2007 UM FALL BASEBALL PREVIEW NOTES
Oct. 3, 2007
The University of Miami Baseball team opens fall practice Thursday afternoon at Mark Light Field. UM head coach Jim Morris returns 20 letterwinners from a team that finished 37-24 and 17-13 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and made an NCAA record 35th consecutive regional appearance.
Miami returns seven position starters, two starters from its three-man weekend rotation and eight relief pitchers. Junior first baseman Yonder Alonso returns after earning second team All-ACC honors, second team All-America honors from Baseball America and Louisville Slugger third-team All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball in 2007. He led the team hitting .376 with an ACC-best 18 home runs and 74 RBIs. Sophomore Mark Sobolewski, who split time in left field and at third base, earned freshman All-America honors from Baseball America and Louisville Slugger. Sobolewski was the Hurricanes’ second -leading hitter batting .345 with a team-high 88 hits. He had 16 doubles, eight home runs and 54 RBIs. Miami returns nine position players that played in at least 25 games and six of its top nine hitters including center fielder Blake Tekotte (.333, 73 hits, 50 Runs, 19 2B, 25 RBI, 15 SB), second baseman Jemile Weeks (.298, 56 hits, 20 extra-base hits, 27 RBI), right fielder Dennis Raben (.280, 46 Runs, 61 hits, 13 2B, 12 HR, 48 RBI) and shortstop Ryan Jackson (.236, 43 hits, 28 runs, 10 2B, 25 RBI).
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Eric Erickson returns to anchor the UM pitching staff. As a freshman in 2007, Erickson was selected first team All-ACC after going 10-4 with a 2.50 ERA. Opponents hit .243 against him. He went 6-2 with a 1.93 ERA in ACC games. Senior right-hander Enrique Garcia also returns after being selected in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. Garcia went 8-4 in 22 appearances and posted a 3.82 ERA. He struck out 80 in 92 innings while opponents hit just .251 against him. UM’s top relief pitcher, sophomore David Gutierrez went 2-0 with a 3.74 ERA in 2007. Miami receives an added boost with the return of redshirt junior pitcher Carlos Gutierrez, who was UM’s Friday starter in 2006. Gutierrez sat out the 2007 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Junior Jason Santana went 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA in five appearances before having shoulder surgery and missing the rest of the 2007 season.
NCAA teams will have 45 days to get in 37 practices and two exhibition games. Miami will hold its annual scout day on Nov. 17. The alumni baseball game has been moved up to Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. in conjunction with homecoming weekend.
2008 Class Ranked by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
Miami’s 2007-08 recruiting class has been ranked No. 20 by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. The Hurricanes signed eight players and added one walk-on. UM signed three pitchers, one catcher, one outfielder, one infielder and two utility players. The Hurricanes added a walk-on pitcher in RHP Matt Beninate, who played at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale.
2007-08 Miami Baseball Signees
D.J. Swatcheno – LHP – Flannagan HS – Pembroke Pines, Fla.
Yasmani Grandal – C – Miami Springs HS
Chris Hernandez – LHP – Monsignor Pace HS, Miami, Fla.
Iden Nazario – LHP/UTL – Southridge HS – Miami, Fla.
Adam Severino – OF – Broward CC/American HS – Miami, Fla.
Joe Terdoslavich – INF/OF – Sarasota HS – Sarasota, Fla.
Ryan Perry – 3B – Sacramento City College, Sacramento, Calif.
Rene Guerra – RHP – Santa Fe Community College (Columbus High School)
Alonso, Raben Selected Top Prospects in Cape Cod by Baseball America
Junior first baseman Yonder Alonso and junior outfielder/LHP Dennis Raben were selected as two of the top 10 prospects in the Cape Cod Baseball League last summer. Alonso was projected as the No. 2 prospect in the league while Raben was listed as the No. 7 prospect out of the league. The Cape Cod Baseball League is the most prestigious summer baseball league for college baseball players. More than 200 Major League Baseball players are alumni of the league.
