Vols in Summer Leagues Across Continent

#652
#652
A look at the numbers - The Trevors

Trevor Charpie

Charpie finished up his first season at UT with a 3-4 record and an ERA of 6.87. Charpie had moments where he looked great and then there would be times where he didn't seem to have it together. Inconsistent would be a fair word for his season.

Charpie is playing for the Bethesda Big Train in the Cal Ripken League. Until his last outing, he's been used exclusively as a closer. He got off to a great start. From June 8th to June 11th he picked up 3 of his 4 saves and had an ERA of .000!

Since then he's had some good games and some bad games. In all, he's played in 10 games, pitching 12.1 innings. In 6 of those 10 games he had no earned runs. He's given up more than 1 hit, only 3 times. 3 of his last 4 games have been his worst work. But sandwiched in there is an inning of shut out work.

He's gone from .000 ERA to 2.46 to 1.59 to 3.68 to 5.40 to 4.82 and is currently 5.84. On the two occasions he went more than an inning, he hasn't fared well. As with the UT season, I think it's fair to say his summer season has been inconsistent as well.


Trevor Bettencourt

Trevor played in 20 games for the Volunteers, getting 3 starts. His ERA was 6.49.

His numbers for UT: 34.2 IP, 44 H, 26 R, 25 ER, 2 HR, 18 BB, 24 SO, 2W-3L, 3 SV

His numbers for MM: 45.2 IP, 38 H, 19 R, 15 ER, 1 HR, 21 BB, 39 SO, 3W-2L.

His IP and SO were team highs. In fact his 39 K's were the second most in the ABL.

He had 2 bad starts out of 8. He finished with a very respectable 2.95 ERA.

He still needs to get the walks down but overall I think he improved. His worst outing was on July 5th and I was worried about his confidence, because he'd been great up to that point. He followed that game with 7.2 innings of shut out work, allowing 5 H, 0 W and 12 K!

Both Trevors have some upside, though I think Charpie is better in a limited role. Bettencourt proved that he can handle the load, can he further improve is the question.

GBO!
 
#653
#653
Charpie got another 3 innings of work today.

3 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 SO...lowers ERA from 5.84 to 4.69
 
#655
#655
A look at the numbers - Surprise, Surprise, Surprise

Andrew Lee

A three sport star coming out of Morristown West High School, he was listed as a pitcher. Due to injury, he didn't pitch at all during his freshman season. However, he played in 25 games, getting 18 starts. His numbers were:

75 AB, 11 R, 14 H, 3 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 6 BB, 17 SO, .187 BA, OBP .274, SLG .267, OPS .541, FP 1.000

His numbers this summer are much better:

124 AB, 15 R, 31 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 21 RBI, 17 BB, 27 SO, .250 BA, OBP .343, SLG .331, OPS .673

That's quite a bit of improvement and he certainly made the most of his summer experience, his 41 starts was second most on the team.

The surprise is that Lee started pitching, his stats so far follow:

14.67 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 16 SO, 3.07 ERA, 0-1 w/l.

That's not a lot of work to judge and I'm sure he's been on a pitch count. Still, it's good news and I really was surprised because it happened late in the summer season. He looked good in his last outing and his family made the trip to the west coast to see it.


Drake Owenby

Owenby had some bright moments, he had an injury, he got in the dog house, all in his first season with the Vols.

He played in 16 games, getting 1 start. His numbers from last season:

27.1 IP, 20 H, 17 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 22 BB, 20 SO, 2W-1L, 2 SV, .204 BAA, 5.60 ERA

His .204 BAA was the best on the team, only Eric Martin .228 and Godley .242 were even close.

Maybe that should have been a hint as to what would transpire this summer:

25.33 IP, 17 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 49 SO, 1W-1L, 8 SV, .181 BAA, 1.07 ERA

Is it just me or is that BOOM! worthy?

He is first in the CCL in Saves with 8

He is tied for second in the CCL with 19 Appearances

He is 4th in the CCL with 49 K's.

