MVP awards are funny. Everybody has their own definition, their own qualifications for what an MVP should be. For some people, it’s just the best player. For others, the best player on the best team.
And then there’s the concept of value. Sometimes, the best player is the most valuable because he’s just the best. Other times, without a certain player, a team just wouldn’t be where it is.
Ryan Connolly (Coastal Carolina) probably won’t win the Cape League’s MVP award. He wasn’t even an all-star.
But Cotuit wouldn’t be where it is without him.
Connolly pitched 2.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen last night and got the win as Cotuit beat Brewster 10-9 for its 10th victory in a row. Connolly — who has not started a game — now leads the league in wins with seven. Not only that, but he has matched the highest win total of the last 12 years. No pitcher’s won more than seven.
It’s amazing — I don’t know if a relief pitcher has ever led the league in wins outright. Last year, there were a couple of guys who had pitched some innings out of the bullpen and were tied for the league lead, but that was when the lead was at four wins. At seven, you’d be hard-pressed to find another relief pitcher who’s done that.
But it’s not surprising. That’s how good Connolly has been — and the seven wins really only hint at his value. He leads the league in appearances with 21, meaning he’s pitched in more than half of Cotuit’s 37 games. He’s also tied for the league lead in innings pitched. In 13 of his outings, he hasn’t allowed a run. He ranks second in the league in strikeouts and fourth in ERA.
And when it comes to value, this is the stat that speaks loudest: Cotuit is 17-4 in games Connolly has pitched. In his last eight appearances, the Kettleers are 8-0.
Last night, Connolly and the Kettleers were doing it again. Connolly came into the game in the fifth. He allowed two inherited runners to score but got out of the frame without further damage, pitched a perfect sixth, watched his team take the lead in the bottom of the sixth and then pitched a scoreless seventh.
Cotuit went on to the one-run win. Dan Slania (Notre Dame) got the save, while James Roberts (USC) went 3-for-4 with a home run to lead the offense. Patrick Biondi (Michigan) had two hits and two RBI, and Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt) also drove in two.
Elsewhere
What to Watch
Looks like two very good pitching match-ups tonight. In Falmouth, the Commodores send Trey Masek to the hill against Orleans and Matt Boyd at 6:30 p.m. And in Chatham, Michael Wagner goes for the Anglers against Brewster’s Tom Windle in a 7 p.m. start.
If you’ve never seen Ryan Connolly pitch, picture a right-hander with a windup like El Tiante who doesn’t throw very hard but makes the ball move like a Wiffle Ball on a windy day.
Have there ever been any two-team players who have put up numbers like Tyler Sciacca and Daniel Aldrich? Add up Sciacca’s numbers with YD and Harwich and you’re looking at an All-League performance in most seasons.
Michael Lorenzon is now on the Brewster roster!
I have not had a chance to see him pitch. Great description.
That’s a nice little boost