NEWS

Twenty New England Collegiate Baseball League alumni, representing 15 different teams and all six Major League divisions, made 2017 MLB Opening Day rosters.

Three of the 20 will break with the Oakland Athletics- P Andrew Triggs (2008-09 New Bedford), who debuted last year, OF Rajai Davis (2001 Middletown) and OF Matt Joyce (2004 Danbury).  Davis’ 43 steals led the American League in 2016 while Joyce had a career high .866 OPS last season.

Oakland’s division rival Texas has the feel good story of Opening Day.  P Mike Hauschild (2010 Danbury), the 999th pick of the 2012 MLB Draft, made the Rangers’ roster after being a Rule 5 selection.  Los Angeles Angel P Andrew Bailey (2004 Mill City) and Seattle Mariner P Evan Scribner (2005 North Adams) round out New England League graduates in the A.L. West.  Bailey had a 2.38 ERA for the Halos last season while Scribner starts his seventh MLB campaign.

Other American League alumni include Baltimore Oriole DH Trey Mancini (2011 Holyoke), P Dan Otero (2005 Newport) of the defending A.L. champion Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twin and Team Israel P Craig Breslow (1999 Middletown) and Toronto Blue Jay P Joe Smith (2004 North Adams).

Mancini debuted last September 20th while Breslow and Smith will enter their respective 12th and 11th Major League season.  Otero had a 1.53 ERA in 62 games for the 2016 Tribe.

There are no shortage of New England League graduates in the Senior Circuit with Washington National P Stephen Strasburg (2007 Torrington) likely being the most famous.  Strasburg and Cincinnati Red Opening Day OF Adam Duvall (2009 Sanford) both made the 2016 National League All-Star team.

Forty percent of the Miami Marlin starting pitcher roster are Keene Swamp Bat alumni- Adam Conley (2009) and Tom Koehler (2005).  The two combined for 17 wins last season.  There are a pair of NECBL graduates on the St. Louis Cardinals- infielders Greg Garcia (2009 Newport) and Matt Adams (2008 Pittsfield.)  The Arizona Diamondbacks also boost a pair of NECBL alums in New England natives C Chris Iannetta (2003 Newport) and OF A.J. Pollock (2007 Vermont)

Garcia will look to build on his break out 2016 in which he set career highs in just about everything; teammate Adams had his third season of 15 or more home runs in ’16.  Iannetta will start his 12th MLB season while Pollock will try and build on an outstanding 2015 after an injury shortened ’16.

Two National League West pitchers- the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Alex Wood (2010 Keene) and the Colorado Rockies’ Adam Ottavino (2004 Danbury) round out the Major Leaguers.  Ottavino posted a 2.67 ERA and seven saves in 2016 while Wood had a 3.99 ERA during his 10 2016 starts.

Fifty-seven New England League alumni played in Major League Baseball last year and 131 will have played in the Majors once Hauschild throws a pitch.

The NECBL congratulates all of these alumni and wishes them nothing but health and success in 2017.