2012 Early Look: Brewster Whitecaps

Brewster Whitecaps
Manager: John Altobelli
2011 Record: 20-20-4

Brewster was one of the best teams in the league in 2010. Though the Whitecaps didn’t stand out quite as much in 2011, they were still solidly in third place in the East division.

When I looked back on that, I was actually surprised. I remembered some solid players in Whitecap uniforms, but I didn’t remember a whole lot of team success. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised though. While Brewster hasn’t often been a top-of-the-division team the last few years, it hasn’t been a bottom-of-the-division team either. The Whitecaps always find a way to win, even though they don’t typically bring in quite as much upper-echelon talent as some of the league’s other teams.

There’s a new manager at the helm this year — John Altobelli — but he’s been an assistant in Brewster, so the identity may not change too much. The Whitecaps have a team with several potential standouts and top prospects, along with several other players who will be looking to break out after spring struggles. I don’t doubt that they’ll find a way.

Roster Rundown
Returning Players: 1
Juniors: 1
Sophomores: 16
Freshmen: 6

Notable

John Altobelli, the new manager, is the father of former Whitecap J.J. Altobelli, who hit .295 last summer. J.J. hit .261 for Oregon this spring and was selected in the 21st round of the MLB draft by the Twins. John Altobelli is the head coach at Orange Coast Community College.

The likely top prospect for the Whitecaps is a guy who’s already been drafted twice. Pitcher Adrian Sampson is a junior-college star who was drafted in the 16th round after his freshman year and in the fifth round after this his sophomore year. Sampson has committed to Oregon and has until July 13 to sign or stick with that commitment. We’ll see if the Cape is where he spends the time before that deadline.

Brewster has a serious west coast flavor, with 13 players from Washington, Oregon or California. That’s a lot of long journeys. In all, the team has just four players from schools east of the Mississippi River.

Austin Voth is the lone returnee to Brewster’s pitching staff and it’ll be interesting to see how he’s used. After some struggles as a starter in his freshman year at Washington, Voth became an all-star reliever on the Cape. This spring, he had 11 starts and 11 relief appearances.

The other returning Whitecap was also an all-star last summer — outfielder Jason Monda. He was one of the top freshmen in the league last year and could emerge as one of the Cape’s top prospects this year.

Ryon Healy is another player with Cape experience, having played for Cotuit last year. He makes the switch to Brewster this year after another strong season at Oregon.

Brewster has quite a few high-profile freshmen coming in, led by Florida State pitcher Brandon Leibrandt. The lefty has been the ace of the staff for a Seminole team that is headed to Omaha.

Aaron Judge of Fresno State stands 6-foot-7. There are a few pitchers who will be in the league this summer that can match that, but Judge is a position player. He’ll tower over a lot of others.

UCLA infielder Kevin Williams has spent the last two summers with the West Coast Collegiate League’s Walla Walla Sweets. One of the owners of that team is our friend at Codball, Greg Shaw.

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Brandon Leibrandt
2. Jason Monda
3. Adrian Sampson
4. Ryon Healy
5. Austin Voth

Pitchers

Brady Kirkpatrick – RHP – 6’0 180 – Maryland – Sophomore
James Leckenby – RHP – 6’4 208 – Washington State – Sophomore
Brandon Leibrandt – LHP – 6’4 195 – Florida State – Freshman
Jake McCasland – RHP – 6’2 220 – New Mexico – Sophomore
Chase McDowell – RHP/OF – 6’2 190 – Rice – Junior
Evan Rutter – RHP – 6’3 190 – Rice – Freshman
Adrian Sampson – RHP – 6’2 205 – Bellevue College – Sophomore
Erik Schoenrock – LHP – 6’2 200 – Memphis – Sophomore
Michael Theofanopoulos – LHP – 5’10 191 – California – Sophomore
*Austin Voth – RHP – 6’1 200 – Washington – Sophomore
Luke Weaver – RHP – 6’2 160 – Florida State – Freshman
Tom Windle – LHP – 6’3 195 – Minnesota – Sophomore

Brady Kirkpatrick – RHP – 6’0 180
Maryland
Sophomore

Kirkpatrick had an ERA over five as a freshman with Maryland last year. He improved on those numbers as a sophomore, posting a 3.04 ERA despite the fact that he walked one more batter than he struck out.

