Auburn Baseball Summer League Update

[augolf1716 21,103]

 

June 25, 2018

 

Elliott Anderson: Santa Barbara Foresters, California Collegiate League
Anderson pitched 2.2 no-hit innings in his debut for the Foresters on June 23. The left-hander struck out a pair against the Arroyo Seco Saints.

Tanner Burns: USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
Burns begins practice with the Collegiate National Team in Cary, N.C., this week. He will participate in a game against the Coastal Plain League Select on Wednesday, June 27, as well as a series against Chinese Taipei from June 28-July 2. During that time, Burns will be competing for a spot on the final 24-man roster that will compete in a series against Japan (July 3-8) and Cuba (July 10-15). 

Davis Daniel: Chatham Anglers, Cape Cod League
Returning to the Cape Cod League for the second straight summer, Daniel made his first start with Chatham last Wednesday and pitched 4.0 scoreless innings. Daniel allowed just one hit and didn't issue a walk while striking out six as the Anglers defeated Brewster, 7-0.

Conor Davis: Santa Barbara Foresters, California Collegiate League
Davis saw action in two game last week. He collected his first hit - a double - Saturday vs. Arroyo Seco and scored a run in the game.

Cade Evans: Danville Dans, Prospect League
Evans went 2-for-7 with a double, two runs scored and a RBI in three games with Danville last week. He collected a pair of hits, including a double, in a 8-0 win vs. Hannibal last Saturday. 

Peyton Glavine: Falmouth Commodores, Cape Cod League
Glavine pitched a scoreless inning of relief and struck out a batter in his Cape Cod League debut on June 15 vs. Wareham. 

Cody Greenhill: Brewster Whitecaps, Cape Cod League
Greenhill is yet to make an appearance in the Cape Cod League this summer. 

Chase Hall: Alpharetta Aviators, Sunbelt League
Hall has collected three hits with a RBI and run scored through seven games with the Aviators. 

Ryan Hoerter: Danville Dans, Prospect League
Hoerter is yet to make an appearance in the Prospect League this summer.

Will Holland: USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
Holland joins Burns on the Collegiate National Team this week, marking the first time Auburn has had two players represent the USA during the same summer. Like Burns, Holland will participate in a game against the Coastal Plain League Select on Wednesday, June 27, as well as a series against Chinese Taipei from June 28-July 2. During that time, Holland will also be competing for a spot on the final 24-man roster that will compete in a series against Japan (July 3-8) and Cuba (July 10-15). 

Edouard Julien: Falmouth Commodores, Cape Cod League
A teammate of Williams on Falmouth, Julien played in three games last week. He collected his first Cape Cod League hit - a double - Sunday vs. Brewster and scored a run in the game. 

Brett Olson: Brookhaven Bucks, Sunbelt League
Olsen picked up a hit in each of his first three games for Brookhaven. He has a pair of doubles to go along with a .402 on base percentage. 

Jack Owen: Brewster Whitecaps, Cape Cod League
Owen struck out three batters and allowed one run on five hits in 3.0 innings of work in his Cape Cod League debut last Tuesday vs. Yarmouth. He returned to the mound Sunday and didn't allow an earned run in 2.0 inning vs. Falmouth. 

Blake Schilleci: Danville Dans, Prospect League
Schilleci has compiled a 2-1 record in five appearances through 16.1 innings of work for the Dans. He earned the win after tossing 5.0 scoreless innings and allowing one hit with seven strikeouts on June 13. 

Judd Ward: Lima Locos, Great Lakes League
Ward appeared in three games for the Locos, scoring a run against the Galion Graders Sunday.

Ryan Watson: Pompano Beach Clippers, South Florida Collegiate League
Watson has made two starts for the Clippers and has struck out 10 batters so far. He allowed one run on two hits with six strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work on June 12. 

Steven Williams: Falmouth Commodores, Cape Cod League
Williams went 6-for-17 in five games with Falmouth and currently leads the Commodores with a .353 batting average. He scored three runs and added a double and a RBI. The Freshman All-American finished the week by collecting four hits in a doubleheader vs. Brewster. 

[boomstick 1,315]

Rankin Woley, Auburn commit from CVCC in Phenix City, is scheduled to be added to the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod League this week. Cody Greenhill is on the Brewster Whitecaps roster, but he won’t be playing this summer. He’s taking the summer off to rest his arm. Still waiting for/hoping to see a couple other JUCO signees to show up on teams. 

[AU64 10,122]

I have to say that I worry about our pitchers playing in the summer leagues....especially since we now have some baseball in the fall and these guys seem to be pitching all year around.   Wondering if some of them end up pitching almost as many innings outside of the SEC season as they do from March to June.

