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West Coast League

Post From the Coast: The WCL on OSC

by Bruce Baskin
August 6, 2014 - West Coast League (WCL)


STRETCH BATTLE FOR PLAYOFF BERTHS DEVELOPING

With the 2014 playoffs just around the corner, attention is focused on which four West Coast League teams will survive into the postseason. Bellingham's runaway leaders of the WCL's Western Division will reach the Final Four, but the other three slots are still very much in doubt heading into August. The Bells have been the class of the league thus far in posting a 32-13 record through July to pull 11.5 games ahead of their three WCL West counterparts but the scenario is less settled in the other two divisions.

In the WCL East, expansion Yakima Valley (28-18) has been able to maintain some space ahead of second-place Wenatchee (25-21) while defending champion Corvallis (30-16) had a four-game bulge over Bend (26-20) in the WCL South through August 1. Five games separate the four teams in their battle for three playoff slots as this year's postseason includes the three division champions and one wild-card team.

One critical season-ending series will occur when Yakima Valley visits Wenatchee on August 8-10. Another set on the same dates is Wenatchee at Yakima Valley. Bend closes at home against hapless Klamath Falls while Corvallis finishes in Medford. The playoffs will open two days later.

WCL ALL-STAR GAME RAINED OUT, CLARK WINS HR DERBY

For the first time ever, the WCL All-Star Game has been rained out. It was cooler than usual on July 21 in Klamath Falls as a local thunderstorm broke out shortly before 6PM and after two rain delays, WCL president Dennis Koho conferred with other officials and decided to call the game off because of field conditions. Koho told the local Herald and News paper, "Even with sunshine, it would have taken an hour to two for the field to dry out." Players from both All-Star teams went into the stands to meet fans and sign autographs. The rainout was the first in the Gems' four-year team history, disappointing what the paper described as "the largest crowd of the season to flock to Kiger Stadium."

The league was able to get in its annual pregame Home Run Derby. Victoria's Gabe Clark, who'd hit three homers against the Gems in Canada three nights before, edged Cowlitz' Corey Van Domelen in the final round. Clark is tied with Walla Walla's Andrew Mendenhall for the WCL lead with eight homers.

There was also a special pre-Derby combine in which players hit, ran and threw for professional scouts in attendance so it wasn't a total washout. So to speak.

EX-KNIGHTS MAKE BIG LEAGUE DEBUTS, 23 EX-WCLERS IN MLB THIS YEAR

Two former Corvallis Knights have made their Major League Baseball debuts in recent weeks, bringing the number of WCL products to play in the Bigs this summer to 23.

Catcher Andrew Susac, who played for Corvallis in 2009, stepped up to the plate against the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw on July 26 in his first appearance for the San Francisco Giants. Susac, an Oregon State alum, hit .268 with 10 homers for AAA Fresno before his callup. He was a second-round draft pick for the Giants in 2011.

Another ex-Knight, infielder Matt Duffy, joined Susac with the Giants in New York on August 1, when he started at second base and batted second against the Mets. Duffy stroked an RBI single in the seventh inning. A 2012 18th rounder from Long Beach State, Duffy was brought up from the Giants' AA affiliate in Richmond, where he'd been hitting .332.

Among the other one-time WCLers currently performing in the majors are Baltimore first baseman Chris Davis, Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, Oakland pitcher Jason Hammel and Minnesota pitcher Tommy Milone (recently dealt by the A's at the trade deadline).

In all, 210 former WCL players have played in organized baseball this year.

AROUND THE HORN (WCL Roundup)

BELLINGHAM BELLS (32-13, 1st West, 0 GB)

The Bells have clinched the WCL West title after a July that saw a nine-game win streak to begin the month. Bellingham went 19-7 in July to pull further from the pack. OF Danny Miller (Chico St) continues to rake, batting .333 with 5 homers and going 5-for-6 against Medford on July 28. The Bells are 10th in the WCL with a .258 team average, making their league-leading 2.77 ERA that much more important. RHP Aaron Sandefur (Bellevue CC) is 5-2 with a WCL-low 1.83 ERA. There were two 3,000+ crowds during their final homestand as 35,926 fans attended 27 games.

BEND ELKS (26-20, 2nd South, 4 GB)

Bend was having a so-so year until a mid-month seven-game winning skein (the first five on the road) kept them within sight of Corvallis in the WCL South. 3B Brock Carpenter (Seattle) is having an excellent year, hitting .327 with 26 ribbies in 27 games, and 1B Billy King (Oregon St) is batting .310. The Elks list no transactions on the WCL website, but four other .300 hitters (led by Creighton IF Nick Lopez' .345) are listed as no longer on the team. RHP Kevin Sheets (Abilene Christian) has 8 saves and a 1.00 ERA in 16 appearances as Bend went 14-7 in July.