I mean, a lot of you guys know more than I, did you all see this coming? I didn't, nope.

If he can bottle this up and bring it home, whatever it is...


Dalton Saberhagen - Man of Mystery

Dalton Saberhagen Bio - UTSPORTS.COM - University of Tennessee Athletics

I don't know. I've asked this question numerous times. What is up with Saberhagen and CDS? In CDS' first season Saberhagen's numbers were decent, best his ERA has been in 3 years at UT. Last year he barely played. In what I saw and interpreted as a slap in the face, Shagen's only start was the last game of the season, versus A&M, and there was nothing to play for by then. Of course, Dalton goes out and gives up 2HR's and 5 ER's in 3.1 IP. Anyway...it was just something I wondered about as the season went on.

Well look at what Saberhagen has done this summer:

11 G, 57 IP, 61 H, 24 R, 17 ER, 3 HR, 12 BB, 33 K, 7W-OL, 2.68 ERA

His 7 wins is good for best in the league.

His IP is a team and league high.

His ERA is best on the team.

He's done all of this as a starter too.

In fact, if you go back and look at his previous summer work, he's never been used this way and has certainly never gotten these kind of results.

It is precisely because of his lengthy track record that, to me, Dalton Saberhagen is the biggest Surprise, Surprise, Surprise of the summer.


I think I've covered everyone now, I'll try to keep up with the guys still playing, give an update here and there. I'll also write up a summary of what it was like to cover summer ball too. Football begins for me now, so I'm trying to get done with this baseball stuff. :p


GBO!
 
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#658
#658
VJax is currently batting .238

Esparza has an ERA of 4.38

Christen Stewart was named player of the year in the ABL!

Anchorage — Mat-Su Miners outfielder Christin Stewart, who raked pitchers with a combination of power and batting average, and Anchorage Bucs towering right-hander Garrett Mundell, who barely permitted hitters a sniff, captured the Alaska Baseball League's two biggest honors Friday.

Stewart, who plays in college at Tennessee, was voted Player of the Year. He hit .336 in 35 games, scored 26 runs, drove in 31, and laced 14 doubles, two triples and five home runs.
Click to expand...

Simcox won the Silver Slugger award and he and Stew were both elected to the ABL 1st Team.

Bettencourt was elected a starting pitcher for the ABL 2nd Team.

The SLO Blues play tomorrow at 2 PM in the NBC World Series.

Read more here: Anchorage: Mat-Su outfielder Stewart and Bucs right-hander Mundell lead the annual All-ABL Team | Alaska Baseball League | ADN.com
 
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#659
#659
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#661
#661
#662
#662
Rich, I have to agree with you. Not having Andrew Lee and Vince Jackson both healthy on the mound last season really hurt. Both would have pitched alot of quality innings I think.
 
#663
#663
Rosinbag said:
Rich, I have to agree with you. Not having Andrew Lee and Vince Jackson both healthy on the mound last season really hurt. Both would have pitched alot of quality innings I think.
Click to expand...

I forgot about Jackson being a really good pitcher in HS. There should be pretty good competition for innings this coming season. I'm not sure if we'll be quite where we need to be in the starting rotation but we should be pretty strong in the pen. JMO

Edit: Owenby has been dominant....nothing short of it. His numbers from last year were good, we just couldn't keep him on the field. Would be nice if he had the stamina to start, and I don't know....he may end up doing so. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with having a shut down closer. I'm talking when they walk out there you know your finished. He has the chance to be that guy.
 
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#664
#664
The SLO Blues' season is over, they were eliminated yesterday. Owenby pitched 1.1 innings giving up a hit, a walk, no runs and 1 K. Lee went 0-4, Maddox was 1-5.

Esparza pitched a complete game for the first time this summer last night and picked up the win for the Green Bay Bullfrogs.

9 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO, ERA 4.34

His summer so far: 72.2 IP, 60 SO, 17 BB, 62 H

Esparza's IP and SO are team bests. His SO's are 5th best in the League.
 
