On Twitter this morning, Oakland pitcher and former CMWS (2005 and 2006) and Area Code Games (2004) participant, Brett Anderson, asked ESPN’s Keith Law if he’d ever been to Farmington in August for the Connie Mack World Series.  Law said that he had not due to the simultaneous annual scheduling of the CMWS and Area Code Games.  This is an issue for top underclassmen each summer whose club organizations happen to still be alive after Connie Mack state and regional play concludes.  Fortunately for both events only 10 teams can make it to Farmington each year, and only two are there the entire week, so often players find little conflict in terms of attending both events if only for a portion of each.  For instance, in 2009 Farmington’s own Jake McCasland was the scheduled starter in the opening round of the CMWS as well as a participant in the tourney’s homerun derby.  He obviously was obligated and thrilled to participate in the CMWS as long as his club had not been eliminated.

Once, however, they were knocked out, Jake boarded a plane to California to pitch at Area Code.  This is common for players with invitations to Area Code who do not wish to abandon their club and/or miss the annual CMWS festivities.  Additionally, players who elect to play for organizations like the Midland Redskins, South Troy Dodgers, Florida Legends, East Cobb Yankees, Arizona Firebirds, or Strike Zone Cardinals do so understanding that the clubs’ expectations are to play into the middle of August ever single season.  While these clubs are without question among the finest in the country, playing for them can mean less time to spend on the ever-developing national showcase circuit.

Showcases are designed to present recruitable players to recruiters, be it professional scouts or collegiate coaches.  A great deal of what amateur club coaches and financiers as well as prep coaches are trying to accomplish is “helping kids reach the next level.”  It is next to impossible to walk into any indoor facility or read any amateur club’s website “about us” page without hearing something about the “next level” and how their club is second to none with regards to helping kids reach whatever that is.  And those are the good guys.  The bad guys are the people suggesting to kids that playing club baseball is no longer necessary or beneficial.

That is how we arrived at the national showcase circuit, a circuit that Bryce Harper made famous during his amateur ascension.  Players in this circuit have allegiance to no one and have practically no concept of what “team” constitutes.  They immediately hit the road following the end of the school season in pursuit of BP rounds and 60-yard dashes.  The showcase circuit is a joke to fans of baseball because it effectively strips the game of any intrinsic meaning or value in favor of dollars and exposure.

The CMWS is somewhat of a throwback relative to the national showcase circuit in that it actually fields teams of players who have spent a minimum of a couple of months together, and in some cases years to a decade together.  This in many ways is analogous to school ball except for that the talent level tends to be considerably higher.  The thought of a school team succeeding in an event like the CMWS is laughable, but the idea that “team” matters is certainly a reflection of the school baseball concept.  This isn’t to discredit players who outside of school baseball have no means of exposure during the non-spring months other than showcases.  This is common in rural areas, inner cities, and areas like Wyoming and Iowa where club baseball options are limited or nonexistent because the school season takes place during the summer months.  Brandon Nimmo is a product of that sort of environment, and he landed in the first round and now has a chance to really learn what team baseball means within the professional ranks.

The Area Code Games have much more in common with a basic showcase than they do with something like the CMWS.  Teams are assembled in glorified random fashion based loosely on geography.  Yes, the talent level is through the roof.  A great deal of the top NCAA recruits as well as the early portion of any draft will have experience in Area Code, but the same can be said for many events including the CMWS.  The PG All-American game (formerly Aflac) is held the Sunday after Area Codes and the CMWS and has many players from both rostered.  It’s always sort of an end-of-the-summer shindig bringing together the best players from the CMWS and Area Codes into one facility for a handful of high profile innings.  Aside from a select few Midland and 18U Team USA rosters, the PG/Aflac rosters are the best assembled annually.  This year is no different, but once again, there is zero team concept involved and the sample size tends to be so small and meaningless that talent evaluators have less to go by than what they would find at an event like the CMWS where players actually give a shit what the score is.

