Draft Pick Discussion, Rounds 6-20 -- Latest: 15th-rounder Bates turned down significant bonus

[rpms6]

From wbir.com in Knoxville:

Former South-Doyle standout and Tennessee
first baseman Cody Hawn has signed with the Milwaukee Brewershttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_bing.gif.

The Brewers drafted Hawn in the 6th round of the MLBhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_bing.gif
Draft. he will leave Monday to play rookie ball in Helena, Montana.

This past season, the junior batted .327 with 14 home runs and a
team-best 61 RBIs. During his two years at Tennessee, Hawn blasted 36
home runs. That puts his third on Tennessee's all-time home run list.

[Tedaldtada]

Nice signing. Sounded like he was at least thinking about returning to UT.

[colbyjack]

Greg Holle pitched for TCU on Saturday against Texas in mop-up duty, although don't feel bad for the Horned Frogs, as they're going to Omaha for the first time ever. Holle's a big fella, but doesn't throw as hard as you think he might for being 6-foot-8 or however tall he is and 230-250 pounds. He was throwing mostly soft stuff, between a low-80s change and a mid-70s curve while mixing in an upper-80s fastball that had a little dip to it. While he pitched 4 innings, it's not exactly what you would expect from a pitcher his size who is projected to pitch short relief. He could be a project as a starter.

[Mass Haas]

Video news report and brief interview -- LSU 8th Round RHP Austin Ross still weighing his options; you've got to love banter with the newscaster who has no idea what the topic really involves...

[Mass Haas]

Windsor Star

 

7th round Canadian prep school RHP Joel Pierce sees action today, and will also represent Canada in the World Junior Baseball Championships in July, so we won't see him in Maryvale for some time -- hopefully he signs.

 

Windsor's Joel Pierce will make his first start for the Tecumseh Thunder Midgets since being selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the MLB draft last week. Pierce was a seventh-round pick (219th overall) and is also looking to attend Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina.

Pierce will also represent Canada in the World Junior Baseball Championships in Thunder Bay next month.

 

 

 

[battlekow]

My interview with 20th-round SS Shea Vucinich.

[Tedaldtada]

Ok, here's a question, what the heck is the difference between John Bivens and Johnny Dishon? And why did they go 30 rounds apart? They are the same size, same scouting report, same big school pedigree (Bivens finished at a smaller school). The MLB draft is so freaking weird, but I love it. No other sport requires such thourough scouting.

[colbyjack]

There was interest in Bivens, who did receive regular playing time this season. He attended the Perfect Game National Pre-Draft Showcase in mid-May, and teams were definitely showing interest in him. Dishon was more under the radar, and as I noted in another thread, the Brewers did a good job gauging his signability. I'm guessing most teams somewhat forgot about him and assumed he would return to LSU to receive more regular playing time to improve his draft standing.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Holle going out with a bang

Former CBA star heading to World Series, then pros

By MARK SINGELAIS, Albany (NY) TimesUnion Staff writer

 

As the bus carrying Loudonville's Greg Holle reached the Fort Worth, Texas, city limits late Sunday night, a police escort was there to meet him and the rest of the Texas Christian University baseball team.

 

The Horned Frogs were led back to their stadium, where about 100 fans and the TCU marching band greeted them to celebrate the school's first appearance in the College World Series.

 

"I really don't think it's set in," said Holle, who starred in baseball and basketball for CBA. "It probably won't for a while. What we're doing right now, it's something special."

 

Holle, a junior right-handed pitcher, became one of the few Section II products to ever reach the World Series when TCU defeated powerhouse Texas 4-1 in Austin on Sunday in the third and deciding game of their super regional.

 

That triumph sent the fourth-ranked Horned Frogs (51-12) to Omaha, Neb., where they'll open the World Series against Florida State on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Rosenblatt Stadium.

 

"When it all comes to an end, a national championship would definitely be the icing on it," Holle said.

 

The eight participating schools will play a double-elimination format with the two survivors meeting in a best-of-three championship that starts June 28.

