Back-to-back, baby! Lakewood finished off an historic season with a 4-2 win over Greenville to win their second straight SAL title while becoming the first SAL team to win a league title after winning their division in both halves of the season. Sebastian Valle’s three-run jack in the fifth was the difference. Jonathan Pettibone got the win and Josh Zeid (11 up, 12 down) picked up the save. I’ll be back later in the week with a year-end wrap.
15 thoughts on “Lakewood SAL Championship, Game 4 Wrap”
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Phuture Phillies 
Note that the APP article reports Zeid sitting at 95 in relief.
I’d like to see him jumped to Reading to start next year. He was hittable in May and June, but for the rest of the year he was lights out. More than 9 Ks per 9 IP, and a .228 OBA, even including two bad months. And he’s already 23.
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Impressive!!! Last year it was all about balance up and down the lineup with Gose, Garcia and D’Arnaud. The pitching was solid too. This year is much of the same but I think the pitching was even better. The two teams didn’t have many of the same players on it so there’s a pipeline there. Next year will be mostly new guys again with the potential to lead the league again. Hewitt will be there but he wasn’t much of a force this year.
The trades of d’Arnaud, Knapp, Gose and Villar helped make the big club pitching much stronger. Valle, Singleton, Cosart, Colvin, Pettibone, Shreve, JRod and James (and I could go on and on) stepped up and helped make it two in a row. This is a fun and exciting team. I hope these guys step up to new levels and pretty soon we’re talking about how strong AAA and AA are.
Let’s not overlook the Mark Parent, Greg Legg and Steve Schrenk. The coaches should get a lot of credit
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Didnt Valle hit a couple 3 run homers to help win the gcl championship last year. At his age the phillies can take their time with him and he will be ready in a couple years when Ruiz is getting a little older.
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I am not a big fan of guys jumping levels. I am sure there are circumstances where it is appropriate, but, more often than not, it’s much better to let guys go up one level at a time. They seem to learn more and they maintain their confidence. Zeid, however, may be one of those exceptions and they may want to do just so there is less of a log jam at Clearwater. If they decide to do this they may want Zeid to pitch a little bit over the winter to work on areas of weakness. We’ll see I guess.
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Zeid was 11 up, 12 down as he came in with a man on and threw a double play ball. Great season and championship by the Blue Claws!
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I was at the game yesterday (first time @ Lakewood). Just some observations; Zeid was throwing his fb @ 94/95 mph (stadium gun) for all 4 innings. When he struck out the 5 in a row, it was Greenville’s top 5 hitters, including 2,3,4 in the eighth. Pettibone started out with a fb 93/94, but by the fourth inning was down to 90/91. Also Rueben Amaro was there to see them play (directly behind homeplate) & had a big smile on his face when Zeid was pitching. It was a great day for a ballgame, but I was suprised to see alot of empty seats? Schoenberger made two nice plays in the field, but looked over matched at the plate.
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YouTube of Josh Zeid getting last out–very exciting–I cannot wait to see him in Reading in 2011 (I hope). The Phillies have to figure out if he is going to start or be a closer (similar to DeFratus).
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Impressive. Selected quotes from long-time scout (From the APP: http://www.app.com/article/20100919/SPORTS0301/9190370/Talent-makes-Claws-a-memorable-team
“If you look at the average minor league team, you’re looking at two to four prospects and four would be a lot,” said a longtime big league scout.
“Some franchises would be blessed to have four prospects in their organization and this Lakewood team, right here, you’re looking at maybe six to eight. That number is astronomical, it’s off the wall.”
The scout was especially impressed with Lakewood’s pitching.
“It seems like every day they’ve got a big league prospect on the mound,” the scout said. “As far as I’m concerned — while I haven’t seen every minor league club — of the ones I’ve seen, they by far, by light years, have the best pitching staff of any club.”
“I would be hard pressed to come up with a club in the last 10 years that has had as many quality pitchers on one club: (Jarred) Cosart, Colvin, Zeid, May, and (Colby) Shreve and they have some pretty decent bullpen arms,” the scout said. “It’s pretty special.
“You look at the whole Lakewood club and you look at (Jonathan) Singleton (at first base), the catcher (Sebastian Valle) and the center fielder (Jiwan James), who I haven’t really seen do it with the bat, but is obviously a good athlete,” the scout said.
“This is one of those clubs that people potentially will talk about at the end of this decade. When it’s all said and done, two or three of these pitchers may make a mark for themselves in the big leagues, and if a couple of the position players get there and do really well, people will be talking about this team by saying, “Well, you know, they all played on that 2010 Lakewood club.”
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Anybody else missing Minor League baseball? The Arizona Fall League doesn’t start until 10/12. When do the South American “Winter” Leagues start? Please… I need a fix… badly.
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Good defense, clutch hitting and strong pitching wins any baseball tournament. Fun watching Schoey playing SS yesterday. I counted eight assists for him including two 6-4-3 DP’s. A lot of assists in a 9 inning game considering Zeid struck out the side in the 8th. On his most difficult play he went deep in the hole and threw a strike to first to just nip the runner. On his last assist in the top of the 9th with one out the ball was hit so hard on the ground that it popped up out of his glove and he caught the ball with his throwing hand and threw a strike to Singleton in one motion. James laid out in center to catch a pop fly out for the most difficult outfield play. Valle’s line drive three run homer was a no doubt about it homer. Zeid’s fastball sitting at 94-96 on the stadium gun showed not only velocity but movement but his 84 mph off speed pitch for a strike out was a thing of beauty.
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I think they double-jump Zeid only if they seem him as a reliever only. Hopefully they will give him a shot to start. My guess is that he will be in CLW and he will pitch 3/4 innings at a time following one of the more ballyhooed starters (Cosart, May, Colvin), getting spot starts here and there a la J-Rod in LAK this past year.
I also suppose it’s possible he could look so good in the Spring that he gets a shot at starting in Reading. My hope is that it is May who ends up in Reading first.
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The big 4 pitchers (Cosart, May, Colvin, and Pettibone) plus Singleton, Barnes, Valle, Castro and James should make their C Water team very very good next year. What a dynamic core group. It will be lots of fun to watch these guys develop the next two years. How about Brian Gump? He won with GCL and Lakewood this year after winning with Lakewood last year.
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Gump’s the Phillies minor league version of Lonnie Smith… put him on a team and they win the championship.
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Actually I would put that label on Valle. GCL title his first year and then Lakewood the past two. Five post-season HRs for him. He is still young and raw with lots of holes in his game, but the potential is there and the postseason HRs are a nice plus.
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If Valle ever learns some OBP skills he’s gonna be a dangerous player.
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