Here is what Baseball America had to say:
2. Yonder Alonso, 1b, Brewster (Jr., Miami)
Alonso was the consensus choice as the Cape’s top all-around hitter. He had the best approach in the league, and it was tested when the Whitecaps lost all of their other power threats to injuries and early departures. Alonso remained patient and continued to use the whole field, finishing with league highs in walks (36) and on-base percentage (.468) while hitting .338. “He’s more than a power bat,” a second NL scouting director said. “He’s a hitter with power, so that’s all the better. He’s pretty advanced.” Alonso has a loose, compact stroke and excellent balance, and most of his current power comes in the form of line drives to the gaps. He should become more of a home run threat once he turns on and lifts more pitches. He’s a below-average athlete who could work harder on his conditioning and defense, and even then he probably still will be limited to first base.
7. Dennis Raben, of, Orleans (Jr., Miami)
The Cape’s two best hitting prospects for the 2008 draft are college teammates. Raben isn’t as pure a hitter as Alonso, but he has more raw power–in fact, more than anyone in the league. He tied for the league lead with 35 RBIs despite playing in the toughest hitter’s park, touched Crow for one of the two homers he allowed all summer and hit a three-run bomb off Friedrich in the all-star game. “He was on the map for us before the summer, but he wasn’t a premium guy,” the second NL scouting director said. “Now he’s a premium guy.” Raben’s power will have to carry him. He strikes out a lot (44 times in as many games), though he did hit .298. He has some arm strength but is an average defender at best in right field.
Three Hurricanes Named All-Cape Cod League
Juniors first baseman Yonder Alonso and outfielders Blake Tekotte and Dennis Raben were named to the Cape Cod All-League team. Alonso was the lone first baseman chosen while Raben and Tekotte were two of the four outfielders selected to the team. Alonso hit .338 for the Brewster Whitecaps with a team-high 51 hits, which included 12 doubles and four home runs. He also had 25 RBIs and 36 walks. He owned a .468 on-base percentage and slugged .497. Alonso led the Cape in on-base percentage and had the third-best batting average. He ranked second in the league in total hits and doubles. Tekotte hit .256 for the Whitecaps and led the team with 32 runs scored while ranking second on the team with 40 hits. He added 16 RBIs and led the Cape with 22 stolen bases. He ranked third in the Cape in runs scored. Raben led the Orleans Cardinals hitting .298 with 28 runs scored and a team-high 45 hits and 77 total bases. He totaled 18 extra-base hits, which included six home runs in adding a league-best 35 RBIs. He was fourth in the league in runs scored.
Alonso, Erickson, Sobolewski Listed Among Best of their Classes by Rivals.com
Junior first baseman Yonder Alonso and sophomores third baseman Mark Sobolewski and LHP Eric Erickson are among the best in their classes in the nation. Rivals.com for college baseball(www.collegebaseball.rivals.com) has listed Alonso as the No. 5 junior in the country. Alonso finished the season with a team-leading .376 batting average. The hard-hitting first baseman also hit 18 homers and knocked in 74 runs. Additionally, he finished the year with 13 doubles, a triple and a team-high 148 total bases. He also slugged .705 and had a .519 on-base percentage. Erickson is rated as the No.5 sophomore in the country while fellow sophomore Sobolewski is rated the ninth-best sophomore in the nation. Erickson rose to the occasion in year one, going 10-4 with a 2.50 ERA in 90 innings of work. He also struck out 63 and walked 16, while opponents hit him at a .243 clip. Sobolewski started the year at third base, but eventually moved to the outfield. He had a freshman year to remember at the plate. He finished the year hitting an impressive .345 with eight homers and 54 RBIs. He also slugged .510 and had a .395 on-base percentage. Additionally, Sobolewski ended the year with 16 doubles, one triple and 130 total bases.
Top Returning Sophomores: 1-5
Top Returning Sophomores: 6-10
Top Returning Juniors: 1-5
