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West Coast League

Post from the Coast: WCL on OSC

by Bruce Baskin
July 8, 2014 - West Coast League (WCL)


BELLS OFF TO HOT START, LEAD WCL WEST BY 5.5 GAMES

Heading into the Fourth of July weekend, the Bellingham Bells were as hot as the proverbial firecracker, reeling off eight consecutive wins through July 3 to bring their season record to 16-5 and upping their West Coast League West Division lead to 5.5 games over second-place Cowlitz.

Although Bellingham's Joe Martin Field and its' 380-foot center field wall isn't considered a "pitcher's park," the Bells have been winning with a mounds staff that leads the WCL with a 2.35 ERA (including a WHIP of 1.11). Bellingham hurlers have conspired to allow just 132 hits over 195 innings. In particular, reliever David Bigelow (Gonzaga) has been lights-out over 18.1 innings in 13 appearances with 20 strikeouts and 4 walks to accompany an ERA of 0.49.

In the WCL East, Yakima Valley is showing no sign of the "expansion blues" that often plague first-year teams even in summer college ball. The Pippins have won eight of their last ten games to bring their record to 14-8, good enough for a two-game lead with perennial power Wenatchee in second at 13-11. Yakima has struck a good balance between hitting and pitching by augmenting a WCL-best OBP of .400 with a team ERA of 2.59, second only to Bellingham.

Meanwhile in the WCL South, Corvallis is in their usual first place at 15-10, but Medford (12-9) and Bend (14-11) are breathing down their necks in a virtual tie for second one game back. Knights 1B Kevin Kline (Dixie State) had a huge week between June 9-15, cracking four homers with two grand slams and driving in 11 runs over six games. Kline is hitting .354 for the season with 5 roundtrippers and 23 ribbies in 23 contests. Medford was leading the South before losing four straight.

62 WCL PRODUCTS SELECTED IN JUNE MLB DRAFT

Further solidifying the West Coast League's claim as the top summer college circuit in the west, 62 current and former WCL players were snapped up in June's Major League Baseball amateur draft. There were 57 WCL products selected last year, 55 got picked in 2012 and another 45 went in 2011, showing a growing trend.

The first WCLer taken this year was ex-Kelowna infielder Connor Joe (San Diego), who went 39th overall to Pittsburgh. Joe was a WCL All-Star in 2011. Former Walla Walla P Matt Imhof (Cal Poly) was Philadelphia's second round selection while ex-Wenatchee 1B Taylor Sparks (UC Irvine) was a Cincinnati second-rounder. Corvallis P Jace Fry (Oregon State) went to the White Sox in the third round as 17 Knights alone were taken over 40 rounds. Fry did not pitch an inning for Corvallis before signing with Chicago and is currently pitching for the Chisox' Great Falls affiliate in the rookie Pioneer League.

HARBOURCATS STILL HOT TICKET IN VICTORIA

Any thoughts that the Victoria HarbourCats might be a one-year wonder in the WCL attendance derby are being quieted a month into their second season. The British Columbia city has a checkered reputation when it comes to supporting sports teams, so there was some surprise when the expansion HarbourCats led the WCL in 2013 with 43,003 fans for all league-related games at Royal Athletic Park, including a record crowd of 4,210 for the All-Star Game.

While that was good enough to earn GM Holly Jones "Executive of the Year" honors before she took a job in the Florida State League, there was skepticism whether new GM Jim Swanson could maintain the Cats' average attendance of 1,536 in Year Two, but there's been little drop-off.

Swanson has been very active in promoting the team in Victoria and his efforts have paid off thus far with 17,929 people clicking the turnstiles for an average of 1,494 per game, both topping the WCL a month into the 2014 campaign.

Another 2013 expansion success story under GM Chuck Heeman, the Medford Rogues, are second with an average of 1,402 per game, followed by Bend at 1,332 and Walla Walla at 1,292. In all, nine of the WCL's 12 teams are averaging over one thousand fans per opening for a total of 149,001 and a league-wide average of 1,120. Then there's perennial turnout tailender Kitsap, where just 461 souls per night are coming to the Fairgrounds in Bremerton.

