Yawkey Baseball League

Savin Hill Dodgers

2014 Record: 19-12-1

Carl Yastrzemski Division 4^th place

Season Review:

2014 was a banner year for the Dodgers. With both the Savin Hill Hornets and the Boston Dodgers of 2013 suffering through diminished player bases, team franchise holders Dave Bonnell and Matthew Grimes got together and hammered out a merger that would keep these 2 long-time franchises in the YBL fold well into the future as one. The ‘new’ Savin Hill Dodgers couldn’t have realistically hoped for a much better outcome in their inaugural campaign.

A slow start to the season saw the Dodgers open at 1-4, but they rattled off 11 wins in their next 12 games to jump to the top of the Yaz Division. Unsurprisingly, the proven big bats led the offense. Nick Tapper led the offense with a .368 avg and an OPS of .948, and Jay Shatto supplied a .352 avg of his own, raking early in the lineup despite setting a career-low with 2 HBP. With Dave Clarke also getting on base early (18 runs to lead team), Nate Hodor did everything he could, leading the team with 21 RBI. Unfortunately, that was the bulk of the offense which saw Savin Hill festering near the bottom with a paltry .244 team batting average.

Thankfully, hitting isn’t the only way to win games, as the Dodgers were in the upper-tier of the league defensively thanks to having a butter-smooth middle infield of Colin Campbell and rookie Brett O’Keefe. On the bump, Brendan Huber, Eddie Samp and Kyle Breidenstine combined for a 2.20 ERA while throwing over ¾ of all Dodger regular-season innings. El Sampo and Moose were strong and steady all year, but it was Huber who seethed his way to a Cy Young-worthy campaign. The Sasquatch from Saskatchewan (don’t look that up, just assume it’s true) led the YBL with 67 innings pitched and became the league’s second 10-game winner since the dawn of .400hitter statistics.

Despite offensive struggles, the Dodgers got the timely hitting needed to go along with their defense and pitching which propelled them into the playoffs. Of course, every team wants to win the whole thing, but the Dodgers can look back at 2014 as a big step in the right direction.

2015 Roster Moves:

The core of the 2014 Savin Hill Dodgers should remain relatively intact moving into the coming year. A few long-time players are feeling that familiar tug from their everyday lives to hang up the spikes and move on. Sadly, the Dodgers may have lost one of their more promising young guns. Team brass is contemplating honorary “Rathapoom Asdornvuttikrai” patches on their jerseys in support of the ClarkU undergrad, who had recently dealt with off-season knee surgery, only followed by another leg injury which will likely cost him the 2015 season. The Funky Buddha will be missed.

Additionally, the Savin Hill squad will be moving on without long-time Hornet (and short-time Dodger) manager Dave Bonnell. For personal reasons Dave has decided to pack away his managerial cap, but the team hopes to see him at some games this year.

Inside the chalk, the Dodgers should have an influx of a few new young faces and hope to find a couple players that can contribute right away in the hopes pushing the team deeper into the playoffs.

Season Outlook:

Taking the eventual YBL Championship runners-up Athletics to a full five-game frenzy in the first round of the 2014 playoffs was the taste the Dodgers needed to immediately start thinking forward to 2015. They smell the proverbial blood in the water and have set a goal of adding to their win total and battling deeper into the tournament. In a perfect world, a Dodgers rebound from a down year offensively coupled with already strong pitching and team defense would mean that anything is possible for this squad.

2015, however, is going to be the swan song for a Dodger legend. Year after year of Beast Mode has taken its toll (along with some nagging injuries), and Jay Shatto has decided to go out on his own terms before his body decides for him. This will be the farewell tour for Shatto, his 15^th season in the YBL. He started his career with 2 seasons on the Astros, and then took his bench-warming talents over to what has become the black and blue. Since then, centerfield on the Dodgers has been locked down every year by one of the better hitters in the league, and arguably the best player in the history of the Dodger franchise. JShatts has posted a career .340 average, won 2 Silver Sluggers and 5 Gold Gloves, represented the YBL on all-star teams in 11 seasons, and he is closing in on the career 300-hit mark (predating .400hitter). His stat-keeping skills, however, will not be missed.

The rest of the league has likely noted the fact that these are no longer the Dodgers or Hornets of yesteryear, from way back, or even the olden days. Savin Hill knows they won’t be sneaking past anyone unnoticed anymore, and 2015 promises to at least be another fun season………but this year’s Dodgers wants more.