The difference between events like Area Code and the CMWS as well as the PG/Aflac All-American Game is that the fans in the CMWS root for the players, but they also root for the teams.  At events like Area Codes and other showcase-style recruiting events, the name on the front of any player’s jersey is of little concern to anyone either on the field or in the stands, and the score on the scoreboard is worth far less than each player’s box score line.  Perhaps the perfect example is Strike Zone Cardinal Damion Lovato’s final at-bat in the CMWS, which took place in the 8^th inning Monday night against the South Troy Dodgers.   Damion hit a triple after breaking his hamate bone on a foul ball earlier in the game.  Something tells me that any player at Area Codes would have probably sat the at-bat out, but the Cards needed him to contribute, and so he gave his team the best he had.  I, as a baseball fan, greatly prefer the Connie Mack World Series and selfless performances like Lovato’s to any showcase-style event like the Area Code Games.

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The Connie Mack World Series features star-studded amateur lineups annually, but after some reflection and some searching around old programs and online, a look at the last 11 MVP’s of the Series perhaps does the event justice.  Remember that these were just the players who had the best week while they were here and were not necessarily the top prospect or even the best player on any team.  For instance, in 2003 Danny Payne won the Series MVP award as a member of an East Cobb Yankee team that also included Chris Nelson and Dexter Fowler of the Colorado Rockies.  Without further ado, here are the last 11 CMWS MVP’s beginning with 2010′s MVP, Dillon Howard of the Midland Redskins.

2010: Dillon Howard – Midland Redskins

Howard has been mentioned in pre-draft analysis here at the Sombrero before, but after his selection in the second round by Cleveland and his commitment to Arkansas in the fall, he surely lived up to the hype after his MVP performance at the 2010 CMWS.  Look for Howard to either sign for close to $2 million  (over $1 million above slot value for his spot in the draft) in the next week or so, or attend Arkansas and entrench himself in the Razorbacks’ rotation for the next three years.  He’s a stud and is rostered for the 2011 Series, so he likely has the ball in the opening round against Danville in what could prove to be his last amateur start.  Cleveland will surely have a team of guys here monitoring that start.

2009 – Deven Marrero – Midland Redskins

Marrero is currently in Cape Cod with the Cotuit Kettleers and is regarded almost unanimously as the top position player there.  His career at ASU has been brilliant, and he has the feet, hands, and arm to be an impact SS in the professional ranks.  Marrero hit .471 in 2009’s Series, but was perhaps outshined a bit at his own position by Manny Machado of the Florida Legends who was selected third overall in 2010 and is now the premier SS prospect in the Minors today.  Marrero nevertheless has posted a career line of .349/.390/.515 at ASU and has been the premier defender in the PAC-10 since he arrived on campus in Tempe.

2008: Buck Farmer – East Cobb Yankees

Farmer signed at Georgia Tech out of high school after winning the CMWS MVP as a rising senior and has been terrific with the Yellow Jackets.  In 2011 as a sophomore the righty started 16 games as GTs #2 behind first rounder Jed Bradley.  Farmer posted a 2.91 ERA with 106 K’s opposed to 31 BB’s on his way to an 11-3 mark over 108.1 IP.  He has a tight slider with a lively changeup that both project as at least 50’s, and his fastball works in the low-90’s with good arm-side run.  Farmer has a chance to land inside the first round (probably 25-40) and should not make it to day 2 considering his stuff and history of success in the ACC despite struggling a bit in the cape with Chatham this summer.

2007: Eric Hosmer – Midland Redskins

Eric Hosmer played in the CMWS as a member of the Florida Legends as a sophomore in 2006 and as a Redskin in 2007 and 2008.  His career at American Heritage in Florida was historic as he led them to a state title as a senior while garnering several All-American honors.  He played the 2008 Series after being selected 3^rd overall and refusing to sign until Midland’s summer was over.  As a result, the community of Farmington absolutely loves Eric Hosmer and will always support him in his career, which has landed him the starting 1B gig in KC for the foreseeable future.  As a rookie Hosmer has slashed .283/.335/.451 with 10 jacks.  Hosmer is going to be an all-star with a ceiling that probably doesn’t exist and a chance at the HOF.

