

Ryan Wheeler – INF – 6’4 220
Loyola Marymount
Sophomore
A powerful left-handed hitter, Wheeler was one of the top players in the West Coast Conference this season. He hit .345 with six home runs, 45 RBI and 27 extra-base hits, good enough to earn an all-conference nod.

Matt den Dekker – OF – 6’1 205
Florida
Sophomore
After being named to the SEC’s all-freshman team last season, den Dekker has taken big steps forward this year. Starting nearly every day, den Dekker has hit .332 with eight home runs and 47 RBI.

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