AROUND THE HORN (WCL ROUNDUP)

BELLINGHAM BELLS (16-5, 1st West, 0 GB)

Bells RP Dan Ludwig (Belmont) is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA out of the bullpen while fellow RP David Bigelow (Gonazaga) has a win and two saves along with a microscopic 0.49 ERA. An oddity is that while no Bellingham starter has more than two of the team's 16 wins, four Bells hurlers are in the Top 7 for ERAs in the circuit. The Bellingham offense is paced by OF Danny Miller (Chico State), who's hitting .353 with 3 homers and 11 RBIs over 16 games. 1B/OF Scott Heath (Maine) is right behind at .346.

BEND ELKS (14-11, T-2nd South, 1 GB)

The Elks started slowly before winning 8 of 10 games to pull into a tie for second with Medford in the South. 1B Billy King (Oregon State) has been solid, sporting a .350 average including three 3-hit games between June 24 and 29. Newcomer 3B Brock Carpenter (Seattle) has hit .478 over his first six games. SP Austin Guzzon (Corban) is 3-1/2.03 in five outings while RP Kevin Sheets (Abilene Christian) has 5 saves, a 0.60 ERA and 20 Ks with 0 BBs in 15 IP over 8 appearances.

CORVALLIS KNIGHTS (15-10, 1st South, 0 GB)

The Knights swept a three-game home series with Medford June 30-July 2 to take the South lead. 1B Kevin Kline (Dixie State) leads the WCL with 5 HRs while batting .354, but OF Dalton Kelly (UCSB) and his .313 average is the only other Corvallis player hitting above .275. SP Jackson Lockwood (Portland) leads the league with 4 wins and has a solid 2.90 ERA. RP Brandon Choate (Washington) has a win and 4 saves out of the bullpen to go with his 1.58 ERA. The Knights are always a team to beat, but they don't have much breathing room this year.

COWLITZ BLACK BEARS (11-11, 2nd West, 5.5 GB)

The Black Bears won 4 times during a 6-game homestand at the end of June to take a solid hold on second in the West. SP Shane Bieber (UCSB) has yet to allow an earned run in three starts and 20 IP but only has a 1-0 record to show for it; fellow SP Billy Sahlinger (Portland) is 3-0 with a 2.07 ERA. At the plate, Cowlitz has much room for improvement with a .246 average and 5 homers in 22 contests. With a .318 average, part-time 1B/DH Daniel Orr (Corban) is the only Black Bear player hitting over .300.

KELOWNA FALCONS (7-17, 4th East, 8 GB)

After a promising 3-1 start, the wheels fell off the wagon for the Falcons as Kelowna has lost 16 of their last 20 games. OF Brandon Grimsley (Murray State JC) is hitting .340 but the team is batting .230 with three homers and nobody has reached double figures in RBIs. The pitching hasn't been much better. SP Jeremy Newton (UBC) leads the Falcons with a 3.09 ERA after 4 starts but Kelowna is giving up 5.89 runs per game. Falcons skipper Billy Clontz is a pretty good coach but he'll need to be a pretty good magician, too.

KITSAP BLUEJACKETS (8-12, 4th West, 7.5 GB)

Kitsap won their first four games and were 8-4 on June 23 before a stretch in which they lost eight straight (including back-to-back 19-2 and 17-3 drubbings at Victoria). The Bluejackets have a fair enough offense with a .269 team batting average and both pop and speed. OF Daniel Woodrow (Creighton) is hitting .367 and has 9 steals in 20 games while IF Austin Bush (UCSB) has a .321 average with 2 HRs and 16 RBIs. The problem? How about a team ERA of 6.51? SP Josh Moss (St. Martin's) is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA, but there aren't enough arms like his on hand.