#665
#665
Last night marks the end of Summer Ball for the Vols. Vjax and Esparza were the only Vols playing going into the weekend. Neither of their teams made the playoffs in the Northwoods League.

I've already written a bit on each player so I'll simply sum it up here.

We have a good nucleus for the upcoming season. Simcox, Stewart, VJax, Lee, Owenby, Moberg, Bettencourt, Esparza and Charpie will be sophomores. These guys all made improvement this summer and it will be exciting to see if that progress carries over to SEC play.

Maddox had a wild summer, starting in the Cape, then to Team USA and finally with the SLO Blues. He leads the class of rising juniors. Parker Wormsley and Eric Martin each had productive summers too, while Robbie Kidd's (injury) and Jason Manis' summers were a bit of a disappointment.

The senior class is small. Both Scott Price and Taylor Smart were new JUCO players last year, joining Nick Williams, Dalton Saberhagen and Pierce Bily. Of these guys, Saberhagen had the best summer, Williams didn't play summer ball, Smart drew the toughest assignment. Bily played on a good team, hopefully he gained some experience. Given that Price was the best hitter on the team in terms of average, his summer was a head scratcher.

The big question mark is pitching. While a few guys showed improvement, there are still plenty of questions. How much can Andrew Lee help if he's fully recovered and suffers no set backs. Robbie Kidd? What to make of Saberhagen after his outstanding summer? Andy Cox? Quillen? Can Bettencourt or Esparza be a Friday night starter? You get the idea.

I think it's fair to say we know a bit about Nick Williams and Owenby was tremendous over the summer, but the rest is up in the air. Where will Kyle Serrano and the new pitchers stack up? Should be interesting, and probably painful too.

I learned quite a bit about summer ball. Following the players around, I met quite a few nice folks who were eager to share information. The one thing that stands out to me the most is the sacrifice. The player's, most of them anyway, sacrifice their summers. Their parents sacrifice money first and foremost. Many don't get to see their sons over the summer, at all. I met the mother of a UK player while following the Matsu-Miners. Talk about thankful! The Miners are the only team in Alaska streaming the games on-line, but when they first started it was ugly. That was the only way for her to see her son this summer. The host families sacrifice as well. They take in these players from all over the country, give them a room for the summer and home cooked meals. Most of the folks running these teams are volunteers and/or interns too. Many of the coaches don't live anywhere near the leagues that they coach, so their wives and families are making the same sacrifice as the players and their parents.

All these folks, from the parents to the players, from the college coaches to the summer managers, all understand the opportunity. The opportunity to be seen by MLB scouts. MLB is the big winner here, no doubt about it. Sites like Perfect Game also benefit. Local communities also reap the rewards. Obviously, the college coaches and teams benefit from the extra innings of work.

I really enjoyed watching the guys play and I learned to appreciate the sacrifice. But...and I hesitate to bring it up...why should a player and his family have to pay for the travel? Why in the world do they have to buy their own bats? Shouldn't they get a per diem for food, laundry, transportation etc..? I know the NCAA rules don't allow for it, so let's not go there...It's the dark side so easily seen in football, but it's there in other college sports too.

I'm very excited about this group of players and their chances of making it to Hoover next year. Brick by brick, step by step, right?

GBO!
 
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#666
#666
vol66 said:
Last night marks the end of Summer Ball for the Vols. Vjax and Esparza were the only Vols playing going into the weekend. Neither of their teams made the playoffs in the Northwoods League.

I've already written a bit on each player so I'll simply sum it up here.

We have a good nucleus for the upcoming season. Simcox, Stewart, VJax, Lee, Owenby, Moberg, Bettencourt, Esparza and Charpie will be sophomores. These guys all made improvement this summer and it will be exciting to see if that progress carries over to SEC play.

Maddox had a wild summer, starting in the Cape, then to Team USA and finally with the SLO Blues. He leads the class of rising juniors. Parker Wormsley and Eric Martin each had productive summers too, while Robbie Kidd's (injury) and Jason Manis' summers were a bit of a disappointment.

