The manager of the Youse's Maryland Orioles, the first place team in the league, is Dean Albany, one of the Orioles most important scouts. Many collegiate players that have played on the Orioles in the league have gotten drafted, notably L.J. Hoes, the Orioles third round pick this season. Here are some local names in this league in the All-Star Game that may become future Orioles.
(Note: All stats are according to the Cal Ripken Sr. League, and most players have played around 30-35 games.
Gerard Hall, shortstop, Youse's Maryland Orioles--Junior, Old Dominion, Washington D.C.
Hall is everything you'd like in a leadoff man, a pure contact switch hitter with blazing speed. With the first place Orioles, Hall is batting .341, is 27 out of 30 on stolen base attempts, and has 28 walks to only 16 strikeouts. His speed makes him very solid at the six defensively. Though he doesn't have much power, his athleticism could make him a solid prospect at shortstop.
Mike Celenza, third base/DH, College Park Bombers
--Junior, Salisbury, Gaithersburg, MD
Celenza is the best all-around hitter in the league. He's leading the league in batting average for the second straight year with .400 including five home runs and 12 doubles. He's a lefty who crowds the plate, making it very difficult to strike out (only 13 compared to 23 walks), but throws right to be able to play third. Though he's plays at the Division III level, his success with the wooden bat transition should translate to the pros.
Scott Swinson, starting pitcher, Youse's Maryland Orioles
--Junior, Maryland, Ellicott City, MD
The Terps ace has shown great success in the league, compiling a 5-1 record. His ERA is only 1.42 and has a 39-12 K-BB ratio in 44.1 innings pitched. Swinson has a strong fastball and curve, and has shown that he can handle throwing 110 pitches in an outing. He is a composed righty that can locate pitches well. Albany has said that Swinson could be a 8th-10th rounder, but that stock could increase. In Swinson's last game with Maryland, he threw a no-hitter against Delaware.
Oliver Drake, starting pitcher, Youse's Maryland Orioles--Navy, Gardner, MA (signed with Baltimore Orioles)
Drake signed with the Baltimore Orioles after getting drafted in the 43rd round, and is no longer with the Youse's Orioles, but was still named an All-Star. In Drake's six appearances (five starts) with Youse's, the righty blanked squads with a dominating fastball, earning a 4-1 record with a 1.00 ERA and a 17-4 K-BB ratio. Drake's draft status was originally a national issue since Navy requires graduates to serve for five years, which would have meant he would have had to wait that time to play professionally, but his signing will probably put the issue to rest.
Kevin Brady, pitcher, Youse's Maryland Orioles-Freshman, Clemson, Montgomery Village, MD
Brady was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 44th round, but as of right now hasn't been signed. Brady is a strikeout machine, fanning 42 and only walking four in 27.2 IP. He has a 3-0 record with a 2.28 ERA and batters are only .171 against him. He probably could be utilized better as a short reliever than a starter. If he doesn't sign with the Orioles, he'll have to spend three years with Clemson before being eligible to be drafted again.
If you'd like to listen to the game, Jeremy Moreland and I will be on the call live from Povich at 7:30 PM on Tuesday on WMUC: http://www.wmucsports.com/sports-high.m3u
(Photo credits: Monarchnation.com (Hall), College Park Bombers (Celenza), University of Maryland (Swinson), Naval Academy (Drake), Baltimore Examiner (Brady))