James Leckenby – RHP – 6’4 208
Washington State
Sophomore

Leckenby had the best ERA among Washington State relievers last year. This season, he moved into the weekend rotation with decent results. He finished with a 4.50 ERA to go with 42 strikeouts in 80 innings pitched.

Brandon Leibrandt – LHP – 6’4 195
Florida State
Freshman

Leibrandt will be a late arrival because of Florida State’s run to the semifinals, but he could be worth the wait. A 48th round pick out of high school, he has emerged as the ace of the pitching staff on a veteran team. He’s currently 8-2 with a 2.58 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 94.1 innings pitched.

Jake McCasland – RHP – 6’2 220
New Mexico
Sophomore

McCasland was a 38th-round pick out of high school but has had mixed results in his first two years with the Lobos. As a freshman in 2011, he finished with an ERA over six as a weekend starter. He pitched more out of the bullpen this year, posting a 6.43 ERA in 21 innings pitched.

Chase McDowell – RHP/OF – 6’2 190
Rice
Junior

McDowell battled an injury last year but came back and delivered decent results this year. He finished with a 4.50 ERA in 10 appearances on his way to being picked in the 30th round of this year’s Major League Baseball draft. McDowell also hit .243 in limited action at the plate.

Evan Rutter – RHP – 6’3 190
Rice
Freshman

Rutter was a Texas All-Stater in high school last season. He didn’t see a lot action in his first year with the Owls, but pitched well when he was out there. In 7.1 innings of work, he didn’t allow a run.

Adrian Sampson – RHP – 6’2 205
Bellevue College
Sophomore

Sampson had a tremendous sophomore season in the junior college ranks at Bellevue. He went 11-0 with a 1.36 ERA and 107 strikeouts in just 79.1 innings pitched. He was eligible for the draft this year and went in the fifth round to the Pirates after going in the 16th round after his freshman year at Bellevue. Sampson likely would have been drafted out of high school if not for Tommy John surgery as a senior.

Erik Schoenrock – LHP – 6’2 200
Memphis
Sophomore

Schoenrock made 12 appearances as a freshman and finished with an ERA over six. He was busier as a sophomore, making 17 appearances mostly out of the bullpen. Though his ERA was over five, he struck out 26 in 27 innings pitched.

Michael Theofanopoulos – LHP – 5’10 191
California
Sophomore

Theofanopoulos jumped into Cal’s weekend rotation this year and didn’t have the smoothest ride. He finished 3-5 with a 5.05 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 69.1 innings pitched.

Austin Voth – RHP – 6’1 200
Washington
Sophomore

After a so-so debut season as a starting pitcher with the Huskies last spring, Voth headed for Brewster, moved to the bullpen and became one of the Cape League’s top relievers. He earned all-star honors and finished with a 1.98 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. This spring, Voth divided his time between the bullpen and the rotation and had pretty good success wherever he was. He went 7-1 with a 4.14 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 67.1 innings.

Luke Weaver – RHP – 6’2 160
Florida State
Freshman

Weaver is another Florida State freshman hurler, and he came to Tallahassee with even more hype than Leibrandt. Weaver was a 19th-round pick out of high school last year. He’s made 16 appearances for the Seminoles, nine of them out of the bullpen. He has an ERA of 5.68 but 38 strikeouts in 38 innings.

Tom Windle – LHP – 6’3 195
Minnesota
Sophomore

Windle led the Gophers in ERA as a freshman reliever this year. The number wasn’t quite as low this year, but Windle still had an impressive campaign. In 18 appearances, he had a 3.27 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 41.1 innings pitched. Windle was a 28th-round pick out of high school.