[boomstick 1,315]

36 minutes ago, AU64 said:

I have to say that I worry about our pitchers playing in the summer leagues....especially since we now have some baseball in the fall and these guys seem to be pitching all year around.   Wondering if some of them end up pitching almost as many innings outside of the SEC season as they do from March to June.

It’s much more controlled in the summer. You won’t see many guys that threw a bunch of innings in the spring throw a bunch of innings in the summer. Only a couple of Auburn’s pitchers have had more than 1-2 appearances, and those guys didn’t throw much at all during the season. 

I don’t think it hurts for a pitcher to take a summer off, given thyve probably not had one off in a few years, but I don’t think the summer workload is too bad on them. 

[AlaskanFAN 1,665]

How do these guys get into these leagues? 

When they go to these summer leagues, does Butch monitor them, especially pitchers, for workloads, injuries, workouts, bad habits.....

How does it work if they play for a team when it comes to travel, meals and hotels?

I have always heard about the leagues and when I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska I used to go watch the Midnight Sun game, but I never thought about it being college kids and how it all worked with them the school and the NCAA.

Thanks in advance.

[boomstick 1,315]

2 hours ago, AlaskanFAN said:

How do these guys get into these leagues? 

When they go to these summer leagues, does Butch monitor them, especially pitchers, for workloads, injuries, workouts, bad habits.....

How does it work if they play for a team when it comes to travel, meals and hotels?

I have always heard about the leagues and when I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska I used to go watch the Midnight Sun game, but I never thought about it being college kids and how it all worked with them the school and the NCAA.

Thanks in advance.

Some of the leagues offer invites to the better young prospects. Others have registration processes. Butch could have connections with a few teams that helps him get players in certain teams. 

As far as management, I don’t think the Auburn coaches have a lot of input there. I think they will monitor from afar and might talk to the coaches about what they want to see their guys work on in the summer, but that’s about it. 

Just about every league has host families. So these kids live with families in the area. Pretty sure travel is handled by the team they’re playing for. Not sure about food and that kind of stuff. 

[boomstick 1,315]

Will Holland is starting in LF today for Team USA. This is their first official game of the summer, although they played an exhibition against the U18 team last night. Holland had a pinch-hit single in the 9th.

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

I would love to watch some Cape Cod League games......such tradition and history!

 

[boomstick 1,315]

Things like this help too. Former Auburn catcher, Tony Caldwell, is an assistant coach with the Falmouth Commodores where a few Auburn players are playing this year, including Williams and Julien. 

[boomstick 1,315]

55 minutes ago, Tigerbelle said:

I would love to watch some Cape Cod League games......such tradition and history!

 

Here’s a link that show some you how to follow each team’s games. Not sure if all are available to watch or not. 

Edit: would help if I pasted the link. 

http://capecodbaseball.org/broadcasting/

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

3 hours ago, boomstick said:

Here’s a link that show some you how to follow each team’s games. Not sure if all are available to watch or not. 

Edit: would help if I pasted the link. 

http://capecodbaseball.org/broadcasting/

I'll check it out!  

[around4ever 4,139]

Isn't Chatham the team featured in the movie "Summer Catch"?  I hope none of our guys walk off the field chasing a girl.  Although if it was Jessica Biel...

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

Some of these leagues are far better than others in terms of competition.  Pretty sure I could get a few hits in the Sunbelt League .The fact that so many of our guys are playing in the CC league is huge. 

[corchjay 5,311]

On 6/27/2018 at 11:49 AM, boomstick said:

 

Just about every league has host families. So these kids live with families in the area. Pretty sure travel is handled by the team they’re playing for. Not sure about food and that kind of stuff. 

This is true at the minor league level as well in a lot of cases.  They don't make much money.  I think it's better then back in the day but I'm pretty sure A and AA still have host families for players/families to help offset housing cost for the player.  

[boomstick 1,315]

Stats update for the guys playing in Summer Leagues

 

[mustache eagle 2,397]

someone give me some kind of context to what these leagues are like.  maybe on a scale of 1-10, with sec baseball also on the same scale - for comparison. 

nothing really jumps out to me on the stats.  our field players seem to be playing under their sec play, but I bet they are mentally not in it and that doesnt surprise me.  Schilleci seems to be having a solid, respectable summer throwing with a bunch of work.  Cade Evans has 18 at bats with only 3 hits, but 8 K's and 10 walks ... dude ain't swinging the bat!  Julian - 12 K's in 29 at bats with 0 BB's.  He might should take the summer off and clear his head.