Somerville Alibrandis
2014 Record: 24-7-1
Yawkey Baseball League Champions

2014 Season Review:

Following an unprecedented 40-4 campaign in 2013, the Big Red Machine entered 2014 poised to win their 5th consecutive league title, and 15th in their Franchise’s illustrious history. They did not disappoint.

Fueled by an All-World pitching staff led by veterans Chris Foundas, Jon Morse, and closer Brian Tanguy, Somerville’s arms posted a league-best 1.58 ERA during the regular season, and upped the ante come playoff time to the tune of 0.71. Newcomer Chris McKenzie rode his blazing fastball to a team-high 4 playoff wins, eventually recording the final out in the team’s championship- clinching victory against Al Thomas.

YBL Legend Marc “Doc” Desroches capped off his Hall of Fame career with a team best 30 RBI, while also becoming the charter member of the Yawkey Baseball League 500-hit club. He retires as unquestionably the league’s most dominant player, with a 19-year career that saw him take part in every one of Somerville’s 15 league championships.

Joining Doc with a century-mark milestone of his own was right fielder Sal Mendonca who collected his 300th Yawkey League hit back in May.
In the end, it was coach Bernie Driscoll who kept the team on track despite losing 6 key contributors over the course of the season to professional contracts or personal commitments. He looks to re-tool for the 2015 campaign in search of consecutive ring #6 with a target cemented firmly on his back by a league hungry to knock him off his perch.

Key Losses:

For the first time in nearly 2 decades, Somerville will take the field in 2015 without a fiery pregame speech from their Captain, #11. Players like Marc Desroches simply do not get replaced, and Alibrandi Version 2.0 will need to find their identity in the wake of a lineup sans “The Doctor”.

Compounding this loss is the departure of infielder Logan Gillis, whose hustle and grit coming out of Bentley University were key factors in the squad’s previous 2 championships.

Chris McKenzie and Dan Mahoney are also moving on after each winning a ring in their YBL rookie seasons, creating a void in the Alibrandi bullpen that will be very hard to fill by opening day.
Though perhaps the biggest loss for Somerville is the 20 lbs of fat former All-American Bobby Barrett shed in anticipation of a resurgent 2015 campaign.

Key Additions:

David Lightbody will take the ride up I-93 to join the Somerville Alibrandi Baseball Club after an All-Star season with the South Boston Saints. The Somerville table setters (Maguire/Salines/Addesa) are salivating at the thought of David’s run producing capabilities in the middle of the lineup.
Somerville was excited for the return of prodigal son Lamarre Rey, who was slated to rejoin the Somerville staff in 2015. Yawkey League fans will remember Lamarre’s dominant 2013 performance in which he did not give up an earned run in 52.2 innings. Alas, the excitement was short-lived as Lamarre re-signed with the Frontier Greys of the Frontier Professional Baseball League. We wish him luck as he continues to pursue his career in professional baseball along with former SS Stevie Rogers who will lace em’ up for the Florence Freedom in 2015.

God-willing, the most important additions to the Alibrandi family in 2015 will be the half-dozen new faces en route thanks to Somerville’s bevy of pregnant chicks. No wonder the Alibrandi record slumped in 2014, half the roster was “drained” by game time with all the baby-making going on. We pray for the healthy arrival of the Tanguy/Sullivan/Driscoll children incoming, and send blessings and congratulations to Marc and Michelle Desroches who gave birth to beautiful Morgan earlier this year.

Season Outlook:

The league gets better and better every year, but Somerville just keeps finding ways to stay in the hunt. With its pitching staff still firmly intact, Somerville should compete with the league’s best as long as the lineup can find a way to put some runs on the board. The corner infield spots are still a question mark and offseason workouts have started alarmingly late this year, but as soon as the snow drifts on Trum Field melt, you better believe there will be a host of Red Jerseys working towards that 6th title in a row.
To quote the late, great Al Davis…”Just win baby”

Even as Boston was getting a record amount of snow, baseball business was in the air and a lot of changes in the off season for the former Brighton Minutemen.

For starters, Yawkey League Hall of Famer Dan Pill has moved on and the former 50% franchise share holder Dana Levensaler, is now the sole franchise holder. With field permits becoming ever increasingly difficult to obtain, and the Minutemen bouncing around numerous home fields within the Boston area the last 3 years, the first order of business was to secure somewhere the Minmen can really call home and play the majority of their 16 home games at. They needed a good venue and a good ball park as a foundation to start.

