Though small in size, the state of Connecticut continues to send its share of talent to Major League Baseball.
They range from graybeards like 41-year old Brad Ausmus of Cheshire, now in his 18th big league season; rejuvenated veterans like Southington’s Carl Pavano, one of the league’s winningest pitchers this season; to rising stars like Norwich’s Rajai Davis, on pace to steal 40 bases for the second straight season.
In all, nine players with state ties played in the majors this season. Several more are on target to get there in the next year or two. And its talent pool is hardly drying up. New Britain’s George Springer (OF, UConn), Bethany’s Jason Esposito (3B, Vanderbilt) and Bethel’s Matt Barnes (RHP, UConn) are all potential first-round picks for the June 2011 draft.
Last week we gave you prospects 11-20; today, we’ll complete our sixth annual Connecticut minor league prospects list with the top 10.
10. Pat Egan, Rocky Hill, RHP, Norfolk (Va.) Tides (Orioles, Triple-A): Egan, a 6-foot-8 basketball and baseball player at Quinnipiac, has all the makings of a major league pitcher, and should get his shot. He began the year at Double-A Bowie, where he was barely touched in 22 appearances out of the bullpen (6-1, 2.12 ERA, .177 batting average-against). He’s stumbled at Triple-A (5.28 ERA), but will get a crack at making the Orioles major league roster in spring training.
9. Cory Riordan, Killingworth, RHP, Tulsa (Okla.) Drillers (Rockies, Double-A): A sixth-round pick out of Fordham in 2007, Riordan is a pitcher’s pitcher who gets hitters out by mixing speeds and excellent control. He allows a lot of hits, but also gets his fair share of strikeouts (just under a batter an inning over his four seasons). Still a starter, look for him to jump to Triple-A Colorado Springs next season.
8. Pierre LePage, Wolcott, 2B, Boise (Idaho) Hawks (Cubs, rookie Class A): LePage is constantly compared to Dustin Pedroia, and it’s not hard to see the parallels. Scrappy and undersized (5-foot-8, 168 pounds) LePage, a UConn sparkplug the past three seasons, is as feared as any cleanup hitter. Perhaps more so. While he lacks power, he’s a contact hitter who rarely strikes out and can steal bases. After signing in June, he was sent to the instructional league and promoted after going 7-for-10 (.700) in two games. Between the Arizona Cubs and Boise, is batting .362 with 17 doubles, three triples, a homer and 34 RBIs.
7. Eric Campbell, Norwich, IF/OF, Binghamton (N.Y.) Mets (Mets, Double-A): An eighth-round pick out of Boston College in 2008, Campbell shook off two mediocre seasons (.260 and .249) and made mince meat of the Florida State League. He hit .335 with a .915 OPS before a promotion to the B-Mets,where he continued his assault. A broken pinkie finger slowed him, but Campbell is hitting a combined .309 with nine homers and 47 RBIs in 88 games. The Mets aren’t sure what to do with him defensively — he’s played first base, third base and outfield — which could be the main roadblock for the 6-foot-3, 220-pound slugger.
6. A.J. Pollock, Hebron, OF, unassigned (Diamondbacks): Pollock, a first-round pick in 2009 after an All-American career at Notre Dame, suffered a fractured growth plate in his elbow trying to catch a flyball in spring training. It cost him the season. He’s been rehabbing at the team facility in Arizona, and targeting an Arizona Fall League return.
5. Shawn Haviland, Farmington, RHP, Stockton (Calif.) Ports (A’s, advanced Class A): As is usually the case with 33rd-round picks out of the Ivy League — in his case Harvard — Haviland’s pro career began with little expectation. Now, Oakland is wondering if it may have found a hidden gem. In his third pro season, Haviland was a workhorse in the hitter-friendly California League. At 8-6 with a 3.64 ERA, he leads the league with 152 strikeouts and in the top five in ERA and innings pitched (138). And he’s only gotten stronger, named the league’s pitcher of the week twice in August. The Double-A Texas League awaits next year.
4. Mike Olt, Branford, 3B, Spokane (Wash.) Indians (Rangers, short-season Class A): Olt’s major-league power and defensive skills made him a supplemental first-round pick (49th overall) out of UConn in June. If he continues to develop as the Rangers expect, he could wind up in Arlington in two or three years. Olt is hitting .286 with 13 doubles, seven homers and 36 RBIs. Deep River’s Brian Dayett, a former major leaguer and the hitting coach in Spokane, is among those who think Olt can go far. “Mike is going to be a major leaguer,” Dayett told the Shoreline Times. “I’ll put my money on that.”
3. Matt Harvey, Groton, RHP, unassigned (Mets): Blazing fastball. Huge signing bonus. Enormous expectations. Harvey, the seventh overall selection in June, rebounded after an off year at North Carolina to go 8-3 with a 3.09 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 96 innings. He passed on his final year of eligibility to sign a $2.5 million contract just before the deadline earlier this month, and Mets fans are eager to see what Harvey and his 97 mile-an-hour heater can do. Expected to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, Harvey should begin at low Class A Savannah next spring.
2. Evan Scribner, Washington Depot, RHP, San Antonio (Texas) Missions (Padres, Double-A): In another organization, Scribner might be in the big leagues right now. But a backlog of talented pitchers in San Diego and at Triple-A Portland (Ore.), many coming in the Jake Peavy trade, has Scribner stuck in Double-A for a second successive season. Scribner, a 28th-round pick of Arizona out of Central Connecticut State, has quite a resume. Still a Class A player in 2008, he was traded straight-up for major leaguer Tony Clark. He made the Texas League all-star team for the second year in a row, and saved 32 games with 144 strikeouts in 130 innings. In a recent poll by Baseball America, managers said Scribner had the best breaking stuff in the league. The Padres, suddenly teeming with bullpen talent, may not have room for Scribner in the next year or two. But someone else will.
1. Ryan Lavarnway, Yale, C, Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs (Red Sox, Double-A): The Red Sox are blessed with a surplus of blue-chip catching prospects. Dusty Brown. Mark Wagner. Luis Exposito. Tim Federowicz. Lavarnway, still relatively inexperienced as a backstop, might be the best of the very talented bunch. A bona fide power prospect — he won the NCAA batting title as a sophomore at Yale, and set single-season and career homer records in his three seasons there — Lavarnway has eclipsed 20 homers for the second time in two pro seasons. At 92 RBIs between Class A Salem and Portland, he’s also flirting with 100 RBIs once again. But his improved defensive skills have Boston’s front office excited. He’s cleaned up his mechanics, and, for the moment, eliminated talk of moving him to the outfield or first base. He could wind up back in Portland to start next year, but should see Triple-A Pawtucket at some point.