CORVALLIS KNIGHTS (30-16, 1st South, 0 GB)

Corvallis won 17 of 22 July games, never losing more than one game in a row and putting together three-game win streaks after a loss three times. The team has power: 1B Kevin Kline (Dixie St) and OFs Dalton Kelly (UCSB) and Joseph Duffin (Cypress CC) combined for 17 homers through July. Kelly is batting a team-high .339 while Kline leads the WCL with 8 HRs and 43 RBIs. RHP Jackson Lockwood (Portland) tops the circuit with 8 wins and has a 2.54 ERA. The Knights host Bend in a big series at Goss Stadium August 5-7.

COWLITZ BLACK BEARS (21-25, T-2nd West, 11.5 GB)

The Black Bears have put in some overtime lately with seven games going 7-plus innings between June 29 and August 2. Cowlitz opened July amid six-game losing skid and ended 10-13 for the month. RHP Billy Sahlinger (Portland) is 4-0 and his 2.07 ERA is second in the league to Bellingham's Aaron Sandefur. As has been the case all year, the Bears' pitching is solid (2nd in ERA at 3.22) but the offense (11th in batting at .240) is anemic. IF Corey Van Domelen (Linfield) is hitting .314 and OF Daniel Orr (Corban) is at .311, but this isn't a feared lineup.

KELOWNA FALCONS (14-31, 4th East, 13.5 GB)

There's no easy way to parse it: The Falcons are having a miserable year, winning just 8 of 23 July games to fall further behind Yakima Valley and Wenatchee. One home series saw Kelowna play three extra-inning games with Kitsap and lose twice. OF Brandon Grimsley (Murray St JC) leads batters with a .286 average but the Falcons are last in many WCL offensive categories, including a .238 average with 8 homers. The pitching has likewise been miserable with a team ERA of 5.65, although RHP Brett Solano (Lewis & Clark) is 2-2 with 5 saves and a 3.81 ERA.

KITSAP BLUEJACKETS (20-24, T-2nd West, 11.5 GB)

Kitsap has overcome a bad start to earn some respectability, rebounding from a 13-game losing streak to win 12 of their final 19 games in July to finish 12-14 for the month. OF Daniel Woodrow (Creighton) is fifth among WCL hitters at .351 (with 14 steals) despite being moved all over the BlueJackets batting order. RHP Josh Moss (St. Martin's) is among the WCL leaders with 5 wins but the pitching staff has been largely ineffective with a 5.28 ERA. Intriguing P/OF DeAundre Van Slyke (St. Andrews) has 2 saves and 3.00 ERA in 4 games while hitting .349 over 14 contests.

KLAMATH FALLS GEMS (12-34, 4th South, 18 GB)

Everything is falling apart in K-Falls and the All-Star Game rainout was emblematic. The Gems went 4-20 in July to plummet deeper in the cellar. This isn't a bad-hitting team: 1B Steven Packard (Oregon) leads the WCL with a .414 average while OF Thomas Walker (UC Riverside) is third in HRs with 7. On the mound? The Gems' team ERA is a whopping 7.15, or 1.50 worse than Kelowna. Kody Kuhlman (Feather River JC) is somehow 3-3 with a 3.34 ERA, reportedly without using mirrors. Over 2,500 attended Klamath Falls' final home game against Corvallis on Aug. 3.

MEDFORD ROGUES (23-23, 3rd South, 7 GB)

The Rogues are hard to figure out. There's talent in Medford but after winning 10 of their first 13 games in 2014, they've struggled (including a 9-16 record in July). IF Nathan Etheridge (Western Oregon) is hitting .329 while 1B Victor Garcia (Texas-Pan American) is among WCL leaders with 7 HRs and 33 RBIs, but some highly-touted players have not panned out. P's Jackson Bertsch (Lane CC), David Peterson (Oregon) and Nathan Kuchta (Cypress JC) have combined for 14 wins to head a decent staff. Medford hosts Corvallis Aug. 8-10 to end the regular season.

VICTORIA HARBOUR CATS (21-25, T-2nd West, 11.5 GB)

The Cats stretched a seven-game win streak to July 6 before going 7-13 the rest of the month to fall farther behind Bellingham and out of playoff contention. OFs Nathan Lukes (Sacramento St) and Hunter Mercado-Hood (San Diego) are tied for third in the WCL with .356 averages with the latter third in the loop at 39 RBIs. RHP Mikey Wright (San Jose St) leads a decent staff with 4 wins and a 2.54 ERA, seventh in the league. Victoria is a decent side, just not good enough to beat out Bellingham this year. Nobody in the West was.

WALLA WALLA SWEETS (22-24, 3rd East, 6 GB)

Walla Walla continued their so-so campaign with a 14-12 month, continuing their trend of hanging around the .500 mark after winning the WCL North in 2013. The Sweets have some strong hitters, including OF Austin Mendenhall (Lewis-Clark St), who ranks among WCL leaders with a .346 average, 8 HRs and 36 RBIs. 2B Michael Duarte (UC Irvine) is batting .330 with 5 HRs as Walla Walla leads league teams with 40 HRs. Pitching has been a problem, however. Closer Jay Flaa (North Dakota St) has been solid with 2 wins and 6 saves, but no starter is below a 4.00 ERA.