After trying for a decade, and a lot of good things falling into place, this huge, first goal has been accomplished. The squad will leave the scenic tennis courts and infamous “doggie hill” of Rogers Park in Brighton. Although the sights will be missed at Rogers, the team will now bat in the bottom frame of innings at Nipper Maher Park in Waltham. Simply dubbed “Nipper”, there is a huge baseball tradition here. A boat load of high level college ball players, independent league players, and players that would eventually go on to be drafted have played ball here. Nipper has plenty of parking, a good field, good mound, one of the best batters box around and a “mini monster” along the entire outfield. The mini monster is a chain linked fence about 20 feet high……and its even painted green.

With this, a complete rebranding was in order. A vision Levensaler has had for years since his early days as a Brighton Brave some 22 years ago. Also, the fact that in this local market, there has not been a team called this for years, and teams that did have the name were offered uniforms and donations to change it. Let the boos begin……ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the Waltham Yankees.

All these logistics and waiting to see where the dominoes would fall, in addition to the crazy snow, has led the Yanks to start a tad later then usual on the personal side. Their three all stars from last year all return including Levensaler himself. Team hit leader and strikeout leader on the mound, Rob MacDonald is back. Maca also emerged last year into a leadership role with managerial duties and he will continue that as well. He, like Dana, a Waltham guy, grew up playing ball at Nipper. Third all star and team leader in wins returns, and Stephen Shortle is right on track with his normal non-throwing off season routine. Come mid summer though, tall lefty Steve-O will continue to paint the black and mix in off speed pitches to try to keep opposing offenses quiet.

Super YBL vet Steve Walsh will return and continue to track down balls with younger outfield teammates asking him “how did you get to that?”. “positioning”.   Walshy led the team in RBI last year and also has a leadership role and knows how to “position” himself because he has been playing against YBL-ers for years and knows the scouting reports.

Base running rabbit Steve Fitzmaurice returns. In addition to shagging balls down, Fitzy also has been behind the dish. When he is, he would have to be the fasted catcher in the league. With some base stealing tips, look for Fitz to again lead the team in steals.

Speaking of catchers, Devin Kelly returns. The U Mass Boston sophomore catcher got a taste of the YBL last summer and now realizes how good the ball is here. With another year playing at school and one YBL summer under his belt, look for Kelly to continue to improve.

When it comes to two things in the YBL, the Waltham Yanks have one of the best. 1-baseball trivia and 2-Highest IQ in the league. We are speaking of course, about Dan Cooney. Baseball trivia all day and after spending years at Harvard, you don’t want to start asking him about non baseball stuff because it will be over your head.

The Yanks have other coals in the fire and other players returning from last year that will help with this exciting rebrand as we get ready to don the pinstripes.

Malden Maddogs
2014 Record: 14-18
Ted Williams Division: 5th place

2014 Season Review:

The 2014 campaign was the first under new manager/franchise holder, Nick Vennochi. The team consistently pitched well enough to win, with highlight performances from Kenny Chaves, Blaine McLean, and Jon Klein. Chaves and Klein both finished with 1.88 ERAs, and Chaves led the team with six wins. He and McLean combined for 10 of the team’s 14 victories. Rookie Paul Mahoney also showed promise, with two wins, and pitching in nine games over 38.1 innings.

But the team’s offense was inconsistent in key moments, and the Maddogs missed the playoffs by one game. Veterans Matt Delaney, Geoff Lopes and Pete Maltzan led the team offensively. Delaney batted .355 with an OPS of .971. He ripped four doubles, four homers and had a triple, while driving in 21. Lopes caught 30 games and hit .319 with 17 RBIs. Maltzan led the team with 34 hits and 20 runs. Delaney, Lopes, Maltzan and Nick Vennochi combined for 128 of the teams 219 hits. In the end, the team didn’t get enough contributions from the entire lineup to consistently win games.

2015 Season Preview:

With all the struggles offensively in 2014, the team still missed the playoffs by only one game. This year’s version of the Maddogs is using last year’s disappointment as motivation. We have been working hard in the offseason to get over the hump and end a two-year playoff draught. A few new additions coupled with returning the core of the team gives the Maddogs franchise hope for the present and future.

The team returns seven key starters offensively and four-fifths of a starting rotation that combined for 3.57 ERA last season. Blaine McLean and Kenny Chaves look to continue their consistent track records with Paul Mahoney and Brad McLean looking to build on solid progression. Jeff Croteau (Bentley, ’13) joins the staff looking to pave his own Maddog legacy. He was a teammate of Blaine McLean and right fielder Bryant Johnson at Bentley during the 2012-2013 season.

