Our next stop on the Bay League preview is the Deepvale Ferrymen, who boast the two-time Top Hitter and the current record holder for home runs and RBI in a season.
2014 Season: 39-31, tied for 2nd place
2015 Season: 35-35, tied for 3rd place
Roster Losses: None
Top Hitting Prospect: RF
Jason Bratton (age 22, 2.5 stars, 4/5/6/3/4 vs. 6/6/6/5/5, 18th overall)
2015: .290/.365/.568, 11 HR, 23 RBI, 26 R, 42 G (155 AB) at A, .355/.432/.677, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 14 runs, 17 G (62 AB) at AA
Top Pitching Prospect: SP
Mike Dodson (age 25, 5 stars, 3/5/3 vs. 8/10/8, 1st overall)
2015: 14-5, 2.46 ERA, 175.1 IP, 140 K, 1.01 WHIP at A
All players will be listed with age, star rating, overall ratings and talents, followed by 2015 (last season) stats.
Position Players:
C
Junior Baptist (age 32, 1 star, 5/6/4/2/6 vs. 5/7/5/3/7)
.200/.190/.250, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 runs, 8 games (20 AB)
C
Johnny Wright (age 28, 3.5 stars, 6/6/7/7/5 vs. 6/6/7/7/5)
.250/.335/.427, 10 HR, 33 RBI, 31 runs, 69 G (232 AB)
Wright is one of the top hitting catchers in the league, and he's no slouch behind the dish either. The 2015 season was a bit of a disappointment for Wright, a 73-point drop in OPS from the previous season, but he's hitting his prime and ought to be a stalwart in a strong Deepvale lineup.
1B
Henry "Ace" Gervin (age 28, 5 stars, 10/9/9/8/7 vs. 10/8/9/8/7)
.388/.456/.658, 16 HR, 50 RBI, 56 runs, 68 G (260 AB)
1B
Tyron White (age 25, 2 stars, 5/6/7/2/6 vs. 5/6/7/3/6)
.261/.261/.565, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 5 runs, 17 G (23 AB)
You may have heard of Ace Gervin. The sweet-swinging lefty is the only player to win a Top Hitter award in the Bay League, there is absolutely nothing he can't do with a bat in his hands. Hands down the single most feared hitter in the league, and he just turned 28 years old a month ago. He can even play a bit of defense.
2B
Scott Alvin (age 24, 1 star, 4/6/3/2/6 vs. 5/7/4/3/6)
.222/.266/.292, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 8 runs, 31 G (72 AB)
2B
Brian Brown (age 34, 1.5 stars, 5/6/3/3/5 vs. 6/7/3/3/6)
.212/.261/.275, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 21 runs, 57 G (222 AB)
A big hole in the lineup, the second base spot is a problem for the Ferrymen. Brown at least is an excellent defensive player and can swipe a bag or two under the right circumstances.
3B
Roy Lockwood (age 33, 3.5 stars, 4/6/8/6/5 vs. 5/6/8/5/5)
.267/.351/.592, 23 HR, 62 RBI, 41 runs, 70 G (255 AB)
3B
Jeff Martin (age 32, 1.5 stars, 4/6/6/2/5 vs. 4/5/6/3/5)
.333/.333/.500, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 run, 3 G (6 AB)
Ask someone off the street who hit the most home runs and drove in the most runs in the league last season, see who they answer. Give them the hint that it was a Deepvale player, and most people will guess Ace Gervin. They'd be wrong. The powerful Roy Lockwood set single-season marks in both categories in 2015 and brutalized baseballs all season long. Lockwood's also got incredible range at the hot corner, and his teammates say he might be even better at shortstop.
SS
Orlando Stone (age 34, 1 star, 4/7/4/4/5 vs. 4/7/4/4/5)
.147/.195/.235, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 5 runs, 22 G (34 AB)
SS
Maurice White (age 29, 2.5 stars, 4/5/3/5/5 vs. 5/6/4/5/5)
.215/.272/.344, 5 HR, 24 RBI, 17 runs, 64 G (209 AB)
The middle infield in Deepvale doesn't have nearly the star power as the corner infield spots. White is a talented defensive player, and won Top Leather last season, so at least he provides some benefit to the team.
LF
Mario Goodwin (age 26, 2.5 stars, 6/7/4/4/5 vs. 6/7/4/4/4)
.246/.288/.406, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 36 runs, 64 G (244 AB)
LF
John Thomas (age 31, 2.5 stars, 4/6/6/7/6 vs. 4/6/6/7/5)
.313/.353/.563, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 9 runs, 36 G (48 AB)
Goodwin is a two-time Top Leather winner in left field, but it's not because he's particularly graceful. In fact, he's been compared to a retired elephant. But he's got a cannon arm and pinpoint accuracy, which impresses the voters.
CF
Marlon Nelson (age 23, 2 stars, 4/6/6/4/5 vs. 4/6/6/4/5)
.253/.310/.462, 8 HR, 26 RBI, 24 runs, 5 SB, 54 G (186 AB)
The young Nelson saw his first action last season, and performed admirably at the plate as well as in the field, where observers say he's the most talented defensive center fielder in the league. He doesn't have a tremendous upside as a hitter, but he should field enough to hold his spot for a while.
RF
Steve Blackwell (age 35, 2.5 stars, 5/6/4/1/6 vs. 5/6/4/2/6)
.297/.331/.439, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 27 runs, 41 G (155 AB)
RF
Thomas Heide (age 36, 1.5 stars, 4/6/3/3/6 vs. 5/6/4/3/7)
.248/.301/.331, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 10 runs, 50 G (133 AB)
Blackwell and Heide are really just keeping a spot warm for Jason Bratton, who tore up AA pitching last season and saw some brief action at the end of the schedule. Bratton may end up working his way into the picture in Deepvale sooner rather than later.