 

Other area players who have reached the College World Series include Delmar's John Stokoe, who pitched on Wake Forest's NCAA champion in 1955; Albany Academy's Rick Bernardo, a Maine first baseman who played in the 1986 Series; and Albany Academy's Chris Clark, an outfielder on Stanford's 1997 participant.

 

Gary Holle, Greg's father, played three seasons at Siena before going on to a professional career that included a short stint with the Texas Rangers. He said he wondered what it would have been like to play in a World Series.

 

"If you're a college baseball player, this is heaven," said Gary Holle, who will travel to Omaha this weekend. "The magnitude of what TCU has just done, if you're from Texas, having defeated the (Texas) Longhorns, that basically will turn the state of Texas upside down."

 

It's likely Greg Holle's college career will end this month. He was chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round of the major-league draft last week and indicated he'll sign and forgo his senior year.

 

"I think it's looking that way," said Holle, who can't negotiate with Milwaukee until TCU's season is over.

 

Holle, moved to the bullpen this season, had a few bad outings early in the season, which contributed to his team-high 8.02 earned-run average.

 

However, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound Holle has 37 strikeouts and only nine walks. He said his velocity has improved from the high-80s to low- to mid-90s since the TCU coaches got him to drop his arm in his delivery.

 

He hopes to pitch in an important situation this weekend.

 

"I'd be lying if I told you I knew exactly what type of role I'll get," he said. "In a tournament like this, it's all hands on deck. I'll do whatever I can."

[Tedaldtada]

Velocity impoved to low to mid-90's??? That would make sense giving how gigantic this kid is.

[pete]

Here's a pretty long video with Cody Hawn, which I don't believe has been posted.

 

 

 

http://utsports.tv/mens-sports/cody-hawn/

[Mass Haas]

Canadian team takes big dreams into world junior baseball championship at home

Shi Davidi/The Canadian Press

 

Waiting for the world junior baseball championship to start hasn't been easy for Joel Pierce, and he admits to occasionally allowing his imagination to run wild.

 

"Quite a few times, actually. When I fall asleep, I've had dreams about it," says the right-handed pitcher from Windsor, Ont. "I dream about stepping out on the mound, seeing that atmosphere, playing for Canada — it doesn't get any better.

 

"We've been building up for it for two years now, it's like a climax to everything I've done so far."

 

The dreaming for Pierce and his Canadian teammates, becomes reality Friday when they open the 10-day, 12-country tournament in Thunder Bay, Ont., against the Netherlands.

 

Pierce, a seventh-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the June draft, will be one of several future big-league hopefuls looking to make a splash in the bi-annual competition.

 

A bevy of top prospects — including catcher Kellin Deglan of Langley, B.C., a first-round pick of the Texas Rangers — will take part in an event that is baseball's version of hockey's world junior championship, only with a much smaller profile. It brings together the exuberance of youth, the passion of playing for one's country and the intriguing unpredictability that results from both.

 

"It's a tournament full of future major-leaguers and it's a clash of cultures, a clash of philosophies within the game of baseball," says Greg Hamilton, Baseball Canada's director of national teams. "You get the Asians who play the game a little bit differently, you get the Cubans who play with a different level of bravado and energy that isn't always well received on this side of the world.

 

"And there's a lot of talent in the tournament, but it's 16- to 18-year-old talent, so it can be interesting on a given night when the energy level becomes part of it."

 

South Korea enters the 2010 competition as the two-time defending champion, beating the United States both in 2006 at Cuba and in 2008 at Edmonton.

 

The Canadians have won the championship just once, back in 1991 at Brandon, Man., and last climbed the podium in '06, claiming a bronze.

 

They will play out of Pool B along with the South Koreans and Dutch, plus Cuba, Panama and the Czech Republic. Pool A features Australia, Venezuela, Taiwan, France and Italy with the Americans.

 

The top four teams in each group advance to cross-over quarter-finals, with the winners moving on to semifinal and final contests.

 

How far Canada advances depends on how well its arms fare. While Deglan, outfielder Rowan Wick of North Vancouver, B.C. (Milwaukee's 18th-round pick) and Dalton Pompey of Mississauga, Ont. (Toronto's 16th-rounder) give the juniors a solid offensive base, the load will be on pitchers like Evan Grills of Whitby, Ont. (Houston's 10th-rounder), Pierce and Jonathan Paquet of Ancienne Lorette, Que. (Philadelphia's 22nd-rounder).