KLAMATH FALLS GEMS (7-14, 4th South, 6 GB)

Another team trying to find its way, the Gems lost 6 of their first 7 games and are still struggling. Klamath Falls will host the WCL All-Star Game this month, but who'll represent them? Maybe 1B Connor Counce (Murray State JC). who's hitting .333 with 2 HRs and 12 RBIs and is the only Gem who's played more than 9 games and hitting over .271. Slim All-Star pickings on a pitching staff with a 6.53 ERA. Kody Kuhlman (Feather River CC) is 2-2 and 2.82, but that's about it. Attendance is down almost 35 percent, too. It's been a tough season in K-Falls so far.

MEDFORD ROGUES (12-9, T-2nd South, 1 GB)

The Rogues won 10 of 11 games at one point and brought a South-leading 12-6 record into Corvallis for a series. Three losses later, Medford is tied with Bend for second in the division. C Tanner Lubach (Nebraska) and IF Nathan Etheridge (Western Oregon) are both hitting .350 while 1B Victor Garcia (TX-Pan American) is batting .340 with 5 HRs and 19 RBIs. The pitching's been good, too, with SP Brandon Erickson (Feather River CC) at 2-1 with a 2.84 ERA in WCL games. The sweep at Corvallis hurt, but this is still a team to keep an eye on.

VICTORIA HARBOUR CATS (9-12, 3rd West, 7 GB)

The Cats lost 12 of their first 17 games and went through a lot of players before reeling off four straight wins at the end of June. Victoria has a decent everyday lineup, with OF Hunter Mercado-Hood (San Diego) the most consistent hitter at .338 with a WCL-best 24 RBIs over 18 games. 2B Griffin Andreychuk (Seattle), from up the road in Nanaimo, is chipping in with a .324 average. P/IF Sean Watckins (UC-Riverside) is an early Clint Hartung Award candidate, hitting .463, playing errorless ball in the field and turning in a 1.80 ERA in 5 IP in relief.

WALLA WALLA SWEETS (8-14, 3rd East, 6 GB)

The Sweets have been hit-and-miss this year or, to be more accurate, hit-and-get-hit. Walla Walla is fair to middling at the plate with a team BA of .259. OF Andrew Mendenhall (Lewis-Clark State) is batting a team-best .326 and IF Jordan Frabasilio (Pittsburgh) has hit .288 with 2 HRs and 19 RBIs (he's struggled in the field, with 7 errors in 21 games). The Sweets have had their problems when the other team is batting. Walla Walla has a team ERA of 6.15. SP Conner O'Neil (Central Arizona) has won 3 games but none of the pitchers have distinguished themselves.

WENATCHEE APPLESOX (13-11, 2nd East, 2 GB)

Like Corvallis, the AppleSox are a perennial league power (the two teams have won eight of nine WCL pennants), but Wenatchee has shown vulnerability this year, getting swept at home by Bellingham in a three-game series in early July. Don't feel sorry for them just yet, though. The Sox have the WCL's leading hitter in IF Caleb Wood (Gonzaga), whose .402 average tops a lineup batting .275. The pitching's decent, too, with former Klamath Falls SP Ian Buckles (George Fox) and his 3-1 record and 1.03 ERA leading a staff with a 3.89 team ERA.

YAKIMA VALLEY PIPPINS (14-8, 1st East, 0 GB)

The biggest early success story in 2014 has to be the Pippins, the WCL East-leading expansionists under first-year coach Marcus McKimmy. Starting from scratch last winter, Yakima has built a team with three starters hitting over .300: C Jake Roberts (Cisco JC), OF Vince Fernandez (UC Riverside) and OF Reid Martinez (Western Missouri). The Pippins' 2.64 team ERA is near the top of the league, thanks to SP Eli Morgan (Gonzaga), whose 4-0 record and 2.76 ERA leads a deep staff. Yakima is drawing over 1,000 a game, too. So far, so good.

