First Impressions

Here are some first impressions on the East Cobb Baseball 16U Rays, with positions played, school, and whether they played with Will on the Prowlers, or on the rival Sidewinders…

AJ…C, P… Lassiter…Prowlers…good catcher and clutch hitter. 10^th grader called up for HS playoffs.

AUSTIN…P, LF…Pace…recovering from overuse at Pace, he has yet to pitch.

BRADLEY…CF…Kell…Sidewinders...leading hitter so far, quite smooth at the plate, in the field, and on the bases. Lefty.

COLE…2B, C, P…Harrison… along with Will, the team utility man. Plays infield better than Will, he’s also a more consistent hitter. Bats left.

DUSTIN…P, LF…Centennial…pitched confidently Sat nite. Can’t bat due to hurt wrist. Hustles, retrieves balls, good attitude.

JAKE…SS, P…Kell…Sidewinders…a better shortstop than Will…same hard-nosed approach…hustles. Bats left.

KYLE K…1B…Kell…Sidewinders…under-rated, hard workers, excellent fielding lefty, takes game seriously, especially hitting. Parents on Kell baseball board, and help run concessions. Dad keeps score.

KYLE R …P…currently hurt, can only pinch run.

MICHAEL…P, 1B…Lassiter…Prowlers…mainly a pitcher. Fun, great attitude.

PARKER…INF…Lassiter…Prowlers…has put on muscle since last summer, playing football. Crazy fraternal twin brother is Lassiter’s mascot. Older brother plays lacrosse at UConn.

RICHIE…RF, P…Pope…Sidewinders…Will’s teammate in 2007 & 2008, on Wildcats. Good fielder & aggressive hitter and baserunner. Mom loves to cook, grandfather a fun, old-school New Yorker who loves to talk movies and back-when baseball.

RYAN G…C, P…Pope…Prowlers…great fundamentals, good hitter. Lives near us, dad works near me. “Would rather play ball than go to prom.” Older brother played ECB.

RYAN T …INF, P…Pope…Prowlers…steady fielder, hit HR for Pope JV. Dad coached Prowlers. Family attends Roswell St. Baptist.

TYLER…P, 1B, RF…Lassiter…Prowlers…slender slugger led Prowlers in most hitting categories last year, currently on Lassiter varsity for playoffs. Dad coaches at Lassiter. Bats left.

WILL…3B, C, P, SS, OF…Veritas…Prowlers…starts at third, but backs up at short, catcher, pitcher, and outfield. Has Rays longest hit, off wall at Walton HS. Needs to get going on his hitting, but still has a .500 OBP.

The batting order and team dynamic will change when AJ and Tyler return from the high school playoffs, and when the injured players are ready to contribute. Adding three more pitchers will help. Hopefully the entire team hitting will soon improve.

Defense has been good. Shortstop Jake made all the plays before having a bad fielding day Sunday (though he responded with a bases-loaded double after his bad inning).