 

"You've got a chance when you can pitch on any given night and I think we should pitch pretty well for this age," said Hamilton. "We've got some pretty good arms and some guys who should handle the environment really well."

 

Hamilton has groomed most of the 20 players on the junior team over the past two years, taking them to annual camps in Florida and the Dominican Republic where they play young professional players.

 

The idea is to pull them out of their comfort zone and test how they react to the challenge of facing stronger, more experienced players in vastly different, sometimes intimidating environments.

 

"The competition level is huge, it's so good," said Wick. "You see better pitching, better players. My league at home (the B.C. Premier League) is good, but it's way better down there."

 

Pierce felt the tours helped him most with his "confidence, knowing you can go out there and compete with anyone, it doesn't matter who's at the plate."

 

"If you make the same good pitches at home or against someone in Florida, you'll still get them out," he added.

 

A series of exhibition games against American collegians and international rivals this month only further offered the Canadians a chance to prepare for the talent jump at the championship.

 

The one thing they couldn't simulate, however, is the emotional rush of playing at an elite-level event with Canada across the chest. Hamilton and his staff have spent plenty of time telling the players what they can expect, but it's a different story once they're out there.

 

"You want to feed of the energy of the crowd," said Hamilton, "but you don't want that energy to take you over."

 

The players also need to have fun.

 

"The first thing we tell them is to enjoy the experience because for a lot of these guys it might be the only time they strap on the jersey for the country," says pitching coach Chris Begg, who suited up for Canada at the 2004 and '08 Olympics and at both World Baseball Classics. "Baseball-wise, a lot of these guys haven't played against international competition, and it's a totally different game, each country plays the game differently.

 

"The other thing about international baseball, it's a bunch of one-game series and it's a short tournament, you can't take countries like Germany or Italy, as we found in the World Baseball Classic last year, lightly because they can take you in that one game."

 

While Italy's stunning victory sent Canada packing from the Classic last spring, the senior national team redeemed itself somewhat with a bronze medal at the World Cup last fall.

 

The junior team will hope to keep the program's momentum going, but even if they don't, graduates like Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins believe the experience they get is irreplaceable.

 

"What Greg has done with that program has been amazing," he says. "To see young Canadian kids wanting to be baseball players it makes you feel pretty good, knowing how well Greg has done with that, and how well we competed last year at the World Cup and how far the program has come.

 

"It's right up there with a lot of the top countries in the world."

 

The next generation of players has the chance to prove that.

[CheezWizHed]

So, I'd imagine that Pierce won't sign until after the World championships are done. But any word on whether he will sign or not?

 

Also, any updates on:

Rafael Neda,

Michael White

Chris Bates

Andrew Morris

Rowan Wick

 

signing? Apologies if I'm just looking in the wrong spot. Just haven't heard much about them lately.

[Mass Haas]

On a personal note, since I live in Massachusetts, my own in-person connections to the Brewers' minor league system had dried up in recent years, basically since the AAA team moved to the Pacific Coast League -- no more hanging out with the Indianapolis Indians in Pawtucket, Rhode Island for instance.  So I was intrigued when I learned that the Canadian National Junior Team was coming to New England, and more specifically, to the city where I grew up, New Bedford, as part of a tune-up tour, taking on the NECBL (New England Collegiate Baseball League) New Bedford Bay Sox in preparation for the World Junior Baseball Championship which got underway just last night in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

 

Last Wednesday evening the 14th, my cousin Tom and I headed to my old high school field (quite refurbished since my school days 30 years ago), and the plan was to visit with two Brewer draft picks who are yet to sign, 7th round RHP Joel Pierce and 19th round C/OF (drafted as an outfielder) Rowan Wick.

