2015 POTW

Player of the Week

Jordan Bradley – Oneonta Outlaws

Wofford

7 G| 8-27 | 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 SF | 6 R | 6 RBI | BB

| 3/4 SB | 3 A, 12 PO

.296 AVG, .310 OBP, .593 SLG, .903 OPS, 1.000 FLD%, .750 SB%

Bradley has saved some of his most explosive play for the final stretch of the regular season. In his last ten games prior to the playoffs, the righty from Atlanta collected nine extra base hits, including three home runs. This past week was no exception, as hit for an eye-popping .593, a mark consistent with what Miguel Cabrera has hit in the majors this year (.578). Adding to Bradley’s value are his arm and legs; his week included three outfield assists, doubling his season total as well as three stolen bases, bringing his tally to 19, ranked 5th best in the NYCBL.

Pitcher of the Week

Dan Shelton - Sherrill Silversmiths

SUNY Oneonta

8.1 IP, 2 W | 0 R | 4 H | 5 BB, 1 HBP | 5 SO | 0.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP

.148 BAA, .303 OOBP, .222 OSLG, .325 OOPS

  A win is win in seven, nine, or 11 innings, the latter being Shelton’s expertise following a week he provided two wins in long-relief. In the second-longest (tied) and longest outings of Shelton’s season, the righty delivered masterful consistency, holding opposing batters to an average of .148, a marked improvement over the .268 they hit on him for the entirety of the summer.  

Player of the Week

Steven Goldstein - Hornell Dodgers

Kansas University

5 G | 10-20 | 10 R | 3 2B | 1 3B | 1 HR | 10 RBI | 3 BB, 1 HBP | 3 SB

 2 A, 12 PO, 2 E | .500 AVG | .565 OBP | 1.050 SLG | 1.615 OPS |

There may be no better example of a stat sheet/sabermetric dream than the week posted by Goldstein. The Hornell centerfielder was a factor in every possible category, leading the Dodgers to a record of 4-1 on the week as they continue to garner national recognition. The Kansas Jayhawk now has a six-game hitting and RBI-streak, as well as three straight games with a stolen base. With home runs Friday and Saturday and a triple last night, it’s no wonder why the lefty five-tool has a slugging percentage checking in over the 1.000 mark in his past five contests. The defending champs weren’t in need of too much additional help, but in Goldstein they have a well-rounded threat on the rise; in his past five games his slash has transformed from a .264/.368/.382 to one that reads .300/.397/.485 on the season. Pitchers be warned. 

Pitcher of the Week

David Ehmen – Oneonta Outlaws

Wofford College

2 GS, 2 W, 1 CG, 1 SO, 13 IP | 7 H | 3 R, 1 ER | 3 BB | 18 K

0.69 ERA | 0.77 WHIP | .152 BAA | .220 OOBP

With the playoffs fast approaching and Oneonta clinging tightly to the third seed in the East, weeks like the one David Ehmen had can’t be understated. The 6-2 lefty out of Wofford utterly toyed with hitters this week on his way to a K/9 rate of 12.46. His one earned run and was his only real blemish, to go along with just eleven batters of the 50 he faced, reaching base via  his mistake. 

Player of the Week

Max Franzone – Wellsville Nitros

Finger Lakes Community College

  6 G | 8-for-15 | 6R | 7BB | 2 2B | 1 3B | 1SF | 3RBI | 5PO, 10A

.533 AVG | .667 OBP | .800 SLG | 1.447 OPS | .938 FLD%

Sometimes the win-loss columns don’t tell the entire story. Lost in tough week for the Nitros was the stellar play of its sometimes-left fielder, most-times third baseman, Max Franzone. Where some would have packed it in, Franzone (Finger Lakes CC), demonstrated his passion for the game with one of the most-well-rounded weeks of the 2015 season. In addition to recording three consecutive multi-hit games from July 7th to July 10th, the lefty batter finished the week with three straight games with at least one run scored, one run driven in and an extra base hit recorded. Before questioning the .938 fielding percentage, consider that Franzone made just one error in 16 total chances, and has just four on the season. After a late arrival to the league, the native of Nanuet, New York has now reached base safely in all 11 games he’s played, and has never seen respective slash totals below .333/.429/.429.

