NEWS

By Don Leypoldt

January 15, 2013- MiLB.com, the official website of Minor League Baseball, recently honored 13 NECBL alumni as part of its Organizational All-Stars.

The selections “honored the players- regardless of age or prospect status- who had the best seasons in their organization,” the site announced.  11 farmhands were given an All-Star nod while two more received Honorable Mention status.

Players are listed by their organization’s alphabetical order.

Arizona- A.J. Pollock (AAA Reno/MLB Arizona), OF- Pollock hit .318 and stole 21 bases for Reno.  Both marks were among Pacific Coast League leaders.  Pollock also fared well in his stint with Arizona, hitting .247 in 81 at-bats.  A 2007 Vermont Mountaineer, Pollock hit .348, slugged .481 and had an NECBL-best 15 doubles.

Atlanta- Sean Gilmartin (AA Mississippi/AAA Gwinnett), LHP- A first rounder from Florida State, Gilmartin earned All-Star honors in the Double-A Southern League.  He walked just 29 in 119.1 Mississippi innings.  A 2009 North Shore Navigator, GIlmartin appeared in 11 games as a position player.

Boston- Ryan Lavarnway (AAA Pawtucket/MLB Boston), catcher- Lavarnway’s .815 OPS earned him a spot on the International League All-Star team; he also earned raves from Red Sox on his improved defense.  Promoted to the Big Club in mid-season, Lavarnway logged 153 at-bats with the Red Sox.  A 2007 Manchester Silkworm (now Laconia Muskrats), Lavarnway hit .313, had a .462 OBP and bopped 11 doubles.

Chicago White Sox- Cyle Hankerd (High-A Winston-Salem), DH-Pictured Above- Hankerd appeared in just 83 games for the White Sox organization- he started the season in Independent Ball- but still hit 20 homers and drove in 65 runs.  A 2005 Newport Gull, Hankerd won the NECBL’s MVP and missed the League’s Triple Crown by just three RBI.

Colorado- Matt McBride (AAA Colorado Springs/MLB Colorado), Honorable Mention OF- McBride’s .344 average and 87 RBI both ranked in the top four of the Pacific Coast League.  It earned him a late season promotion to the Rockies, where he made his Big League debut.  The 2004 Holyoke Giant, who played catcher, gunned down 41% of would be NECBL base thieves while making just one error all summer.

Detroit, Adam Wilk (AAA Toledo/MLB Detroit), LHP- Wilk appeared in 24 games for Toledo, posting a 2.77 ERA and leading all Tiger minor leaguers in strikeouts.  He was promoted to the Big Club in early spring and made three starts for them.  As a 2007 Newport Gull, Wilk led the NECBL with a 1.12 ERA.

Miami, Adam Conley (Class A Greensboro/High A Jupiter), LHP- Conley finished the year, split between two levels, with an 11-5 record, a 3.47 ERA and 135 strikeouts, averaging over one per inning.  His ERA and punchouts ranked in the Miami farm’s top six.  As a 2009 Keene Swamp Bat, Conley was voted the NECBL’s Top Prospect.  He had a 0.00 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 34.1 innings.

Pittsburgh, Dan Gamache (Class A West Virginia), 2B- Nearly 90 NECBL players have made the Majors but Gamache could be the first host kid to do so.  The Newport native and former Gull host “brother” hit .285 and set a team record with 40 doubles.  As a 2010 Gull, Gamache hit .283 and made just four errors.

San Diego, Maxx Tissenbaum (Short Season Eugene), Honorable Mention 2B- The switch-hitting Toronto native hit .296 and had an OBP of .403, fresh off of his College World Series run with Stony Brook.  As a 2010 Lowell All-American, Tissenbaum hit .246 with 12 RBI.

Seattle, Dario Pizzano (Short Season Pulaski/Class A Everett), OF- Like Tissenbaum, Columbia product Pizzano is another 2012 draft pick who had instant success.  Pizzano, a Saugus MA native, hit a league-leading .356 while slamming 15 doubles in 53 games.  Playing for the North Shore Navigators in 2010 and 2011, Pizzano hit .365 and struck out just 13 times in 38 games during his second summer.

St. Louis, Matt Adams (AAA Memphis/MLB St. Louis), 1B- The lefty, who never slugged below .541 in his four Minor League seasons, had 40 extra base hits in 67 games for Memphis, and eight in 27 games with St. Louis.  A 2008 Pittsfield Duke (now Mystic Schooners), Adams won the NECBL MVP and ranked in the top four in average, homers, RBI and doubles.

St. Louis, Greg Garcia (AA Springfield), SS- Garcia racked up a .408 on base percentage, the third best in the Texas League.  He also earned praise for his defense, after making the switch to short from second.  All the more impressive considering Garcia just turned 23 in August.  As a 2009 Newport Gull, Garcia hit seven doubles, walked more than he struck out and fielded at a .966 clip.

Texas, Mike Olt (AA Frisco/MLB Texas), 3B- Olt’s 28 homers led the Texas League by three…and he needed just 95 games to hit.  The UConn alum hit .288, represented the United States in the Futures Game, and made his Major League Debut.  As a 2008 Danbury Westerner, Olt won the NECBL Home Run Derby and mashed 15 extra base hits.