 

This was scheduled to be a big night for Bay Sox management.  They had invested money in bringing the Canadian team to town and were expecting a larger-than-normal crowd for this game.  Unfortunately, heavy afternoon rainstorms left the sky especially gloomy and there was a question as to whether the game would even take place when we arrived shortly before the 6:30 PM start time.  We literally were among about a dozen fans only who were waiting to see if the box office would even open.  Lucky for us, around 7:00 came the word that we could enter the ballfield and that the game would begin around 8:15.  That worked out just fine, as it left plenty of time for me to seek out Pierce and Wick.

 

As players from both squads mingled by the edges of the property concourse as the tarp was being removed and the field groomed, I asked a couple of the Canadian kids to let Joel and Rowan know I wouldn't mind speaking to them for a moment -- my Brewer T-shirt was probably a good clue to my allegiance!  Before long, the young men came on over to say hello.  Among the first things I learned was that Joel was the scheduled starter that evening, and Rowan would be his batterymate.  Lucky me again!

 

This wood-bat game would pit the Canadian youngsters (and they are young, 16-18 years old, both Pierce and Wick won't turn 18 until this December and November, respectively) against a team made up mostly of college sophomores and juniors from around the country.  So while the 6'4" Pierce and the rock-solid 6'2", 205 lb. Wick had physical attributes to match the college players, it was clear from their faces that I was speaking with 17-year-olds, as they would have blended in seamlessly on the high school campus.

 

Canadian manager Greg Hamilton is an institution of his own up north.  This squad was made up of 26 players that would be trimmed down to 20 for the World's.  Eleven of the players were drafted this June (several are still too young to be eligible); catcher Kellin Deglan was a first-round pick by Texas, and he's actually made his pro debut in the Arizona League already.  He was not with the team for the touring game I saw.

 

I tried to convince the Brewer draftees I wasn't a stalker, or worse yet, a player agent (sorry, Josh -- there were actually two agents small-talking with the players in the pre-game).  But they realized quickly I knew a lot about them, so that helped move the conversation along.  I asked them how they enjoyed their clubhouse visit for a Braves / Mets game at Citi Field three days earlier, which was coordinated by their countryman Jason Bay.  (A week after I spoke with them, the team was hosted at Target Field in Minnesota for a game, this time hosted by Justin Morneau.)  I had read that Wick in particular had joined workouts last winter with Morneau, of which he was so excited to acknowledge.

 

Of course, I had to get to the topic on our minds -- will they be signing with Milwaukee?  The sides have until August 15th to come to terms, the final game of the World Tournament is August 1st.  Pierce's eyes seemed to light up in a big way as he flashed a Tiger Beat smile when I asked if there was anything to his Coastal Carolina college commitment.  He could only say so much, naturally, but my own indication would be that the Brewers would really have to undercut any offer for Pierce not to sign. He seemed very ready to get on the route to Miller Park.  Wick was a bit more serious in his thoughtful response -- his commitment to St. John's is pretty intriguing, apparently there is an opening in right field waiting for him there, and you have to remember that he's a 19th round pick.  So he seemed truly humbled by the Brewers interest, very honored, but Big East baseball at the fine NYC institution seems pretty tempting.  We'll see...

 

We talked about the scouts who had followed each in Canada, and the two players' own familiarity with some of the many Canucks in the Brewer system.  Now-Helena RHP Stosh Wawrzasek was one very familiar name for them, for instance.  So I did my own selling job for the organization, but it was time for pre-game workouts (plus Rowan had interrupted his dugout meal to come chat).  I wished each young man well.

 

I had seen other Brewer draftees in Cape Cod League or NECBL action in past years, and knew that if this night was like those, the Brewers would have someone in the crowd keeping an eye on the kids.  It wasn't long before before I saw a tall gentleman with a discreet Brewer logo on his cap among the especially sparse pre-game crowd , and recognized him as Asst. Director of Scouting Ray Montgomery (thank you, photos in Brewer media guide).  I introduced myself to Ray, tried to direct him to locally spiced Portuguese sausage at the concession stand (he went with a less glamorous choice), and tried to make myself less of a nuisance and more of a diehard fan.  He was familiar with Brewerfan.net, and spoke highly of how the Milwaukee front office staff views our minor league coverage in particular.