WENATCHEE APPLESOX (25-21, 2nd East, 3 GB)

The Sox followed a good June with a tepid July, finishing 11-12 for the month, but remain in the playoff picture. Wenatchee batters lead the WCL with a .289 average, topped by Gonzaga OFs Caleb Wood at .360 and Sam Brown's .348 as seven players on the AppleSox roster are hitting .320 or better. Not a lot of power, but they sure can wear down pitchers. Nine moundsmen have started for Wenatchee this year. RHP Tyler Frost (Gonzaga) is 4-2 with a 3.55 ERA while fellow righty Ian Buckles (George Fox), a 2013 All-Star for Klamath Falls, is a near-identical 4-3 and 3.56.

YAKIMA VALLEY PIPPINS (28-18, 1st East, 0 GB)

The surprising Pippins were 15-11 in July and carried a seven-game win streak into their Aug. 4-6 home series with Cowlitz. Five Yakima Valley starters are hitting .300+, including OF Vince Fernandez (UC Riverside), who is having an MVP-type season with .342/7/42 numbers. The 6'4" Fernandez also has 10 steals. RHP Eli Morgan (Gonzaga) is 7-0 thus far while RHP Brandon Williams (Central Washington) is 5-2 and has a 2.32 ERA, both ranking fourth in the league. The Pippins will host Wenatchee in a season-ending series Aug. 8-10, perhaps for the WCL East title.

CAUGHT ON THE HOP

With their 11-8 win over Cowlitz on August 4, Yakima Valley won their 31st game of the year, making the Pippins the winningest expansion team in league history...Yakima's Eli Morgan won his eighth game that night, tying Corvallis' Jackson Lockwood for the league lead and tying the WCL single-season record. Both should have one more start before the playoffs begin...Shades of Depression-era baseball and the Gashouse Gang. When Victoria hosted Corvallis on July 26, beanballs and arguments started flying. After drilling two homers, the HarbourCats' Gabe Clark was drilled by Knights reliever Chris Haddeland in the seventh inning after Corvallis' Dalton Kelly was plunked at the top of the frame. Victoria's Sean Watkins returned the favor by nailing Corvallis shortstop in the top of the eighth, drawing an ejection (and subsequent suspension) for Watkins and a spirited on-field discussion between teams. A tag applied with gusto on a Knight baserunner at second brought on further debate, including the ejection of Corvallis' Joey Wise. All that was missing was Pepper Martin spraying everyone with tobacco juice...Wenatchee literally walked away with a 13-4 win over Victoria at home July 29, as 17 AppleSox batters were issued free passes by Cat pitchers...Bellingham has been awarded the 2015 WCL All-Star Game. No date has been chosen for the contest, which will take place at Joe Martin Field...The Walla Walla Sweets got two homers from Andrew Mendenhall and one from Kevin Morgan in an 11-0 romp over Klamath Falls on July 27 to shatter Bend's 2011 WCL record of 35 team homers. The Sweets entered that game tied for the mark...Klamath Falls OF Thomas Walker had a week to remember between July 28 and August 3, going 10-for-26 with four homers, including a walk-off grand slam against Corvallis.

WCL ROAD TRIP: Bellingham, Washington, USA

As the home of Western Washington University and its 15,000 students, Bellingham is the quintessential "college town." The city itself, which has 80,885 residents within its boundaries, started out as four separate towns in the mid 19th Century (Whatcom, Sehome, Fairhaven and Bellingham) that were small pioneer settlements in Lummi Indian country. The four towns grew until they eventually collided with each other and were all incorporated as Bellingham in 1903. By 1920, there were 24,298 residents in town.

The city is built around Bellingham Bay, which is on the northeastern shore of Puget Sound. As might be expected, Bellingham is a port city with lots of international freight coming and going through the northernmost shipping terminus on the contiguous U.S. West Coast. Although it can be a challenge to navigate through Bellingham because the prior existence of four towns means four previously-platted street grids running into each other, it's not such a large city that you'll need more than a map or GPS to make quick work of getting around. There are a lot of nice historic buildings in Bellingham, which is blessed with a number of decent parks in and out of town.

The climate in Bellingham is mild, with daytime highs ranging from the mid-40's in January to the low-70's in July. Low temperatures rarely venture below freezing during winter, although the occasional winds heading south from B.C.'s Fraser River Valley can be bone-chilling. While it rains at least one inch per month throughout the year, the city generally gets only 35 inches per year (less than Seattle to the south) and snowfall is usually minimal at 10 inches annually.

The Bellingham Bells are a charter member of the West Coast League after playing in the Pacific International League six seasons before the WCL was formed in 2005. The team plays its home games at Joe Martin Field, which hosted Northwest League teams from 1973 through 1996 (Ken Griffey Junior played his home games there in 1987). The stadium officially seats 2,100 fans, although they've been able to squeeze in over 3,000, and the dimensions are typical for the WCL with a 385' centerfield fence and foul lines of 325' in left and 310' in right. The ballpark, which was built in 1964, has a covered grandstand behind home plate with open bleachers flanking either side, all featuring a view of Bellingham Bay over the right field fence. Civic Stadium, the city's football facility, looms behind the grandstand as part of a sports complex.

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