2006: Jason Jarvis – Arizona Firebirds

Jason Jarvis was electric for the Firebirds in their only championship run to date.  He was among the tournament’s finest at the plate and on the mound, although his career post-HS was spent on the mound.  Jarvis closed for ASU in 2007 with moderate success especially when considering the role that the freshman landed.  However, Jarvis was deemed ineligible at ASU during the 2008 season due to a conflict involving an online art course.  Jarvis was exonerated of all academic dishonesty charges following an appeal, but the university shamefully refused to allow Jarvis back on the team.  Check this link out if you’re even considering attending ASU, and then don’t go. http://prof-fan.blogspot.com/2008/03/asu-baseball-jason-jarvis-declared.html Seriously.  Bud Selig for once made the right call and allowed Jarvis to enter the MLB draft a year early, and he made it as high as AA as a 20-year old starter before converting to the pen and ultimately being released last year.

2005: Gordon Beckham – East Cobb Yankees

In 2005 the city of Farmington was witness to a show to remember at shortstop in the title game between the East Cobb Yankees; Gordon Beckham and Danny Espinosa of the Trombly Braves.  It seemed to the fans in attendance that they were just trading blows at short with exceptional play after exceptional play and big hit after big hit.  Both stars are now in the Bigs after tremendous careers at South Carolina and Long Beach State respectively.  Beckham is having his second consecutive down year slashing .250/.307/.357 for the sub-.500 White Sox while Espinosa is slashing .226/.314/.420 with a shot at 20 bombs.  Regardless of where their careers ultimately lead, for me and for many in attendance on 2005’s title night, there will never be a pair of shortstops that put on a show of the same quality as these two did.

2004: Cameron Maybin – Midland Redskins

Cameron Maybin played CF for Midland in the 2003 and 2004 CMWS and dazzled both years showing obvious athleticism and baseball instincts. He was selected in the first round (10^th overall) by the Tigers in 2005 and signed for $2.65 million.  He was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers and now is starting in center for the Padres after being traded for Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica.  His slash line of .273/.326/.399 is a little light, but he should steal around 40 bags by the end of 2011 while playing terrific defense (4^th best among NL CF’s).  He has a chance to be an all-star at some point in his career and is outstandingly talented with room still to grow considering he’s only 24.

2003: Danny Payne – East Cobb Yankees

Danny Payne was a member of one of the more talented teams East Cobb has assembled with numerous Big Leaguers, high draft picks, and major conference signees, but Payne was the guy to walk away with the MVP hardware in August of 2003.  As a two-way performer for Georgia Tech, Payne garnered All-ACC and All-America honors and was later drafted in the supplemental round by the Padres in the 2007 MLB draft.  Payne is currently a 25-year old in the California League (High A) demonstrating above average on-base skills but little else and is probably in need of a change of scenery as he has been demoted from both AAA and AA this year.

2002: Randy Akasaka – Long Beach Cardinals

Randy Akasaka still holds the Series bomb record with 6 despite adding two teams to the field in recent years and thusly an extra round to the event.  Akasaka went on to catch at Cal State-Northridge and Cal State-Los Angeles but never was able to catch on professionally.  The Cardinals were the last team from Southern California to win the CMWS, and Akasaka along with teammates Ricky Romero (Toronto’s ace) and Danny Dorn (AAA-Reds) were a big reason why.

2001: Micah Owings – East Cobb Yankees

Micah Owings was a two-way star for the East Cobb Yankees before attending Georgia Tech.  He later transferred to Tulane who he led to the nation’s top ranking and a trip to Omaha.  Owings signed with Arizona following his selection in the 3^rd round.  He debuted in the Show as the Diamondbacks 5^th starter in 2007 and, after spending around two seasons with the Reds, is back with Arizona and in the rotation.  Perhaps the most notable aspect of Owings’ career is his frequent use as a pinch hitter relative to other MLB pitchers.  He even won the 2007 Silver Slugger.

2000: Paul Oseguera – Encinitas Reds

This is my personal favorite MVP because Paul stayed with my family during the World Series alongside Hank Blalock’s younger brother, Jake.  Paul gave up just a single run in two CG’s as a 16-year old to lead the Reds to the first title of the new millennium.  After pitching for the UCLA Bruins, Paul signed with the Giants following his selection in the 16^th round of the 2006 draft.  He battled injuries much of his college and professional careers and was released in July of 2010 after reaching as high as AA with appearances in the A’s and Giants organizations.