 

It was fun chatting with Ray on a variety of Brewer topics, but in particular he made it clear that the Brewers would not have drafted Pierce and Rowan if they did not like them to begin with.  So just the fact that he was on-site, with radar gun in hand, tells you that Brewer interest remains high.  Of course, he couldn’t comment more specifically to me regarding anything about potential offers or negotiations, which I understood.

 

On to the game, which was scheduled down to seven innings given the late start.  The mist had cleared, yet the walk-up crowd was non-existent.  The game was played before literally maybe 50 fans, most of which seemed to be host family members with whom the Bay Sox players were staying with locally.  It's too bad, because management had done all the normal international host preparation, right down to the exchange of gifts between players.

 

University of Georgia junior RHP Eric Swegman (there you go, colbyjack) was the Bay Sox starter.  1-2-3 1st.

 

Out came Joel.  Montgomery positioned himself behind the screen.    I conveniently sauntered over there beginning in the 2nd inning.  From the stands in the 1st, I watched Pierce work a 1-2-3 inning of his own -- comebacker to the mound, and two more ground balls, each to the right side.  By the way, the "Sham-Wow" dries up aluminum stands wonderfully.

 

Pierce pitched a scoreless 2nd -- K, BB, SB (Rowan Wick made a nice throw, but the baserunner appeared to kick the ball out of the fielder's glove on the tag), ground ball to 1B moving the runner over, a BB, and then a K to strand runners on 1st and 3rd.  Pierce was hitting 89 consistently with his fastball (may have gone above that on an occasional heater), and he seemed to have better command of his change-up (came in around 78 MPH) than his still-developing slider.  Everything, for the most part, was down, which was nice to see.

 

Leading off the 3rd against Pierce, Michael Johnson, a 5'9" junior infielder LH bat from Samford College took Joel high and deep over the right-field fence on what looked like a wheelhouse slider down and in.  So even the location seemed close to appropriate, maybe too much of the plate.  That was followed by a K, F4 (nice line drive catch at 2B -- I was really impressed with the Canadians' composure against the older Bay Sox).  With two outs, there was an E-6 and Pierce faltered a bit from there -- ground ball single to right, then a walk to load the bases.  On an 0-2 count, Pierce hit the next batter to force in the 2nd run of the inning.  Collected himself nicely with another strikeout to end the inning.

 

Pierce tossed a 1-2-3 4th (F9, K, 4-3). 

 

His 5th was more eventful, but importantly, scoreless (HBP, then a nice Wick throw to second base when the runner tried to advance on a ball in the dirt, followed by a single, passed ball, F8, BB, 4-3).

 

That would end the evening for Pierce.  His final line was 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4BB, 2 HBP, 5 K's.  He seemed in more control than that final line would indicate.

 

Wick fanned in the two AB's I recollect.  It seems I may have missed one AB, or he may have been pulled later in the game.

 

Three Bay Sox pitchers held the Canada bats in check, three hits total I believe, no real threat, and the game's final score was 2-0.

 

I had asked Ray Montgomery that if he were to tell me what words I should use to describe what I just saw on the mound from Pierce, what should I say.  That was my sneaky way of trying to get specifics from him.  He turned it around in a bit of scout-speak in such a way that I could tell he was pleased (I believe) but I could tell that I wouldn't be getting a detailed report.  Those guys are good in that sense, very guarded when they have to be.  Not rude in the least, in fact very respectful, just careful.

 

Post-game, I congratulated and thanked Joel and Rowan again, and specifically told Joel that I'd see him in Miller Park, which brought about a wide smile.

 

I am a bit surprised to see that in the first four scheduled Canada games in the World Tournament, Pierce is not listed as a scheduled starter.  His report from his one inning of relief in Game One, a 9-2 win over the Netherlands last night --

 

"Joel Pierce came in for relief of Jesen Dygestile-Therrien in the seventh, and quickly got into %*++!+ walking both Bayron Cornelisse and Daniel Arribas. Canada turned a 4-6-3 double play on a grounder, but left Cornelisse on third. Pierce struck out Urbanus to save the inning."

 

We'll post updates from the tournament over the next week.