[boomstick 1,315]

22 minutes ago, mustache eagle said:

someone give me some kind of context to what these leagues are like.  maybe on a scale of 1-10, with sec baseball also on the same scale - for comparison. 

nothing really jumps out to me on the stats.  our field players seem to be playing under their sec play, but I bet they are mentally not in it and that doesnt surprise me.  Schilleci seems to be having a solid, respectable summer throwing with a bunch of work.  Cade Evans has 18 at bats with only 3 hits, but 8 K's and 10 walks ... dude ain't swinging the bat!  Julian - 12 K's in 29 at bats with 0 BB's.  He might should take the summer off and clear his head.

IMO it’s a mixed bag with the leagues. The Cape Cod League is the top tier IMO. It has the best collection of talent from across the nation, and they get a lot of scouts to their games. Most of the other leagues get some good players, but they’re mixed in with some level level D1 and D2 and JUCO players. Most of the leagues are pretty regional too. Hard to really scale any of the leagues. 

Also, I wouldn’t put a ton into the stats of a player, good or bad. It’s just something to sort of follow. Julien’s Ks could be the result of the coaches really working on something within his swing to help him that could cause some temporary issues. Having a good summer can certainly translate to success next fall (see Will Holland last year to this year), but it’s not always a great indicator. 

Summer leagues are great for guys who didn’t get a lot of work during the season to get some at bats or innings to improve themselves or work on issues without there being the same pressure as there is in the fall or spring  

 

[boomstick 1,315]

Tanner Burns pitched today. 2.2 IP, 1 earned run, 3 hits, 2 Ks, 1 walk. He also made the 26-man roster for Team USA. Will Holland, who was also in the tryout series, didn’t make the team. 

 

[AU64 10,122]

19 hours ago, boomstick said:

Also, I wouldn’t put a ton into the stats of a player, good or bad. It’s just something to sort of follow. Julien’s Ks could be the result of the coaches really working on something within his swing to help him that could cause some temporary issues. Having a good summer can certainly translate to success next fall (see Will Holland last year to this year), but it’s not always a great indicator

I worry about guys getting "coaching" from these summer league coach as I doubt they are of the same caliber as Butch and his crew.   I'm guessing the NCAA has limits on how much contact (if any) our coaches can have with the kids over the summer.

Otherwise, the fewer innings I see our pitches on the mound the better I like it.  A couple innings every week is fine I guess but ....and this is just an opinion....our guys are coming back to AU and don't need to stress themselves trying to impress some pro scouts over the summer.   SEC baseball provides them with a good resume' and I hope they enjoy getting to play a sport they love....and not make the summer into "work".  

Thanks for the updates....interesting to see where all the guys are now.  

 

PS....on the other hand, I understand some of the JUcos and Div II guys are hoping to make an impression on some big school coaches and maybe make a jump to a high level of collegiate baseball.....so some of the "scouts" might be there on behalf of colleges rather than MLB.

[boomstick 1,315]

12 minutes ago, AU64 said:

I worry about guys getting "coaching" from these summer league coach as I doubt they are of the same caliber as Butch and his crew.   I'm guessing the NCAA has limits on how much contact (if any) our coaches can have with the kids over the summer.

Otherwise, the fewer innings I see our pitches on the mound the better I like it.  A couple innings every week is fine I guess but ....and this is just an opinion....our guys are coming back to AU and don't need to stress themselves trying to impress some pro scouts over the summer.   SEC baseball provides them with a good resume' and I hope they enjoy getting to play a sport they love....and not make the summer into "work".  

Thanks for the updates....interesting to see where all the guys are now.  

 

PS....on the other hand, I understand some of the JUcos and Div II guys are hoping to make an impression on some big school coaches and maybe make a jump to a high level of collegiate baseball.....so some of the "scouts" might be there on behalf of colleges rather than MLB.

IMO there is quality coaching. Plenty of D1 assistants and former college HCs coach these various league teams. Tom Holliday, former Auburn pitching coach, is a HC for one of the Cape teams. Tony Caldwell, former Auburn catcher, is an assistant for Falmouth and is an assistant for a smaller D1 school during the season. Caldwell actually took Hunter Morris' coaching spot when Morris couldn't coach this summer. Pretty solid Auburn connections there to Falmouth. Damon Haecker is coaching in the Great Lakes League. The biggest thing I'd worry about is someone trying to make significant mechanical adjustments to a hitter or pitcher without consulting the Auburn staff, which I seriously doubt would happen. 

