2014 Laconia Muskrats Preview

Braxton Martinez /St. Louis

NECBL.com has released the first of their team previews for the upcoming season, so I've decided to breakdown the lineups, rotation and bullpens of every teams to accompany their players to watch. Every team will be previewed by the season opener on June 5th.

Last season was a disappointing one for the Muskrats, as Laconia failed to make the playoffs for the first time in their four-year history. They finished three games under .500 at 21-24 and just a game back from Sanford for the fourth and final playoff spot.

This season, general manager Noah Crane has high hopes for the upcoming season. In an interview with the New England Baseball Journal, Crane says to look for a balanced attack. "(Jordan) Sheffield and (Jared) Brasher will light up radar guns this summer. We have a great deal of team speed and should steal a lot of bases."

Of course, the biggest storyline going in is the Muskrats acquisition of Mariano Rivera Jr., the son of New York Yankees great Mariano Rivera. Crane mentioned this, "When Mariano Rivera Jr. pitches, there's a good chance his famous father will be in the stands."

Rotation

Last year, Laconia had a 1-2 punch in the rotation that was a fearsome combination. Josh Prevost and Will Blalock combined for a 1.41 ERA over 55 innings, and the rest of the rotation was solid as well. That trend continues this year, led by 13th round draft pick Jordan Sheffield. Sheffield, a Vanderbilt freshman, has a cannon of an arm. He ended up in Vanderbilt after getting Tommy John and not signing a contract out of high school. Perfect Game reported a range of 94-97 MPH fastball with an 81 MPH curveball and a 83 MPH slider, making him a guy to watch. After Sheffield, Molloy junior Shea Spitzbarth has the potential to be a solid No. 2. Spitzbarth has a 3.42 ERA over 10 starts, along with a 1.13 WHIP. After Spitzbarth, Florida Gulf Coast's Jack English looks like a strong No. 3 starter. English is 4-4 with a 3.00 ERA over 13 starts. After English, Mariano Rivera, Jr. and Jared Brasher could round out the rotation.

Bullpen

The 2013 Muskrats had a mix of several shutdown relievers and several guys who never found their strides. Laconia posted a 4.23 ERA, second-worst in the league and that was due to several pitchers getting hammered every time they went out there, mostly from the bullpen. This season, the Muskrats have a trio of strong relievers. Troy's Marc Skinner (1.80 ERA over 50 innings), Rutgers Max Hermmann (2.57 ERA over 22 appearances) and Samford's Parker Curry (3.68 ERA over 44 innings) have all had strong springs. Skinner could be the closer, as he's picked up five saves but it really is up in the air.

Offense

This year's Muskrat lineup is loaded from hitters 1-9. Corey Baptist is one of the most dangerous power hitters coming into the NECBL, and the combination of DJ Ruhlman, Braxton Martinez and Vinny Zarillo should be feared. Another thing to focus on is that several of these players are very fast on the basepaths, making this team dangerous in getting that extra base.

Lineup

C         Karl Ellison (R)

Vanderbilt sophomore hit .250 with seven doubles in 22 games

1B       Corey Baptist (R)

St Petersburg sophomore hit .379/.450/.675 with 41 RBIs and 44 runs

2B       Cornelius Copeland (R)

St Petersburg sophomore as well, hit .314 with nine stolen bases in 28 games

SS        DJ Ruhlman (R)

Seton Hall senior hit .384 with 14 stolen bases, 40 runs and 26 RBIs

3B        Braxton Martinez (R)

Highly anticipated St Louis junior, hit .299 with 28 runs and 28 RBIs

RF        Vinny Zarillo (L)

Rutgers senior hit .294 with 12 stolen bases and 11 doubles, 32 RBIs

CF        Jack Sunberg (L)

Speedy UCONN junior swiped 25 bases and hit .269 with 27 walks

LF        Christopher Beall (L)

Arizona St junior hit .306 with 14 runs and nine RBIs

DH       Benjamin Miller (L)

Nebraska sophomore hits .362 with 18 runs and 12 RBIs

Rotation

RH       Jordan Sheffield
13th round draft pick, can throw 98 MPH and has 80+ curve and slider
RH      Shea Spitzbarth

Molloy junior has a 1.13 WHIP and a 2.42 ERA in 67 innings

RH      Jack English

FGCU senior has a 3.00 ERA over 75 innings and 13 starts

RH      Mariano Rivera, Jr.

Son of Yankee great has a 5.62 ERA over 11 starts

RH      Jared Brasher

Samford sophomore has a 5.50 ERA over 10 starts, 1.84 WHIP

Bullpen

RH      Marc Skinner

Troy sophomore has a 1.80 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, 50 IP

LH       Max Herrmann

Rutgers sophomore has a 2.57 ERA over 22 appearances (1.33 WHIP)

RH       Parker Curry

Samford junior has a 3.68 ERA and 9.2 K/9 over 23 appearances

Player to watch:

St Petersburg sophomore Corey Baptist. Baptist is hitting .397 with an impressive 1.125 OPS. He's also slugged nine home runs in 48 games and 23 doubles to go along with 41 RBIs and 44 runs. Baptist could contend with former Muskrat Danny Collins NECBL record's in total bases, home runs, extra base hits and slugging percentage.