Pitcher of the Week

Connor Ryan – Hornell Dodgers

Mercyhurst College

 2GS (1-0 1 CG) 16.0IP | 9H | 1R, 0ER | 3BB, 2HBP | 9K

0.00 ERA | 0.75 WHIP | BAA .167 | OOBP .237

In a week that was chock full of impressive pitching performances, Connor Ryan (Merchyhurst) stands out for not allowing a single earned run in 16 frames. Perhaps even more impressive was the righty’s ability to limit opposing baserunners, with just 14 of 59 reaching base via hit/walk/hit by pitch. In total, the Buffalo native has allowed just 12 runs in 41.1 IP, a full 25 percent of which have categorized as unearned. At no point this season has any team been able to score more than three earned runs against the 3-1 Ryan, and only fleetingly after his second relief and total appearance have any of his opponents left a matchup with a batting average over .300. That makes nine straight contests of opposing lineups being unable to muster any average higher than .263. Coupled with his mechanical consistency are the now surging Dodgers, winners of four straight and six of their last seven thanks in no small part to performances like Ryan’s.

Player of the Week

Evan Holland – Syracuse Salt Cats

Florida International Univeristy

  6 G | 10-for-21 | 6 R | 4 BB | 1 2B | 3 3B | 4 RBI | 3-4 SB

.476 AVG | .560 OBP | .810 SLG | 1.370 OPS

Holland entered the week hitting just .229 through 11 games, albeit with a solid .OBP of .372. His primary weapon of choice had been earning walks, having collected 12 in 11 games to just 8 hits in that same stretch. He had recorded just one extra base hit on the year to the tune of a .314 slugging percentage. Then the FIU Panther pounced. In his final four games of the week, Holland recorded four consecutive multi-hit games, and tripled once in each of the last three. Repeat, Evan Holland has a triple streak. Never mind a four-run performance against the Junior Chiefs Saturday-the guy has an ACTIVE TRIPLE STREAK. Even the best speed demons at any level of baseball count their blessings when they end up on third base on the same play the ball jumped off their bat. Holland entered the week with a slash line of .229/.372/ .314. He heads into July 6th with .321/.441/.500. Normally, that’s what baseball analysts will refer to as “raking” due to a streaking hitter’s hit spray chart resembling a garden rake used to clean one’s lawn of leaves in the fall. If Holland’s raking, he’s doing so with a flamethrower. 

Pitcher of the Week

TJ Peterson – Cortland Crush

State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota

2 GS, 1 CG (2-0) | 15.0 IP | 9H | 3R, 2 ER | 1BB | 10K

1.20 ERA | 0.67 WHIP | BAA .176 | OOBP .189

For the second time in the past three weeks, Peterson earns the “Pitcher of the Week” award. It’s now the third straight week a Cortland pitcher has won. That’s how scary the Cortland rotation has been, and truly, Peterson has been as good as any pitcher this season. It’s scary to think that he’s actually improved this week from those prior. Opponents are now reaching base just a hair under 23 percent of the time, while their walk rate has plummeted to one walk per every 13.6 batters faced, or less than walk per each time through the lineup. Prior to this week it had been a higher yet still-stellar 9.33. Following his second start of the year, Peterson’s WHIP has decreased or remained the same with each ensuing start. 

Player of the Week

Conner Combs – Niagara Power

East Texas Baptist University

  4 G | 10-for-16 | 7R | 1 BB | 3 2B | 4 RBI 

.625 AVG | .684 OBP | .813 SLG | 1.497 OPS

It was going to take a lot to keep Nate Ippolito and Marty Napleton amongst others from winning this award, but Combs (East Texas Baptist U) delivered just that. In addition to his other worldly slash line of .625/.684/.813 he recorded six putouts and 13 assists in the field at shortstop. His contributions on offense supplied 11 of Niagara’s 33 runs scored on the week (33%).

Pitcher of the Week

Nate Verst – Cortland Crush

Kentucky Wesleyan

2 GS (0-0) | 13.0 IP | 5H | 0R | 5 BB | 14 K

0.00 ERA | 0.77 WHIP | BAA .119 | OOBP .229

Verst (Kentucky Wesleyan) was the tough-luck no decision earner in both of his starts this week, keeping his record at 0-0 this year though it was through no fault of his own. The righty did not allow a single run in 13IP, and struck out 14 to produce a K/9 of 9.69. Even more impressive was the fact he allowed a total of just five walks and five hits against the 48 batters he faced.  