Veterans Jay Sablone and Taleh Saleh are also returning for the 2015 season. Sablone will be in his 12th year, while Saleh will be in his 10th. Matt Delaney, Blaine McLean, and Brad McLean return for a six season, while Vennochi, Lopes, and Maltzan all return for a fourth.

Youngsters Joe Klingensmith (Stonehill), Mahoney (UMass Dartmouth), Matt Keefe (Rivier), Noah Tocci (Colby), Brooks Parker (Deerfield Academy), Tyler McLean, JP Whalen (Babson) and George Gouthier will all be competing for playing time with the veteran-laden team.

The team believes a good mix of young and experienced will lead to a 2015 season to remember.

South End Astros
2014 Record: 13-18-1
Carl Yastrzemski Division: 5th place

2014 Season Review:

The South End Astros definitely didn’t end their season the way they would have liked to, but there were definitely some bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season. The Astros were 2-0 against Yawkey powerhouse Stoneham Sabres, and also had impressive victories over East Boston, Al Thomas, and Revere. It was their inability to beat teams like Savin Hill, West Roxbury, and Malden that ultimately kept them out of the playoffs once again.

Offensively, South End was led by the most dangerous 3-4 hitters in the league, Luis Uribe and Julian Alvarez. Uribe finished the season with a team leading .403 average with 5 HR and 19 RBI. Alvarez finished with a .349 average with a team leading 6 HR and 24 RBI. Key injuries to relievers Joey Ortiz and Izzy Velez in the 2nd game of the season really hurt the Astros. They then lost 2nd baseman Paul Politsopoulos to a concussion and Chris Deane to a horrific knee injury. One of the main reasons the Astros were able to remain competitive was the arm of staff ace Starling Arias. The right hander threw 61 innings, ending the season with a 5-4 record, a 2.87 ERA, and a Yawkey League leading 75 strikeouts!

2015 Season Preview:

The 2015 South End Astros are looking forward to starting the season healthy and stronger than ever. Starting pitchers Starling Arias and Alex Weldon will anchor the Astros rotation. A healthy Chris Deane will add leadership and power to the lineup that already boasts names like Peguero, Sanjurjo, Uribe, and Alvarez. The return of closer Izzy Velez and hard throwing lefty Jonathan Matos will give the Astros depth and versatility for Coach Carl Rodriguez, and the return of Moises Maza behind the plate will be great for Carl’s knees! The Astros also have a few surprises for the upcoming season that the league will just have to wait to see…….

Revere Rockies
2014 Record: 24-8
Ted Williams Division Runner-ups

Season Review:

The end of their 2014 campaign was arguably the most heartbreaking in the team’s history, but it was galvanizing and has only increased the sense of family that has developed around the team in the past few seasons. This is evident in the markedly low turnover experienced this offseason. Families stick together, and this one is ready for spring.

Key Losses:

– John Young will be missed this year as he has relocated for work, but we plan to have him back in 2016. Attempting to fill his roll will be several new faces but they will surely find they are tall shoes to fill. Revere will have to find a way for more “free stuff” in 2015.

– Revere loses Rich Wlodarczyk to relocation as well. His bulldog mentality will truly be missed. You don’t just replace a Woody. The new arms will have big shoes to fill.

– Mike Hicks will be moving on from the Rockies. We wish him all the best

Key Additions:

– The biggest news of the offseason is that they will again be joined by 2013 League MVP Luis Rodriguez, who missed the last season recovering from surgery. Luis’ presence should really set the tone for an already formidable Revere lineup.

– Revere will add 2 new young arms to the pitching mix, in Andrew Wells and Jake Kelley. Both will be counted on to log important innings if Revere intends to make a playoff push come August.

Season Outlook:

The 2015 edition of the Revere Rockies looks a lot like the 2014 edition, returning all but one of the 2014 playoff Roster. Revere is excited to unite former league MVP Luis Rodriguez alongside reigning MVP Tom Englehardt. Revere will also turn to Bobby Foote to build off his 2014 campaign seeing him lead the YBL in RBIs. If Rockies veterans Chris Hartery and Sean Glavin can cement the middle of the lineup the Revere offense should be amongst the league’s best.

The top end of the pitching staff returns mainly unchanged. Veterans Adam Del Rio and Chris Sandini have combined for 20 Rockies wins over the last three seasons, and will again be joined by Alex Wong and Alex Torres who both turned in ERAs under 2.00 in their 2014 campaigns.