2012 Early Look: Y-D Red Sox

Y-D Red Sox
Manager: Scott Pickler
2011 Record: 19-21-4

Last summer marked the first time since 2008 that the Y-D Red Sox didn’t have a winning record. Of course, that still couldn’t really hold the Red Sox down. They won a playoff series over favored Orleans before getting swept by eventual champion Harwich.

Despite that strong finish, the season as a whole felt like one big missed opportunity. The Red Sox had tremendous talent on their roster — perhaps more than any team in the league — but between injuries, the College World Series and Team USA, that talent never completely came together. Y-D ended up having four players drafted in the first round, prompting manager Scott Pickler to jokingly tell the Cape Cod Times that he should be fired for not winning the championship. But with all the changes and the upheaval, you couldn’t blame the Red Sox for scuffling.

That’s in the past now, and the Red Sox don’t look like they’ll have to do quite as much shuffling this year. They have four players in the College World Series and two on the Team USA roster, but everybody else should be set.

And that’s a good thing, because there is once again a lot of talent.

The Red Sox just hope it comes together.

Roster Rundown
Returning Players: 5
Juniors: 1
Sophomores: 12
Freshmen: 11

Notable

The more successful college players a team has on its roster, the easier it is to write all this stuff up. Sometimes, the early looks can be a grind, but this one flew by, which should tell you something. Of the six teams I’ve done so far, I don’t think anybody has more players coming off good seasons than Y-D.

Many of those players coming off good seasons are pitchers. In fact, there isn’t a single pitcher on the Y-D roster who had any significant struggles. Most had great years, particularly starters Jonathan Crawford, Joey DeNato, Alex Gonzalez, Rick Knapp, Ben Lively, Jake Reed and Andrew Thurman. The Red Sox look like they may have some serious pitching depth. It’ll be experienced depth too, with five pitchers returning to the Cape for a second summer.

Y-D is going quite a bit younger than a lot of teams this year, with 11 freshmen coming into the fold. A lot of them look like future stars, so if they make a return trip in 2013, we could be talking about another very talented team.

Every freshmen on the NC State baseball team — and every freshmen in the nation — was overshadowed by freshman pitcher Carlos Rodon, who was among the national leaders in strikeouts and earned ACC Pitcher of the Year honors. But even in the shadows, it was hard to miss Rodon’s teammate Trea Turner. A freshman infielder, Turner led the nation in stolen bases while batting .336 and five home runs. Unfortunately for Y-D, Team USA notice, and Turner was just added to the roster there.

The other biggest freshman standout for the Red Sox looks like Indiana’s Sam Travis, who drove in 50 runs on his way to Big 10 Freshman of the Year honors. Stanford’s Alex Blandino — with eight home runs — isn’t far behind.

One concern relating to the big freshman crop is how many of them are hitters — it’s nine of the 10. Y-D could could conceivably have six or seven freshmen in the everyday lineup, and freshmen hitters don’t often shine on the Cape.

In addition to Turner, Oregon pitcher Jimmie Sherfy has also been invited to Team USA. He had 19 saves this year to go with ridiculous strikeout numbers.

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Trea Turner
2. Jonathan Crawford
3. Jimmie Sherfy
4. Alex Blandino
5. Sam Travis

Pitchers

Jonathan Crawford – RHP – 6’2 205 – Florida – Sophomore
*Joey DeNato – LHP – 5’10 185 – Indiana – Sophomore
*Alex Gonzalez – RHP – 6’2 200 – Oral Roberts – Sophomore
Rick Knapp – RHP – 6’1 200 – Florida Gulf Coast – Sophomore
Spenser Linney – LHP – 6’5 195 – Stanford – Freshman
Ben Lively – RHP – 6’4 205 – Central Florida – Sophomore
Jake Reed – RHP – 6’2 180 – Oregon – Freshman
Jimmie Sherfy – RHP – 6’0 170 – Oregon – Sophomore
Scott Squier – LHP – 6’6 185 – Hawaii – Freshman
Cole Swanson – LHP – 6’5 200 – San Diego State – Sophomore
*Andrew Thurman – RHP – 6’3 200 – UC Irvine – Sophomore
*A.J. Vanegas – RHP – 6’3 205 – Stanford – Sophomore
*Zack Weiss – RHP – 6’2 210 – UCLA – Sophomore

Jonathan Crawford – RHP – 6’2 205
Florida
Sophomore

With standouts Brian Johnson, Hudson Randall and Karsten Whitson leading the way, there didn’t seem to be much room in the Florida rotation for anybody else. Crawford forced himself in. The sophomore is 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 74.2 innings pitched. He made national headlines when he tossed a no-hitter in Florida’s regional. Crawford was a 42nd-round pick out of high school.