 

Thanks again to Joel, Rowan, and Ray.  A pretty unique night, nice summer treat... 

[MoreTrife]

Great write-up, thanks Mass!

[Mass Haas]

CANADA FALLS TO CUBA AT WORLD JUNIOR BASEBALL

Final score 3-0, big game against South Korea Sunday; Rowan Wick had a base hit...

[colbyjack]

So, I'd imagine that Pierce won't sign until after the World championships are done. But any word on whether he will sign or not?

 

Also, any updates on:

Rafael Neda,

Michael White

Chris Bates

Andrew Morris

Rowan Wick

 

signing? Apologies if I'm just looking in the wrong spot. Just haven't heard much about them lately.

 

Mass of course has already touched on Pierce and Wick (speaking of which, awesome job!). Keep in mind, that unless you are directly connected to the negotiations, it's almost impossible to know who will and won't sign from year-to-year. The Brewers have a pretty good track record signing their early picks, particularly those that are expected to be difficult signs (like Gennett and Howell last year). It's not like there are any news releases to report that negotiations aren't progressing with a 15th-round draft pick.

 

I do know that Rafael Neda is playing for the San Luis Obispo Blues in the California Collegiate League this summer, and recently (a week or so ago) played in the league's all-star game. The game was on TV, and I believe there are a few re-broadcasts available, at least if you get Fox College Sports Pacific. He went 0-2 in the game, but overall is hitting pretty well this summer:

 

http://www.calsummerball.com/slob.htm#team.mlb

[Mass Haas]

This article discusses Canada's 5-4 win over South Korea last night, the two-time defending champions. It includes game details (no mention of Rowan Wick, Joel Pierce did not pitch) and mentions some of the other tounament action (the U.S. is undefeated).

 

With the game on the line and the Korean hitters seeming to find their timing on Smith, the Canadians gave the ball to Nicholas Pivetta, who did not disappoint and earned the save in the ninth. Pivetta punched out U Ram Mun for the final out as his teammates flooded the field to a raucous ovation from the partisan crowd.

 

Pretty nice that I can picture all those 17-year-old kids I met enjoying this moment.

 

“We‘ve played Cuba and we‘ve played Korea back to back and we‘ve played with them inning for inning and pitch for pitch,” Canada head coach Greg Hamilton said. “We know that we can, we know that we belong here, and we know that we can beat them.” Canada is off Monday and returns to action against Panama on Tuesday night at the Port Arthur Stadium.

 

Box score

RF Rowan Wick is 3-for-10 in the tournament including a double, two walks and an HBP -- nice.

 

Standings

 

Venezuela was a late arrival and forfeited their initial game to Australia.

[gobrew23]

Loved to read that story Maas. Can't say thanks enough for all the great information I get to read from you.

[Mass Haas]

Canada blasts Panama, 9-2.

 

Rowan Wick reached three more times, a long double and two walks.

 

Joel Pierce tossed two scoreless innings, but walked four (what's with that lately, Joel?).

 

Box score

Here are three game stories with mentions of the two Brewer draft picks.

 

Canada's Rowan Wick crossed the plate Tuesday as Panamanian catcher Charlie Apu awaits the throw.

http://static.tbnewswatch.com/Pictures/103353_634158762999396259.jpg

 

http://netnewsledger.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/215.jpg

[CheezWizHed]

It's not like there are any news releases to report that negotiations aren't progressing with a 15th-round draft pick.

 

Well, no, but there have been reports (mainly for the 20+ picks) about going to college. And you always seem to have some inside scoops. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Mass Haas]

Canada moves to 4-1 in pool play with an 8-7 come-from-behind walkoff win over the Czech Republic.

Rowan Wick started in right field, but moved behind the plate in the 2nd inning, as Texas 1st round catcher Kellin Deglan was pulled after striking out looking to end the 1st. The box score doesn't indicate an ejection -- we'll see game stories in the AM.

Wick had a sacrifice fly in the 4th, then had a key single as part of a two-run bottom of the 9th. Go Rowan!