This is quite a list to be sure.  Who will be added to it from 2011’s Series?  My early prediction is Florida’s Albert Almora, but that requires the Legends to first win the championship.  Dark horse candidate: Mike Bernal of the Strike Zone Cardinals.

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With the Connie Mack World Series slated to begin Friday night at Ricketts Park, the city of Farmington is once again beginning to stir with baseball anticipation.  The tournament is again loaded with a collection of national powerhouse clubs including the Legends from Miami, the Midland Redskins, South Troy Dodgers, and Arizona Firebirds.  The Series is also welcoming several newcomers like the Murfreesboro Diamondbacks, who accomplished the near impossible last week in the Southeast regional when they knocked off both the East Cobb Yankees and Florida Bombers.

The East Cobb Yankees organization has a tremendous following in Farmington, a product of the tourney’s host family tradition, and the fact that they have been here practically every August since the mid-90’s.  They surely will be missed, but Farmington always welcomes talent regardless of what uniform it is wearing, and the town is very excited to watch the group of 17-year olds from Tennessee that were able to win one of the toughest regionals in the country.  Also headed to the Series for the first time are the Arecibo Lobos from Puerto Rico, who open up Friday in the nightcap against the host Strike Zone Cardinals from Farmington and Farmington’s own Dominic Moreno, who will be on the mound for the home squad.

Moreno is no stranger to the World Series spotlight as he took the ball last year for the Cards against the Firebirds in an elimination game.  Moreno, signed at 2009 JUCO national champion Howard College, features a fastball that reaches the low-90s and two quality secondary pitches in the form of a breaker and changeup – the latter of which is the pitch to get excited about.  While the Legends take on South Troy in the early game Friday, there is a realistic chance that the best arm of Friday night will belong to Moreno.  Saturday’s match ups include Midland vs. the Danville Hoots, Murfreesboro against Sam Carpenter’s D-BAT Mustangs, and the Firebirds taking on the Ann Arbor Travelers, a newcomer but with a coaching staff that is no stranger to Farmington.

Travelers’ coach Jordan Banfield was a member of the Ann Arbor Braves, the last group from Ann Arbor to make it to Farmington, in 2005.  That squad featured 2005 Gatorade Player of the Year Zach Putnam, currently a reliever in Triple-A for Cleveland.  This Ann Arbor bunch features similar talent and several major conference signees, including three early commits in Daniel McKinney, Travis Maezes, and Jason Gamble.  Of these three, Maezes has the highest ceiling featuring at least three average or better tools in the form of his bat, feet, and arm as a position player, and a low-90s fastball on the bump.

Sam Carpenter is once again on his way to Farmington for his zillionth CMWS appearance despite missing last year’s event.  Instead the top 17-year old DBAT squad was able to win the tough 2010 South Plains regional.  That group featured Dylan Bundy and Archie Bradley, the 4^th and 7^th players selected in June’s MLB draft.  Neither has signed yet, but they will both make well over $5 million.  This year’s DBAT Mustangs are essentially last year’s team minus those two arms.  They still feature premier talent like CF Adam Toth, who is signed at Baylor.  They will not, however, be featuring last year’s SS, Mike Bernal.  Bernal of El Paso instead is the SS for the host Cardinals.  Bernal (signed at OK State) hits third for the Cards in front of CF Shilo McCall, who could very well also commit to a major conference university in the next couple of months.

The Redskins again feature a tremendous pitching staff of nothing but flamethrowers; three pitchers 6’8” or over (Chase Mullins, Matt Smoral, Taylore Cherry), who feature fastballs that reach the mid-90s, as well as Dillon Howard, Cleveland’s 2^nd round pick.  Danville is making its second trip in three years after qualifying in 2009, the first time a team from northern California had done so in decades at the time.  Since winning the West in 2009, Danville has emerged as a premier national organization with appearances in many of the top club events.  Their lineup features lefty and University of San Diego commit Robert Martinez, who got the win in the regional final against the 2001 West regional champs, the Orange County Renegades.  Martinez features excellent command of a high-80s fastball with decent arm-side action as well as a tight bender, which also can command well to both sides of the plate.  His changeup lacks fade, but he maintains arm speed with it, and a commandable changeup is a must to win in the high elevation in northern New Mexico.  He very well could take the ball against Midland at noon on Saturday.