Joey DeNato – LHP – 5’10 185
Indiana
Sophomore

After a good freshman season, DeNato made his way to Cape Cod and became one of the most valuable members of Y-D’s pitching staff. He made five starts and seven relief appearances, finishing the summer with a 2.38 ERA. This year, DeNato became an ace for the Hoosiers, going 7-3 with a 3.22 ERA and 76 strikeouts. He led the team in innings pitched with 92.1.

Alex Gonzalez – RHP – 6’2 200
Oral Roberts
Sophomore

Gonzalez is set to return to Y-D for his second summer, and he’s poised to emerge as a top-flight starting pitcher. After an impressive freshman season that included 100 strikeouts, Gonzalez had a decent showing on the Cape, finishing with a 3.08 ERA in seven starts. This spring, he kept it up, going 6-3 with a 2.30 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched. Gonzalez was an 11th-round pick out of high school.

Rick Knapp – RHP – 6’1 200
Florida Gulf Coast
Sophomore

An Atlantic Sun All-Freshman pick in 2011, Knapp earned all-star honors in the Northwoods League last summer. This spring, he built on that success with a big campaign. He went 9-4 with a 2.34 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 111.1 innings pitched. He was named the Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Year.

Spenser Linney – LHP – 6’5 195
Stanford
Freshman

A 44th-round pick out of high school, Linney didn’t see much action for the Cardinal this year. In 10 appearances, he logged 6.1 innings of work. He allowed four earned runs while striking out five.

Ben Lively – RHP – 6’4 205
Central Florida
Sophomore

Lively was a 26th-round pick out of high school in 2010, and though he had an ERA over five last year, he still made enough of an impression to earn Conference USA All-Freshman honors. This year, Lively made good on his potential with an impressive sophomore campaign. Emerging as the team’s ace, he went 9-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched.

Jake Reed – RHP – 6’2 180
Oregon
Freshman

Reed was a 40th-round pick out of high school but was mentioned as a third-to-fifth rounder heading into the draft. He stuck with his commitment and became a standout immediately in Eugene. Reed went 8-4 with a 2.92 ERA in his debut season. He struck out 67 and walked 42 in 114 innings. Opposing hitters batted just .230 against him.

Jimmie Sherfy – RHP – 6’0 170
Oregon
Sophomore

Sherfy has been invited to Team USA so he may not make it to the Cape, but if he does, he’ll be bringing one of the most electric arms in the nation with him. Sherfy ranked second in the nation in saves with 19, but his strikeout numbers were even more eye-popping. He K’d 93 in 61.1 innings, good for a K/9 ratio of 13.7.

Scott Squier – LHP – 6’6 185
Hawaii
Freshman

A native of Phoenix, Ariz., Squier made the trek to Hawaii and didn’t disappoint upon arrival. He vaulted right into the weekend rotation and went 3-4 with a 3.50 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. Squier was a 21st round pick out of high school, and he reportedly hit 94 on the gun as a high-school senior.

Cole Swanson – LHP – 6’5 200
San Diego State
Sophomore

After a great freshman season, Swanson was poised for big things this year as he stepped into the Friday starter role for the Aztecs. Instead, he had to have an appendectomy early in the season, leaving him with just six appearances in what supposed to be a breakout season.

Andrew Thurman – RHP – 6’3 200
UC Irvine
Sophomore

Thurman pitched well in a swing role last year for the Anteaters then had a good showing in 33 innings of work with Y-D over the summer. This year, Thurman became the ace of the Irvine staff and finished 8-3 with a 2.66 ERA. He struck out 69 in 98 innings of work.

A.J. Vanegas – RHP – 6’3 205
Stanford
Sophomore

Vanegas was a seventh round pick in the 2010 draft. When he stuck with his commitment to Stanford, he became one of the highest unsigned picks in his class. After putting up solid numbers in his freshman campaign, he pitched well in a short stint with Y-D last summer. This spring, he was a key pitcher for the Cardinal, posting a 2.62 ERA while pitching mostly out of the bullpen. He struck out 53 in 65.1 innings.