Canada faces Italy (2-3) on Friday as the single elimination portion of the tournnament begins. There are additional games Saturday, but in terms of winning the championship, the fun begins Friday. A vicory over Italy would set up Canada vs. the Chinese Taipei - Netherlands winner in the semi's.

[Mass Haas]

This excellent article details the goings-on of the Canadian squad in some detail -- why Rowan Wick went behind the plate and how he fared there, how the tournament is proceeding, including some surprising results, and a fine game report on what should have been a cakewalk for the hosts (come on, the Czech Republic?), but wasn't.

 

And yes, we are glossing over the undefeated U.S. squad at the juniors -- no Brewers connection...

[battlekow]

In the Wick of time

Leith Dunick/tbnewswatch.com

 

Rowan Wick has ensured Team Canada will play for a medal at the World Junior Baseball Championships.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers draft pick slammed a pair of two-run homers at Port Arthur Stadium on Friday night, powering Canada to an easy 11-1 quarterfinal win over Team Italy, setting up a Saturday date with Chinese-Taipei for the right to play for gold.

 

Designated hitter Philip Diedrick had yet another big blow, a three-run double in the first, upping his RBI total to 10 as the tournament hit the one-week mark.

 

Brandon Dailey sealed the win with a solo shot to left to start the seventh, kicking in the tournament’s 10-run mercy rule.

 

“It felt great,” said a painfully shy Wick, who did a brief interview before the television cameras, but declined to speak to other media.

 

It was a far cry from their last paper mismatch, Wednesday’s round-robin finale that required the ninth inning heroics of Dalton Pompey to secure an 8-7 win over the Czech Republic.

 

Getting started early – a five run first will do that – was key, said Canadian manager Greg Hamilton.

 

“That was a key,” he said. “You want to get out early, you want to take away any life that they might have or any enthusiasm that they might have out of the equation. I was real happy to be able to do that. It makes it a whole lot easier when you get some runs on the board early.”

 

Ditto, said Canadian starter Jonathan Paquet, after giving up just four hits and one run over six innings, striking out nine Italian batters along the way.

 

Paquet spotted the Italians a 1-0 lead in the first, when Davide Benetti singled home lead-off hitter Mirco Caradonna, then settled in to watch his own side pile it on in their half of the inning. His confidence grew considerably, he said.

 

“It’s always easier when you know the offensive guys behind you are there to help you. You can make more mistakes and you’re not in trouble. Still, you try to do the same job to make it easy,” he said.

 

If they hadn’t learned their lesson against the Czechs, the Canadians had it reinforced earlier on Friday, when Cuba edged the United States 3-2 and then in true upset fashion, Australia knocked off the two-time defending champion South Koreans.

 

Hamilton said there was no way his team wanted to be upset No. 3 of the day.

 

“You’ve got to be ready to play. It’s international baseball, it’s a one-game shot and on a given night, if you’re not ready, somebody will get you. Those were good ballgames ... When you get down to the end, teams are there for a reason. They can play,” Hamilton said.

 

Taking on 4-1 Chinese-Taipei certainly won’t be a walk in the ballpark, he cautioned.

 

“They don’t necessarily fit the North American view of physicality, but they can play the game. They’re pretty tough. They can pitch and they do the little things right on the field and they’ll pick you apart offensively, so we’ve got to be ready to play.”

 

Wick and company had some pre-tournament experience with the Asian team, and the outcome wasn’t in Canada’s favour.

 

“They’re a really good team. They beat us. We have momentum right now and hopefully we can come through and beat them tomorrow,” he said.

 

Another performace like Friday’s would go a long way to ensuring that goal is achieved.

 

One batter after Diedrick cleared the bases in the first with a double to right centre off Italian starter Andrea Zambelloni, Wick stepped to the plate and smacked a 1-1 pitch down the line in right that just cleared the fence, putting Canada up 5-1.

 

Dalton Pompey added another in the fourth, singling home Jimmy Ralph. The next inning Wick was at it again, this time going deep on Italian reliever Yomil Rivera, who took over to start the inning.

 

Up by seven, they didn’t let up in the sixth, scoring twice more on a Justin Atkinson double, but they had to settle for a nine-run lead, knowing they’d come to bat at least one more time, even if they held the Italians.