The senior class is small. Both Scott Price and Taylor Smart were new JUCO players last year, joining Nick Williams, Dalton Saberhagen and Pierce Bily. Of these guys, Saberhagen had the best summer, Williams didn't play summer ball, Smart drew the toughest assignment. Bily played on a good team, hopefully he gained some experience. Given that Price was the best hitter on the team in terms of average, his summer was a head scratcher.

The big question mark is pitching. While a few guys showed improvement, there are still plenty of questions. How much can Andrew Lee help if he's fully recovered and suffers no set backs. Robbie Kidd? What to make of Saberhagen after his outstanding summer? Andy Cox? Quillen? Can Bettencourt or Esparza be a Friday night starter? You get the idea.

I think it's fair to say we know a bit about Nick Williams and Owenby was tremendous over the summer, but the rest is up in the air. Where will Kyle Serrano and the new pitchers stack up? Should be interesting, and probably painful too.

I learned quite a bit about summer ball. Following the players around, I met quite a few nice folks who were eager to share information. The one thing that stands out to me the most is the sacrifice. The player's, most of them anyway, sacrifice their summers. Their parents sacrifice money first and foremost. Many don't get to see their sons over the summer, at all. I met the mother of a UK player while following the Matsu-Miners. Talk about thankful! The Miners are the only team in Alaska streaming the games on-line, but when they first started it was ugly. That was the only way for her to see her son this summer. The host families sacrifice as well. They take in these players from all over the country, give them a room for the summer and home cooked meals. Most of the folks running these teams are volunteers and/or interns too. Many of the coaches don't live anywhere near the leagues that they coach, so their wives and families are making the same sacrifice as the players and their parents.

All these folks, from the parents to the players, from the college coaches to the summer managers, all understand the opportunity. The opportunity to be seen by MLB scouts. MLB is the big winner here, no doubt about it. Sites like Perfect Game also benefit. Local communities also reap the rewards. Obviously, the college coaches and teams benefit from the extra innings of work.

I really enjoyed watching the guys play and I learned to appreciate the sacrifice. But...and I hesitate to bring it up...why should a player and his family have to pay for the travel? Why in the world do they have to buy their own bats? Shouldn't they get a per diem for food, laundry, transportation etc..? I know the NCAA rules don't allow for it, so let's not go there...It's the dark side so easily seen in football, but it's there in other college sports too.

I'm very excited about this group of players and their chances of making it to Hoover next year. Brick by brick, step by step, right?

GBO!
Click to expand...

Darn fine post. Really interesting points you touch on. Again, thanks for the work. If not for you I wouldn't have known any of this.
 
#667
#667
Great work 66 this summer. Very excited About where the offensive side of things are headed! Now let's hope some arms surprise me!
 
#671
#671
Great for Drake Owenby who it looks like had a great summer. I saw where A.J. Simcox and Christen Stewert also made the All-America Summer Collegiate Team as well. Great honor for a program to have three players named first team. If the Vols can pitch it this spring I think they can make some noise.
 
#672
#672
Congrats, to those 3. Now the team has this fall and winter to progress further. Hoping to make the trip to Hoover this year
 
#674
#674
2. A.J. SIMCOX, Mat-Su/Alaska (Tennessee/2015)
League bat champ (.356-1-20); has all tools to be 2015 first-rounder, just needs power to develop, become consistent in field

CHRISTIN STEWART, Mat-Su/Alaska (Tennessee/2015)
Offensive-oriented player had breakout summer; led Alaska League in homers (5), RBIs (31), was second in batting (.336)

DRAKE OWENBY, San Luis Obispo/California Collegiate (Tennessee/2015)
Dominant in closer role for Blues with 90-95 mph FB, hammer curve; went 1-1, 1.01 with league-best 8 SV, 50 K’s in 26 IP

Summer Coll. All-America Team | Perfect Game USA
 
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