2018 SFCBL MVP – Francisco Urbaez (West Boca Snappers/Florida Atlantic University)

The 2-time junior college National Champion out of Chipola College in Marianna, Florida returns for his 2nd summer in the SFCBL once again having an outstanding season.  Urbaez hit .397 with 7 doubles, 16 RBI’s and 10 stolen bases this summer and made video-game like plays in the field during the post season.  This season at Chipola, Urbaez hit .333 with 14 doubles, 7 HR’s, 48 RBI’s and 27 walks.  Skill wise he is an all-around solid player with tools.  At the plate Urbaez has a short, compact line drive swing with gap to gap power that could develop into more as he gets stronger.  Defensively we have watched him make multiple game saving/game changing plays over the last two seasons as he is very athletic and quick laterally.  He has a secure glove and an average MLB arm.  Francisco has an excellent feel for the game and he is a smart player.  We expect him to continue to develop and be a pro player next season after his spring at Florida Atlantic University.

Offensive Player of the Year – Matt Mackey (Florida Pokers/Eastern Illinois University)

One of the most dreaded hitters to face in the SFCBL, Mackey put up excellent power numbers with a league leading 20 overall extra base hits which included 9 HR’s, 10 doubles and 1 triple.  Mackey lead the league with his 9 HR’s and was second in RBI’s with 36 while hitting .371 which was 9th overall in the SFCBL.  Power numbers aren’t uncommon with Mackey as he hit 13 HR’s and 15 doubles while hitting .362 with 55 RBI’s at Maple Woods C.C. in Kansas City, Missouri this past spring.  In the field Mackey played 1B, C and outfield.  Mackey will attend Eastern Illinois University for his junior season in the Ohio-Valley Conference.  

Pitcher of the Year – Nik Constantakos (Florida Pokers/Charleston Southern University)

The 2016 SFCBL season Rookie of the Year has continued to rack up the awards as Nik led the SFCBL in strikeouts with 53 and was third in ERA with a 2.38 in 34 innings pitched.  His dominant performance can be credited to his ability to mix pitches and his sharp breaking ball which hitters struggled to square up.  His fastball sat in the 88-92 range and consistently hit 93-94 in his starts while his breaking ball was in the 75-78 MPH range.

Defensive Player of the Year – Luis Aviles (Pompano Beach Clippers/Rice University)

A wall behind the plate Aviles had only 1 error in 137 innings with 129 put outs and had a .993 fielding percentage.  An excellent catch and throw guy, Aviles consistently threw runners out attempting to steal bases.  Pitchers felt confident throwing off-speed with runners on base as he blocked the ball tremendously well.  Aviles is quick laterally and is a good receiver.  Aviles received playing time this spring as a true freshman at Rice but will transfer to Wallace-Dothan C.C. in Alabama for his sophomore year.

Top Relief Pitcher – Justin Alintoff (Delray Beach Lightning/University of Florida)

One of the most dominant relief pitchers in the SFCBL this season Alintoff’s outstanding freshman season at Indian River State carried over to the summer as he had a miniscule 0.49 ERA in 18.1 innings with 33 K’s and only 4 walks.  The rising sophomore started his 2017 fall at Florida Gulf Coast University and transferred to Indian River State which is a junior college located in Ft. Pierce, FL.  This spring Alintoff went 2-5 and struck out 77 batters in 57 innings only walking 9 hitters.  Stuff wise Alintoff’s fastball is anywhere from 87-92 and we’ve seen him hit 93 in the spring.  His control is outstanding rarely missing spots with all his pitches.  He features a breaking ball that improved this summer from the spring which sits in the 74-77 range.  His change up has some depth/fade and is a quality pitch that will get hitters on their front side.  Alintoff will spend his sophomore year at the University of Florida and we expect him to continually improve. 

Bill Hanscak 10th Player Award – Keith Stevens (Palm Beach Diamond Ducks/Florida Gulf Coast University)

Utilized in multiple positions including catcher, third base and right field, the Miami native was one of the toughest outs in the SFCBL this summer as he was second league-wide in average hitting .403 with 11 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HR’s and 33 RBI’s.  Stevens will play his senior season at FGCU this spring and originally had transferred in from Hillsborough C.C. where he hit .345 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR’s and 36 RBI’s.  Stevens has a thick, strong frame and runs well for his size.  Defensively, Stevens is a secure defender behind the dish and blocks the ball well.  With plenty of arm strength, right-field isn’t out of the question if he cannot be utilized behind the plate or at third base. 

Rookie of the Year – AJ Orrico (Boynton Beach Buccaneers/Florida State at Jacksonville)

One of the youngest players to play in the 2018 SFCBL season, Orrico put up outstanding numbers.  Although he is young he is mature on the field holding his own against well-seasoned and experienced players.  Orrico showed signs of quick improvement as the learning curve was short for him facing more advanced pitching.  At the plate Orrico hit .383 which was the 5th overall average in the SFCBL.  He also had 3 doubles, 1 triple, 13 RBI’s, 25 walks and 19 stolen bases.  Scouts define him as a pest at the plate as he generally fouls off multiple pitches with two strikes which in a sense is a lost art in its own.  He is a line drive, contact type hitter right now with enough bat speed to develop into a gap to gap hitter as he matures.  Defensively, Orrico plays up the middle but profiles out as more of a second baseman although he is athletic and has enough arm strength to play short stop in college.  Orrico will take the junior college route as he signed with Florida State at Jacksonville and we expect him to continue to develop into a Division I/professional prospect over the next 2 years.