Zack Weiss – RHP – 6’2 210
UCLA
Sophomore

Weiss was a 10th-round pick out of high school and delivered a strong first season with the Bruins last year. He had his ups and downs on the Cape last summer, but has come back with a strong season for the Omaha-bound Bruins this spring. He’s currently 3-2 with a 4.04 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 69 innings pitched.

Position Players

Alex Blandino – SS – 6’0 175 – Stanford – Freshman
Jaycob Brugman – OF – 6’0 185 – BYU – Sophomore
Matt McGovern – OF – 5’10 169 – Boston College – Junior
Robert Pehl – 2B – 6’1 200 – Washington – Freshman
Justin Shafer – INF/OF – 6’3 205 – Florida – Freshman
Chris Sujka – OF – 5’11 190 – Indiana – Freshman
Wayne Taylor – C – 6’1 200 – Stanford – Freshman
Josh Tobias – INF – 5’9 208 – Florida – Freshman
Sam Travis – 3B – 6’0 205 – Indiana – Freshman
Trea Turner – SS – 6’1 170 – NC State – Freshman
Sean Dwyer – OF – 6’1 200 – Florida Gulf Coast – Sophomore

Alex Blandino – SS – 6’0 175
Stanford
Freshman

Blandino was considered a tough sign out of high school so he slipped to the 38th round of last year’s draft. He made an immediate splash in Palo Alto this spring. He hit .294 and clubbed eight home runs, the second-highest total on the team, despite the fact that he started only 29 of 49 games. He also drove in 40 runs.

Jaycob Brugman – OF – 6’0 185
BYU
Sophomore

Brugman was the Mountain West Freshman of the Year last season after hitting .317 with nine home runs. He shipped out to Alaska last summer and hit .262 with the Matsu Miners. This spring, Brugman didn’t light it up quite like he did last year, but he still hit .279 with two home runs, four doubles, five triples and a team-best 30 RBI.

Matt McGovern – OF – 5’10 169
Boston College
Junior

As a sophomore last year, McGovern came back from an injury and emerged in the latter half of the season as one of the team’s top hitters. He finished at .371 with a homer and 18 RBI. This spring was more of a struggle as McGovern hit .239.

Robert Pehl – 2B – 6’1 200
Washington
Freshman

Pehl was a mainstay from day one in Washington this year and finished out a solid debut season with a .293 average, 13 extra-base hits and 23 RBI. He started 50 of the team’s 55 games.

Justin Shafer – INF/OF – 6’3 205
Florida
Freshman

Shafer has gotten a chance in Florida’s veteran lineup and has delivered a solid season. While playing in 48 games, with 42 starts, Shafer is hitting .275 with five doubles and 26 RBI.

Chris Sujka – OF – 5’11 190
Indiana
Freshman

Sujka had a great high school career in Illinois and didn’t struggle much with the adjustment to the next level. While starting 50 games this year, Sujka hit .269 with five home runs, eight doubles and 38 RBI.

Wayne Taylor – C – 6’1 200
Stanford
Freshman

Taylor was the Texas prep baseball player of the year and was selected in the 14th round of last year’s Major League draft by the Angels. He honored his commitment to Stanford but didn’t see much action in his first year with the Cardinal. He got eight starts and hit .152.

Josh Tobias – INF – 5’9 208
Florida
Freshman

Like his Florida teammate Shafer, Tobias has gotten an opportunity for the Gators and has done pretty well with it. He’s hitting .248 with seven extra-base hits. Tobias was a 31st-round pick out of high school.

Sam Travis – 3B – 6’0 205
Indiana
Freshman

Another Indiana freshman, Travis made an even bigger splash than his teammate Sujka. A 40th-round pick out of high school, Travis burst onto the scene with a .319 average, nine home runs, 17 doubles and a team-best 50 RBI, which was also good for second in the Big 10. Those numbers earned Travis Big 10 Freshman of the Year honors.

Trea Turner – SS – 6’1 170
NC State
Freshman

Turner was a 20th-round pick out of high school, but his debut season at NC State made that seem way too low. Turner started every game, typically batted leadoff and emerged as a tremendous threat. He hit .336 with five home runs, 13 doubles and 43 RBI. He also had an on-base percentage of .432 and he led the nation with 57 stolen bases. He earned second-team all-ACC honors.

Sean Dwyer – OF – 6’1 200
Florida Gulf Coast
Sophomore

One of two FGCU players on the roster, Dwyer is also coming in off a strong spring. He hit .297 with three home runs, 16 doubles and a team best 39 RBI. A 15th-round pick out of high school, Dwyer was rated as the 14th-best prospect in the Northwoods League last year.