CAUGHT ON THE HOP

Victoria head coach Bob Miller began serving a four-game suspension in early July following a fifth-inning blowup with an umpire during a June 29 game against the Cowlitz Black Bears in Longview. The suspension was handed down by WCL president Dennis Koho...speaking of the HarbourCats, versatile Sean Watkins had a game to remember against Kitsap at Royal Athletic Park one day later. Watkins started out as Victoria's DH before moving to the mound in the seventh inning, hitting a towering go-ahead homer in the eighth and closed out the win in the ninth to cap a relief performance in which he struck out 6 of the 10 batters he faced...The first no-hitter of the season was recorded July 3 in Medford, although several Ford Friskesque asterisks are in order: It was a non-league game against a team called the Northwest Star Academy (who did not aid themselves in the field by committing eight errors), seven Rogues pitchers held the Stars hitless in the 17-4 win while also issuing 11 walks and hitting 5 batters, and it was a 5-4 game before Medford put it away with 12 runs over the final two innings. At least the postgame fireworks were pretty to watch...Two former Wenatchee pitchers made their MLB debuts in June. Pitcher Blaine Hardy, who pitched for the AppleSox in 2006 and also toiled for Bend, appeared for Detroit against Kansas City on June 16. Ten days later, 2010 WCL All-Star Marco Gonzalez took the mound for St. Louis in Colorado. Hardy and Gonzalez are the sixth and seventh ex-Sox, respectively, to reach The Show...The WCL All-Star Game is scheduled for July 21 at venerable Kiger Stadium in Klamath Falls, one of America's remaining wooden ballparks. All tickets are $12 each at the 2,878-seat facility. Kiger opened in 1948 for the original Gems, who were a Class D Far West League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies for four seasons.

WCL ROAD TRIP: Victoria, British Columbia

The first stop on our twelve-city West Coast League Road Trip is Victoria, capital city of British Columbia and home of the WCL's HarbourCats.

Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island on Canada's Pacific Coast, 21.6 miles north of the Port Angeles, Washington across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, east of the Pacific Ocean. About 80,000 people live within the Victoria city limits but the metropolitan population exceeds 340,000, making it the 15th most populous urban area in Canada and the largest market among the 12 WCL cities. The city sits in a mild climate with about 24 inches of rain a year and high temperatures ranging from the mid 40's in winter to upper 60's in the summer.

What is now Victoria was originally inhabited by Coast Salish tribes until the advent of European explorers and traders in the late 1700s. It became a trading post for the Hudson's Bay Company in the mid-19th Century and was named Fort Victoria at that time after the reigning queen of England. When gold was discovered on the B.C. mainland in 1858, Victoria swelled from a population of 300 to over 5,000 within days and when the island was politically merged with the mainland eight years later, Victoria was named capital and remained in that position when the entire province was made part of the Canadian Confederation in 1871. The city gradually developed into perhaps the most genteel city in Western Canada, a reputation that remains today.

Victoria has developed into one of Canada's most popular tourist destinations, yet is much more laid-back than places similarly dependent upon bringing in visitors. The Provincial Parliament building is one of the city's landmarks, as is the long-standing Empress Hotel. Both are adjacent to the Inner Harbour, where entering the city via boat is a breathtaking experience. The city lies south of the world famous Butchart Gardens while Beacon Hill Park within the city limits has many floral displays of its own (as well as one of the region's finest cricket facilities.

Royal Athletic Park, home of the HarbourCats, opened in the early 1900's and was rebuilt in 1967. It's a multipurpose stadium that hosts soccer, rugby, lacrosse, football and softball as well as baseball and has hosted a number of soccer World Cup and Olympic qualifying matches and exhibitions with touring English sides. Royal Athletic Park has 3,800 permanent seats, but can reportedly hold more than 9,000 when the need arises. It has a unique main grandstand with seating starting at third base, wrapping around home plate and extending well past foul territory in right field with a covered portion beyond the baseball configuration to protect fans watching football and soccer.

The HarbourCats are the latest team to try making a go of it at Royal Athletic Park, dating back to 1946 and the Victoria Athletics. The Cats finished second in the WCL for regular season attendance and per-game average in 2013 with 38,793 and 1,536, respectively. Victoria also broke the WCL record for single game attendance when 4,210 attended the 2013 All-Star Game.

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West Coast League Stories from July 8, 2014


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