In a completely random turn of events, I’ve decided to follow Towson University baseball this year. It started on Twitter with a challenge from Tim Huwe of thezygote50.com. He suggested that, if you’re a baseball fan who likes following prospects, why not take it to the next level? Previous level? The college level.
Pick a team and follow it for a month or two, he said. Ok, I replied.
I picked Towson because it’s pretty close to where I live. I know next to nothing about it’s baseball program. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
- Their mascot is the Tigers.
- They had a guy drafted in the 13th round of the MLB draft last year and exactly one guy who seems like a good bet to be drafted this year (more on him in a bit).
- They’ve had three players ever make the major leagues. I think I remember Casper Wells and Chris Nabholz. Al Rubeling I don’t remember, he played in the 40’s.
- They have a new manager this year; the last guy managed for 30 years. Why the change? No clue. That’s a topic for another time (literally, I’m saving that for it’s own post).
- Their stadium is named for John Schuerholz. I have no idea why, but it’s 424 feet to dead center, so I will definitely let you know if one goes out to that part of the park this year.
- Whoever does their Twitter has some potential.
And that’s it. Well, that’s not entirely true. I know they open their season tomorrow at New Mexico State and I’m strangely excited.
Since the “official” reason I’m doing this is to watch for prospects, here’s who I’m going to pay the most attention to, at least until others give me reason to notice them.
Richie Palacios, SS – This is the guy who’s got a shot to get drafted. 2nd team All-American as a freshman, posted a nearly identical line the next year (though I haven’t found any similar accolades). In two years at Towson he’s started every game and hit .333 with 11 HR and 51 SB in 438 at bats. He’s walked more than he’s struck out and he’s only struck out 40 times. He also has good genes – his dad reached AAA with the Detroit Tigers organization, his uncle played in the majors for Kansas City, and his brother currently plays at Auburn. Theo, Jed, if you’re reading (and I know you are), feel free to grab this guy on day two of the draft.
Michael Adams, SP – Looks like he’s the Tigers Friday night starter. He hasn’t put up great numbers, but he’s 6′ 5″ 220 lbs, so he’s bigger than average. He made a team in the Cape Cod League through a tryout and pitched a couple of games there. All I know about the Cape Cod league is that it’s a league and they use wooden bats, but I’ve heard people say, “He pitched well in the Cape Cod league,” like it was a good thing, so I guess that’s a good thing.
Alex Cuas, SP – Coincidentally, I just realized these three guys are the team captains this year. They were nominated by their teammates, weren’t allowed to turn down the nomination, and then had to give a speech about why they would be good captains. College baseball is weirder than I thought. In any case, I’d already decided to pay attention to Cuas, because, almost impossibly, he walked 35 and struck out 22 in 37.2 innings last year. I’m not going to bag on the guy, he was injured pretty much all of 2016 and there must be some reason they kept running him out there, but that line is just…wow. He’s another guy with some talent in the family, as his brother Jose is a 1B in the Brewers system. I just looked at his stats. Wow (that’s not good) seems to run in the family.
There are a couple of guys on New Mexico State who also merit a mention (maybe more than any of the Towson guys, but I’m not following New Mexico State, so a mention is all they get here). Mason Fishback is an All-Conferance (WAC) catcher with a good bat and an easy to remember name. Kyle Bradish, NMSU’s opening night starter, is a right hander who’s put up good numbers and, at 6′ 4″, has good size. If they impress this weekend, I’ll talk more about them.
We’ll see how this goes. I don’t expect anyone to read this, but I’m going to post my observations so they will be easy to share. The game starts tonight at 8:05 and (I think) you can watch it online here.
Geaux Tigers! Wait, this is Towson, not LSU. Go Tigers, hon!
Your teacher is blushing