GotC’s All-New York-Penn League Team and Playoff Preview
By Quinn Barry
The New York Penn League playoffs kick off tonight at 6:35 PM, when the Wild Card winning Connecticut Tigers host the Tri-City Valley Cats at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, CT. The Tigers will look to stun the Penn League, as the underdog squad doesn’t boast even one member on GotC’s All-Penn League Team.
Marcos Molina’s breakout season earned him Grading on the Curve’s New York-Penn League’s Pitcher of the Year Award. (Mandatory Credit: Ashley Marshall/MiLB.com
But now that the regular season has come to close, it’s time to get into the matter at hand, awarding the young stars of the New York-Penn League, who performed above and beyond their peers in 2014.
GOTC MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Rowan Wick, State College – 21 year-old Rowan Wick had endured a rough start to his professional career prior to 2014. The Cardinal’s 2012 9th round pick struggled to a combined .206 batting average in his first two minor league seasons. However, that all changed when Wick was assigned to the Short-Season State College Spikes to start the season. Had Wick not been promoted to Peoria, his .378 average would have led the league by 10 points, and despite amassing only 119 trips to the plate, Wick finished the season tied for the league lead with 14 home runs. Overall, 2014 was a magical season for both Randy Wick and the Spikes, as Wick revitalized his prospect status and State College tied for first in the Penn League teams with 48 wins, 12.5 games better than the Jamestown Jammers, the second-place team in the Pinckney division.
GOTC MOST VALUABLE PITCHER
Entering the 2014 season, right-hander Marcos Molina was nothing more than a Dominican fringe-prospect with decent control, a slight above-average fastball, and underwhelming numbers in the strikeout department. That all changed when the Dominican joined the Brooklyn Cyclones to start the season. The 19 year-old led the New York-Penn League with a 1.77 ERA; over 40 points better than the second-best starter, and turned around his strikeout problems seemingly overnight. Molina easily paced the league with 91 punchouts, 15% more than any other pitcher in the Penn League, and posted a career-best 10.7 K/9, averaging three more strikeouts per nine than he did in the year prior. Give Baseball Prospectus credit: they rated Molina the 10th best prospect in the Mets’ system on February 18th, long before Marcos became the most dominant pitch in the NYPL. Taking into account his dominant season with Brooklyn, it wouldn’t be surprising if Molina vaulted himself all the way up into New York’s top five prospects heading into the 2015 season.
GOTC All-NEW YORK-PENN LEAGUE TEAM
C – Raudy Read, Auburn: The 20 year-old out of the Dominican Republic ranked second in catchers with a .281 batting average and sported a nifty .794 OPS.
1B – Connor Spencer, Staten Island: The 2014 8th round pick started out his professional career with a bang, winning the Penn League batting title with a .364 average and amassing 14 doubles in just 51 games.
2B – Nick Tanielu, Tri-City: The 21 year-old from Huntsville, Alabama finished off his first pro campaign hitting an even .300, ranking 6th in the league with 40 RBIs, and compiling 70 hits in just 62 games.
3B – Jordan Betts, Lowell: The former Blue Devil has enjoyed a nice start to his pro career, ending the year with a .269 average, 10 dingers, and 40 RBIs.
SS – Mauricio Dubon, Lowell: Another Lowell infielder joins the All-NYPL Team. This time it’s the 20 year-old Mauricio Dubon from Sacramento, California. Dubon led all shortstops in the Penn League with a .320 average and 34 RBIs.
OF – Rowan Wick, State College: The GotC MVP is an obvious addition to the All-Penn League squad, as the three-year pro tied for the league lead in home runs, batted .378, and sported an unreal 1.290 OPS.
OF – Jiandido Tromp, Williamsport: The Crosscutters finished last in their division with only 33 wins, but that didn’t stop the stud Aruban outfielder from displaying an impressive combination of power and speed rarely seen from athletes under six foot. Tromp’s final line? The 20 year-old finished the season with a .266 average, 16 steals (only caught 5 times), and a share of the Penn League home run crown. Having made two All-Star teams in only three seasons of professional ball, the future is bright for the right-handed slugger.
OF – Chris Breen, Staten Island: Breen doesn’t have the power profile of Tromp or Wick, but the 2012 12th rounder still blasted 8 bombs for the SI Yanks, and finished the year with a palatable .281 batting average, to go along with a splendid .881 OPS.
P – Marcos Molina, Brooklyn: The 19 year-old ace was simply outstanding for the Cyclones, leading the league in both ERA and strikeouts.
P – David Whitehead, Williamsport: Drafted in the 34th round in 2013, the Phillies may not have expected much from Whitehead. But the right-hander has proven all doubters wrong so far, finishing his first pro season ranked second in the Penn League with a 2.19 ERA. The 22 year-old also sported a superb 1.05 WHIP.
P – Corey Oswalt, Brooklyn: The 21 year-old had a solid Penn League debut, baffling hitters to the tune of a 2.26 ERA and a .218 BAA. The 2012 draft pick also struck out 59 batters, the 7th best mark in the league, against just 15 walks.
PLAYOFF PREVIEW
State College Spikes (48-28) vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (46-30)
With 94 wins between them, the State College and Hudson Valley are headed for a heated playoff matchup, starting a 6:35 on Wednesday night. Having lost GotC MVP Rowan Wick to promotion, the Spikes will have to hope that their pitching staff, combining for a 2.97 team ERA, will carry them past the Renegades. However, Hudson Valley’s staff boasts an almost as impressive resume, pitching to a .306 ERA and walking more than 50 fewer batters than State College. With the pitching nearly even, the series might come down to which team has been playing the best down the stretch. In that case, it would seem that State College, winners of 8 out of their last 10, would advance to the Finals over the Renegades, who have only pulled out victories in 3 in their last 10 tilts. Either way, it’s shaping up to be a great semi-final playoff matchup between the McNamara and Pinckney division winners.
Prediction: 2-1 State College
Tri-City Valley Cats (48-28) vs. Connecticut Tigers (42-34)
Connecticut was granted a playoff berth on the last day of the regular season, beating Brooklyn to the Wild Card thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker. Their reward? Facing a Tri-City squad that’s lost just 12 games at home on the season. Combine that with the fact that the Valley Cats have doubled Tigers’ season home run total, and Connecticut hope of advancing looks bleak at best. If there’s anything the Wild Card champs can hang their hats on, it’s their pitching. The Detroit affiliate has the 4th best ERA in the Penn League, easily besting the ‘Cats staff’s 3.42 mark. If Tigers’ ace Chase Edwards is available for a potential do-or-die game 3, anything is possible.
Prediction: 2-1 Tri-City