Most Improved Player – Parker Stephens (West Boca Snappers/Valdosta State University)

In the 2017 SFCBL season, Stephens hit .239 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR and struck out 25 times in 88 at bats.  He returned to Wallace-Dothan C.C. in Alabama for his sophomore year and showed improvement hitting .315 with 6 doubles, 1 HR and 13 RBI’s.  Stephens returned to the Snappers for his 2nd season and showed tremendous improvement as he secured a starting spot in the infield mostly being utilized at second base.  This season Stephens hit .364 with 6 doubles and 17 RBI’s while raising his average 125 points from the 2017 season.  Defensively, Stephens made several excellent plays down the stretch during the playoffs that saved runs in critical moments.  He will spend his junior season at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia.

Evan Hirschbaum Sportsman of the Year – Owen Von Esslinger (Boynton Beach Buccaneers/Fairleigh Dickinson University)

Owen Von Esslinger is simply a player that any GM or Manager would want to have on their team.  A fan favorite and outstanding teammate, Owen was a major part of the of the Buccaneer lineup as he was the league leader in average this season hitting .406.  Von Esslinger also had 5 doubles, 18 RBI’s with only 3 K’s and was named to the 2018 North Division All-Star Team.  Buccaneer Associate Head Coach Nick Franco had the following to say about Owen: “Owen not only performed at a high level all summer, but also displayed great leadership and sportsmanship traits worthy of such a league wide honor.  No matter how the game was going, Owen picked up his teammates, played hard and was always communicating in a positive way with our opponents.  Whether while he was on the bases or behind the plate catching, it was evident there was a mutual respect among other players and Owen”.  Von Esslinger has found plenty of success in his college career so far as he hit .299 with 8 doubles, 2 HR’s and 15 RBI’s as a true freshman.  As a sophomore, Von Esslinger hit .354 with 7 doubles and 8 RBI’s and will spend his junior year at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

1st Team All-SFCBL

C Owen Von Esslinger (Boynton Beach Buccaneers/Fairleigh Dickinson University)

1B Anthony Harold (Palm Beach Diamond Ducks/Rowan University)

2B Parker Stephens (West Boca Snappers/Valdosta State University)

3B Francisco Urbaez (West Boca Snappers/Florida Atlantic University)

SS AJ Orrico (Boynton Beach Buccaneers/Florida State at Jacksonville)

OF Justin Lara (Florida Pokers/Kesier University)

OF Gabriel Lozada (Florida Pokers/Hillsborough C.C.)

OF Jacob Pino (Palm Beach Xtreme/Florida Atlantic University)

DH Matt Mackey (Florida Pokers/Eastern Illinois University)

UTL Keith Stevens (Palm Beach Diamond Ducks/Florida Gulf Coast University)

RHP Nik Constantakos (Florida Pokers/Charleston Southern University)

RHP William Gibbons (Boynton Beach Buccaneers/Berry College)

RHP Jake Buxbaum (Delray Beach Lightning/Lynn University)

RHP Havier Sans (West Boca Snappers/South Florida State)

RHP Vladimir Zavala (Palm Beach Diamond Ducks/Florida Atlantic University)

RHP Nic Luc (Delray Beach Lightning/Adelphi University)

2nd Team All-SFCBL

C Luis Aviles (Pompano Beach Clippers/Rice University)

1B Bryce Hulett (Boca Raton Blazers/State College of Florida)

2B Josh Shrouder (Florida Pokers/Austin Peay State University)

3B Kohl Gilmore (Palm Beach Diamond Ducks/Florida Gulf Coast University)

SS Jorge Iza (Pompano Beach Clippers/University of New Orleans)

OF Alvaro Valdez (Palm Beach Diamond Ducks/Eastern Florida State)

OF John O’Connor (Palm Beach Xtreme/Liberty University)

OF Colt Chrestman (Pompano Beach Clippers/University of North Alabama)

DH Jon Pichman (West Boca Snappers/University of Tampa)

UTL Sean Houck (Boynton Beach Buccaneers/Palm Beach Atlantic University)

RHP Alex Katz (Palm Beach Xtreme/Eastern Florida State)

RHP Conrado Skepple (Palm Beach Diamond Ducks/University of Mount Olive)

RHP Brant Brown (Palm Beach Diamond Ducks/Florida Southwestern State)

LHP Brandon Kaminer (Palm Beach Diamond Ducks/Wallace-Dothan C.C.)

LHP Gavin Gillespie (West Boca Snappers/Broward College)

RHP Matt Sellers (Boca Raton Blazers/Nova Southeastern University)

Editor’s note:  For All-SFCBL selections minimum of 75 plate appearances were needed to qualify as a position player and a minimum of 25 innings pitched were needed to qualify as a pitcher.  Plate appearances include AB’s, BB’s, HBP’s, SH’s and SF’s.  For hitters, average, extra base hits and RBI’s were the stats used for selections.  For pitchers, ERA, strikeouts, wins/losses and walks were the stats used for selections.