So far, it seems the pitchers that are getting the most work this summer are the guys who didn't see much action in the spring. Mostly freshmen and a few upperclassmen. Most of the guys who threw a lot of innings are only working once a week for relatively short outings. The one guy so far who I wish could see a little more action is Jack Owen. I know he threw a decent amount during the season, but I'd like to see him get 3-4 innings once a week against the competition he'd face on the Cape.

 

[boomstick 1,315]

20 hours ago, mustache eagle said:

someone give me some kind of context to what these leagues are like.  maybe on a scale of 1-10, with sec baseball also on the same scale - for comparison. 

nothing really jumps out to me on the stats.  our field players seem to be playing under their sec play, but I bet they are mentally not in it and that doesnt surprise me.  Schilleci seems to be having a solid, respectable summer throwing with a bunch of work.  Cade Evans has 18 at bats with only 3 hits, but 8 K's and 10 walks ... dude ain't swinging the bat!  Julian - 12 K's in 29 at bats with 0 BB's.  He might should take the summer off and clear his head.

I thought I responded to this the other day, but I'm not sure where it went. Kinda hard to compare the leagues to the SEC. The talent is a bit of a mixed bag for most leagues. The Cape Cod League is the premier summer league. It gets the best talent from across the nation. It garners the most scout attention. It's probably the most heralded league to play in. It would probably be comparable to top SEC play. Basically, it's a bunch of D1 and JUCO all-stars playing in a 10-man league. Most of the guys in this league will be drafted fairly highly as juniors. 

Past the Cape, the leagues become a bit less talented as they become more regional. You have some quality talent in some of these leagues, but you also have some lower level players from JUCO and NAIA and D2-D3 playing. Still good quality competition, but they'd probably more in line with some decent non-conference opponents we might play during the season.

I don't put a ton of emphasis on the stats. I look at Evans, and I'm impressed with his ability to get on base. The 3 hits aren't great, but he has more walks than strikeouts and has several stolen bases. So his walks are essentially turning into doubles when he reaches. With Schilleci, I am impressed with the strikeout numbers. I think his command is showing he can at the very least be an impact guy in the midweek. Julien is definitely struggling, but he's having some good ABs with nothing to show for it. For example, last night he led off the bottom of the 9th in a 2-2 game with a new pitcher on the mound. He had a 12-pitch at bat but eventually struck out. It still goes in the column as a K and he didn't put the ball in play, but he's had several productive ABs like that. He picked up his first walk of the summer last night as well, which makes me think he's starting to see the ball better now than he was to end the season and start the summer.

[tigerbrotha12 2,362]

On ‎7‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 10:28 AM, boomstick said:

Stats update for the guys playing in Summer Leagues

 

Ouch- Ole Big Canada not htting too well with the wood bats. On the bright side, Rojas and Olsen, two guys who might be called into duty a few times next season look like they're producing pretty well for their respective teams. On the pitching side of things, Anderson, Daniel, or Hoerter with no earned runs thru 24 innings combined. That's pretty nice....

[boomstick 1,315]

At the halfway point of the Cape Cod Summer season, Steven Williams is 4th in batting average (.349), 2nd in OBP (.525), and Top 10 in OPS (.944). HRs having a pretty strong summer to follow up his All-American freshman season. 

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

On 7/3/2018 at 8:08 AM, boomstick said:

IMO there is quality coaching. Plenty of D1 assistants and former college HCs coach these various league teams. Tom Holliday, former Auburn pitching coach, is a HC for one of the Cape teams. Tony Caldwell, former Auburn catcher, is an assistant for Falmouth and is an assistant for a smaller D1 school during the season. Caldwell actually took Hunter Morris' coaching spot when Morris couldn't coach this summer. Pretty solid Auburn connections there to Falmouth. Damon Haecker is coaching in the Great Lakes League. The biggest thing I'd worry about is someone trying to make significant mechanical adjustments to a hitter or pitcher without consulting the Auburn staff, which I seriously doubt would happen. 

So far, it seems the pitchers that are getting the most work this summer are the guys who didn't see much action in the spring. Mostly freshmen and a few upperclassmen. Most of the guys who threw a lot of innings are only working once a week for relatively short outings. The one guy so far who I wish could see a little more action is Jack Owen. I know he threw a decent amount during the season, but I'd like to see him get 3-4 innings once a week against the competition he'd face on the Cape.

 

That's interesting news about Daemon Haecker. If coaching baseball is his desired career path then I wish him all the success in the world. I always loved how he stepped up when AU desperately needed a catcher. 

 

[WarEagle2423 357]

Steven Williams made the Cape Cod All Star team.