The Dodgers from South Troy have become the premier organization in the northeastern United States, as have the Arizona Firebirds in the desert southwest.  The Dodgers won a nail-biter in the regional finals against last year’s CMWS representatives, the Ontario Blue Jays, 5-4.  The Firebirds won one of two national qualifier events in Phoenix, thereby bypassing the formidable West regional.  The other national qualifier took place in New Jersey and was won by the Florida Legends, who bypassed the Southeast Regional in the process.  The Dodgers, Legends, and Firebirds all know what it takes to play deep into the week here in Farmington as Arizona won the CMWS in 2006, South Troy played for the title in 2000, and the Legends have played into the semifinals three times.  This year’s Legends group is under new management and has a new financial situation, but the talent is still there.  The 2011 Legends feature 3B David Thompson, who is headed to Miami, and CF Albert Almora, who has a chance at the 2012 first-round and is also headed to Miami.

This is going to be a tremendously exciting week of baseball as it always is.  I can’t wait.  We here at the Sombrero will certainly miss Griffin Phelps managing the host squad.  He led last year’s Cardinals to the finest showing a host team had produced in a decade, but hopefully the Cardinals can continue to succeed in the way they did under Griff.  With players like Bernal, Moreno, and Shilo McCall, they certainly have the talent.  Best of luck to all of the tournament’s participants!

Go Cards!

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It seems every small town holds its own annual festival of some sort, a social happening to bring the community together and give the few people there a reason to get out and celebrate collectively. For many places this event is the local fair, a chance for folks to show off their best quilting and sheep-raising among various other pastoral proficiencies, while grubbing down on corn dogs, cotton candy and more deliciously life-shortening treats. Others get a little more creative; Spivey’s Corner, North Carolina hosts the National Hollerin’ Contest, where competitors are judged on their redneck greeting skills, while Clinton, Montana honors the time-honored rancher’s delicacy of battered cow balls at its yearly Testicle Festival.

These events are designed to provide an entertaining distraction for people who generally don’t have a whole lot to get excited about. Here in Farmington, New Mexico, our distraction is baseball and our festival is the Connie Mack World Series, the best amateur tournament in the game.

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How you doin Sombrero Nation?  I know I have not posted in a while and I apologize for that.  I have been busy handling my coaching duties for the Farmington Cardinals, your 2010 FABC representative Host team in the 2010 Connie Mack World Series.  I say that with pride.  The Cardinals were the winner of the local city league (state) tournament.  Winner of this tourney gets an automatic bid in the annual Connie Mack World Series tournament.

Early in the year I began writing pieces about my city’s spectacular baseball field, Ricketts Park.  As the start of August runs near, the FABC Connie Mack League embarks on a journey.  This journey leads to the holy grail of Amateur baseball, the one and only Ricketts Park.  As the local teams of the Farmington league do battle, every last one of them has one common one thought in their brain; “If we win this thing, I get to be in the Connie Mack World Series!”  I write this piece with a special piece of my heart, for I grew up and still reside in Farmington, NM.  I grew up watching first round draft picks play on the field that I hoped to one day play on myself.  As a 17 year old I lost in the championship round after throwing a complete game 1 hitter (that can still be argued today as a no-hitter) and lost.  As an 18 year old, I was beat on Championship Night by Mike Dunn, who just recently got called back to the show by the Braves.  Last year he even won a ring with the Yankees.  Not a bad guy to lose to at 18 years old.  Then, last year, fellow writer Barfy and I lost on championship night; as coaches.  I was actually picked up my 18 year old summer by Barfy’s team, the Sky Sox.  But I digress.  There will be time for a trip down memory lane later.

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