 

Reliever Joel Pierce did just that, surrendering a two-out single to Mattia Mercuri before retiring CF Guiseppe Sellaroli to end the inning.

 

Dailey ended it in a hurry, crushing the third pitch he saw from the Italians third pitcher, Alessandro Tiberi, over the fence in left to secure the win.

 

The Italian team refused interviews after the game.

 

The Cubans will play Australia in the matinee semifinal at 2 p.m., while Canada and Chinese-Taipei take the field at 7 p.m.

 

The winners will meet in Sunday’s final, the losers will play for bronze.

 

http://static.tbnewswatch.com/Pictures/103720_634161280648145609.jpg

Canadian RF Rowan Wick (right) is congratulated by teammates after hitting his

second homer of the night. Canada went on to win 11-1 over Italy.

(Leith Dunick/tbnewswatch.com)

[Mass Haas]

More on the game and Rowan Wick in particular:

 

Wick's two home runs power Canada over Italy

By Dan Toman, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Contributing Editor

Thunder Bay, ON (Sports Network) - With upsets aplenty and coming off a scare of their own, Team Canada wasn't taking any chances against an overmatched Italian squad in the quarterfinals of the World Junior Baseball Championships.

A day after nearly losing to a winless Czech Republic team, coach Greg Hamilton made sure his team treated their matchup as if it was the last game they would play.

"We tried to take a business-like approach," said Hamilton, after his team eliminated Italy with an 11-1 thrashing on Friday night. "I think everybody realizes what's at stake.

"That game [versus the Czechs] served as an eye opener, it served as a lesson and I think we took the lesson well."

One player taking notes was outfielder Rowan Wick, who entered the game just 5- for-17 for the tournament with no home runs and two runs batted in.

The left-handed hitting slugger changed that in a hurry, evident by the rocket shot he lined over the right field fence in a five-run first inning that buried the Italians in a flash.

"You want to get out early," said Hamilton. "You want to take away any life that they might have or any enthusiasm that they might have out of the equation.

"It makes it a whole lot easier when you get some runs on the board early."

Wick added another homer in the fifth, finishing the game 3-for-4 with four RBI and more importantly, a hot bat heading into championship weekend.

"He's a guy that we really counted on coming through the process, a guy we felt would be a key contributor," said Hamilton of the North Vancouver, B.C. native.

"He was struggling a little bit as we went through our tour [pre-Worlds] but he's really starting to dial it in, he's locked in and he's swinging the bat really well.

"He's a guy that can turn a game around with one swing."

Wick got some help along the way from a team that appears to be clicking at just the right time.

Backed by an impressive outing from Jonathan Pacquet (1-0), who breezed through six innings of one-run ball, Team Canada is now one step closer to its second world junior title.

Pacquet was dominant against an Italian squad that didn't stand much of a chance against the towering 6'4", 193-pound righthander from Ancienne Lorette, Que.

"I had good control of my pitches," said Paquet. "I went straight at these guys."

After surrendering a pair of singles in the first, Pacquet cruised through Italy's lineup en route to nine strikeouts while scattering four hits and walking just one.

"It was great to pitch an important game like that in the Worlds," he said. "You can't compare that to any other outing I've ever pitched."

Andrea Zambelloni (0-1) took the loss for Italy, who now move on to the consolation round after winning a pair of games in round robin play and proving to be a formidable opponent. The 6'2" righthander allowed six runs -- two earned -- on six hits over four innings.

Ajax's Philip Diedrick continued his impressive showing during the tournament, driving in another three runs to bring his team-leading total to 10.

Brandon Dailey of Brantford, Ont. hit a solo home run in the seventh to mercy Italy per International Baseball Federation rules.

Following Australia's ousting of defending champion South Korea earlier in the day and Cuba's thrilling win over the United States, Hamilton is well aware of the path that's been created for his squad in Thunder Bay, Ont.

But with over 20 years experience in international baseball, Hamilton knows better than to look beyond the day at hand.

"You've got to be ready to play, it's international baseball, it's a one-game shot and on any given night if you're not ready someone will get you."