24 Aug, 2005

Cape League notes

Brad Lincoln of the Bourne Braves received the Manny Robello Tenth Player Award. 

After being recruited to the 2005 Bourne Braves mainly as a pitcher, Lincoln's role quickly changed as it was determined that a dual role would be far more advantageous on a club that was in desperate need of offense. 

The Clute, Texas, native and University of Houston standout, finished the campaign with a 3-1 record and a 1.32 ERA in nine games started with just 10 walks and 56 strikeouts. 

At the plate he hit .243 with six home runs and 25 RBIs. 

Steven Wright named Top Relief Pitcher 

Steven Wright of Hawaii anchored the Orleans Cardinals bullpen all summer and was rewarded with the Russ Ford Award as the league's best relief pitcher. 

Wright, a sophomore from Moreno Valley, Calif., finished the regular season with a perfect 3-0 record and a microscopic 0.63 earned run average. He averaged more than one strikeout per inning, fanning 41 batters in his 28.2 innings pitched. Wright allowed only two runs throughout the course of the regular season. 

Perhaps his most important statistic was the 12 saves he notched, helping Orleans win close games and stay ahead of the second-place Chatham A's, who were nipping at the Cardinals' heels most of the season. 

He was on the mound for the final out at Eldredge Park for both the clinching game against Chatham in the divisional playoffs and the deciding game of the championship against the Bourne Braves. 

After he blew the last Bourne hitter away with a hard fastball, Wright threw his glove high in the air in triumph, a memorable scene to all present at Eldredge Park. This past spring, Wright went 5-3 with a 3.26 ERA and four saves for Hawaii. 

Evan Longoria selected Pat Sorenti Cape League MVP 

Although many Chatham Athletic players posted mind-boggling numbers this summer, Evan Longoria - a legitimate triple-crown candidate for much of the year - was the player that stood out the most. 

Thus, it is only fitting that he was the recipient of the Pat Sorenti Award for Most Valuable Player. 

To win the triple crown, a player must finish the season as the league leader in the three major batting categories: average, home runs and RBIs. Needless to say, only the very best hitters are able to accomplish such a feat; the last MLB player to turn the trick was Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox way back in 1967 when he hit .326 with 44 home runs and 121 RBIs. 

Although Longoria (Long Beach State) led the Cape League in both home runs (8) and RBIs (35), he fell out of contention in the batting average category, finishing with a .299 average after spending much of the season in the top five of this category as well. 

Longoria, a native of Downey, Calif., was chosen as the Coca Cola player of the week on two separate occasions this season, joining Chatham teammate Derrick Lutz as the only repeat winners. 

During a six-game stretch between June 20 and June 26, Longoria hit .440, going 11-for-25 at the plate. He added two home runs, five RBIs, three doubles and had an amazing slugging percentage over .800. Then, during the week of July 11-17, Longoria notched three home runs and 11 RBIs over a span of just 30 at-bats. His batting average for the week was .400, while his slugging percentage was .883. 

Longoria anchored the middle of the powerful A's lineup, finishing third overall league-wide in hits with 49, first with a .500 slugging percentage and tied for first with teammate Baron Frost in extra base hits with 16. Longoria is a very talented defensive player, capable of playing anywhere in the infield. 

This summer, he logged 14 games at second base, eight at third and 15 at shortstop. Longtime Chatham manager John Schiffner particularly praised his star infielder's leadership abilities, a very important aspect of the game that cannot be measured by statistics. "He's a great leader on and off the field," Schiffner noted.