Position Players

Derek Campbell – INF – 6’0 172 – California – Sophomore
Dylan Davis – OF – 6’0 200 – Oregon State – Freshman
Erik Forgione – SS – 6’1 166 – Washington – Freshman
Ryon Healy – INF – 6’5 215 – Oregon – Sophomore
Aaron Judge – OF – 6’7 230 – Fresno State – Sophomore
Jeff McNeil – 2B – 6’1 160 – Long Beach State – Sophomore
Trevor Mitsui – 1B – 6’5 222 – Washington – Freshman
*Jason Monda – OF – 6’4 201 – Washington State – Sophomore
Spencer Navin – C – 6’2 205 – Vanderbilt – Sophomore
Dan Olinger – 3B – 6’2 190 – Minnesota – RS Sophomore
Kevin Williams – INF – 6’0 190 – UCLA – Sophomore

Derek Campbell – INF – 6’0 172
California
Sophomore

Campbell has been a consistent contributor in two years with the Golden Bears. After hitting .263 as a freshman in 2011, Campbell finished at .264 this year a homer and 13 RBI.

Dylan Davis – OF/RHP – 6’0 200
Oregon State
Freshman

Davis was the top high school prospect in Washington last year, standing out as a two-way talent. In his first season with Oregon State, he hit .247 with three home runs, 12 doubles and 30 RBI. He also pitched some, making 10 appearances and posting a 4.32 ERA.

Erik Forgione – SS – 6’1 166
Washington
Freshman

Forgione was a 33rd round pick out of high school and he got a chance to start right away for the Huskies. While he had his bright spots, offense in general was a struggle as Forgione finished the season with a .173 average.

Ryon Healy – INF – 6’5 215
Oregon
Sophomore

Healy was undrafted out of high school because of high bonus demands but he made an immediate splash before he even got to college when he was named the top prospect in the California Collegiate League the summer after his senior year of high school. He had a good freshman season in Oregon before hitting .244 with Cotuit last summer. Previously a two-way player, Healy focused on hitting this spring and finished at .312 with four home runs, 13 doubles and 42 RBI.

Aaron Judge – OF – 6’7 230
Fresno State
Sophomore

A 30th-round pick out of high school, Judge had a huge debut with Fresno State last year, hitting .358 on his way to WAC Freshman of the Year honors. It was more of the same this year, as Judge hit .308 with four home runs, 14 doubles and 27 RBI.

Jeff McNeil – 2B – 6’1 160
Long Beach State
Sophomore

McNeil saw plenty of time last year in his freshman season with Long Beach State, and he hit .271. This spring, the average dipped slightly to .258, but McNeil was still a key player for the 49ers.

Trevor Mitsui – 1B – 6’5 222
Washington
Freshman

Mitsui was the state of Washington’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2011, and he was drafted by the Rays in the 12th round. He still stuck with the plan to play for his home-state school and delivered a strong freshman campaign. Mitsui hit .308 with a home run and 14 RBI.

Jason Monda – OF – 6’4 201
Washington State
Sophomore

After a decent freshman season with the Cougars, Monda burst onto the scene in Brewster last summer. For quite a while, he was the league’s hottest hitter and he ended up with a .333 average and an all-star nod. He was also named the league’s 14th best prospect by Baseball America. This spring, Monda hit .275 with a homer, 10 doubles and 18 RBI.

Spencer Navin – C – 6’1 205
Vanderbilt
Sophomore

After seeing action in just eight games as a freshman, Navin became a regular for the Commodores this year and made the most of his opportunity. He finished with a .298 average, which was good for third on the team. He also had three home runs and 27 RBI.

Dan Olinger – 3B – 6’2 190
Minnesota
RS Sophomore

After redshirting in 2010, Olinger had a solid freshman season in 2011. This year, he took a leap forward and emerged as one of the team’s top offensive threats. Olinger hit .318 with 13 doubles and a team-best 34 RBI.

Kevin Williams – INF – 6’0 190
UCLA
Sophomore

Williams was a 41st-round pick out of high school who didn’t have a ton of success in his first season with the Bruins last year. It’s been a different story this year, though. As a regular starter for the Omaha-bound Bruins, Williams is hitting .305 with two home runs and 19 RBI.