Player of the Week

Cole Metcalfe – Rochester Ridgemen

Bellarmine University

  6 G | 13-for-26 | 5 R | 4 2B | 2 3B | 4 RBI 

.500 AVG | .500 OBP | .808 SLG | 1.308 OPS

In what has been two and a half weeks of utter domination from the dish, Metcalfe’s (Bellarmine) last seven days have been only seen his bat get even hotter. Since last Monday, the infielder has produced five multi-hit performances in six games. He’s scored or driven in a run in five of six, as well as recording an extra base hit in four of those contests. If reaching base at a torrid clip of one out of every two plate appearances isn’t enough, Metcalfe’s prowess at the plate has accounted for nine of the 26 runs Rochester has scored in the past seven days, or 34.6% of its total run production. 

Pitcher of the Week

T.J. Peterson – Cortland Crush

State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota

2 GS (2-0) | 12.1 IP | 8 H | 3 ER | 4 BB | 7 K

2.19 ERA | 0.97 WHIP | .182 BAA | OOBP .250

Peterson (State Col of Florida Manatee-Sarasota) was integral in pacing a red-hot Cortland Crush squad that has won eight of its last nine games with two victories of his own. The results have to be encouraging for the 6-5 lefty as his first two appearances of the season saw him come away with an 0-2 record and a 5.00 ERA. Over the course of the past week, Peterson’s ERA dropped to a more-than respectable 3.38 in the wake of two winning performances against the Smitties and the Junior Chiefs. Though the strikeouts and innings count may not leap off the page, no one can ask much more of a pitcher than allowing batters to reach base less than one an inning, and collecting hits in just over 18 percent of their trips to the plate. The latter stat has been consistent all year, even in starts that didn’t end with a W as Peterson hasn’t allowed more than five hits in any outing, keeping offenses feet firmly on the ground and bats neatly in the dugout. 

Player of the Week 

Shane Trevino - Syracuse Jr. Chiefs

IPFW

5 GP | 7-17 | 4 R | 3 RBI | 3 BB | 1 HBP | 1 2B

(Week) .412 AVG, .524 OBP

Trevino  picked up three multi-hit games this past week on his way to Player of the Week honors. His seven runs created helped the Junior Chiefs pick up two victories against Eastern Division opponents Sherrill and Oneonta. The Hudsonville, Michigan native has now reached base safely in all ten games he’s played this season and his season OBP sits at a stellar .467. 

Pitcher of the Week

Nathan Robinson, SP - Niagara Power

Cedarville

(Week) 2-0 | 1 CG | 1 SO | 14.0 IP | 7 H | 3 ER | 7 BB | 3 K

 1.93 ERA | 1.00 WHIP | .149 BAA | .259 OOBP

No one pitched more innings than Robinson in the past seven days, and no one was as steady. The Cedarville product made life difficult for opponents, including limiting the Hornell Dodgers, the owner of the league’s second-best team batting average, to just three runs in a victory. He corralled that momentum into allowing just two hits and two walks against the Nitros in a seven-inning complete game shutout on Saturday. The righty has allowed just three earned runs on the season across three starts, bringing his season ERA to a sterling 1.50.

Player of the Week

David "Bubba" Hollins - Olean Oilers

St. Petersburg College

8GP | 10-29 | 6 BB, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR| 4 R, 9 RBI

.345 AVG | .457 OBP | .586 SLG | 1.043 OPS | 4 PO | 24 A | .966 FLD%

Hollins has started his summer with a bang, quickly asserting himself as a force to be reckoned with in the batter’s box. The Orchard Park native’s slash line may be impressive, but it’s even more so when you consider the following: Hollins has recorded at least one hit in every game he’s played this season giving him a hit streak of eight games.  If that’s not enough you could also consider his fielding prowess. In those eight games he’s made just one error while combining to record 28 outs. Though he’s dabbled at first, Hollins mainly mans the hot corner as he’s played there in seven of his eight games.

Pitcher of the Week

Vincent Santarsiero - Genesee Rapids

Fontbonne University

2GP | (1-0) 17 IP | CG | SO | 2 R, 1 ER | 8 H | 2 BB | 9 K  

0.53 ERA | 0.59 WHIP | .148 OAVG | .238 OOBP | .179 OSLG 

In just one week, Santarsiero has distinguished himself as a workhorse to watch. The 6-7 righty is as tall as he is imposing on the mound as batters are hitting a pitiful .148 against him after 63 trots to the dish. The Fontbonne University product has been efficient needing only 198 pitches to cruise through 17 innings of two-run ball. That’s a rate of 11.6 pitches per frame and just 3.1 pitches per plate appearance.