From Press Release

Another season has gone by, and it marked yet another year in which Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League alumni made an impact in the professional ranks. In total, 48 HCBL alumni played professionally in 2013, with a handful continuing their seasons in the prestigious Arizona Fall League (AFL).

One of those individuals is Diamondbacks farmhand Nick Ahmed (Westhampton ’09). Traded over the winter in the deal that sent Justin Upton to Atlanta, Ahmed took some time to adjust to his new surroundings but finished with a .236 batting average, four home runs and 46 RBI for Double-A Mobile. He was second on the team in doubles (21) and triples (5), and fourth in hits (115) and steals (26). Meanwhile, Ahmed was a wizard at shortstop, so much so that he earned the 2013 Minor League Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner at the position. His play prompted Mobile manager Andy Green told AZSnakePit.com, “I played a long time. I haven't seen a better defensive shortstop. I've managed and played, been in the big leagues. From what I've seen in two months, I've never seen a guy save runs day after day after day like that.” Ahmed then played for the Salt River Rafters of the AFL.

Kyle Kubitza (Southampton ’09) batted .305 with the AFL’s Scottsdale Scorpions, after a strong second season in the pros. Playing with High-A Lynchburg, Kubitza posted a .260/12/57 stat line, but he was on base constantly, having led the entire Carolina League with 80 walks. Kubitza was taken one round behind Ahmed in the 2009 draft.

Two of the top arms in the Double-A Texas League were Corpus Christi RHP Nick Tropeano (Riverhead ’09) and Frisco’s Phil Klein (Sag Harbor ’08). Tropeano, a top 10 prospect in the Astros organization according to Baseball America, led the league with 130 strikeouts. He finished 7-10 with five saves and a 4.11 ERA despite being one of the younger starting arms in the league, and made national news for notching the ever-rare one-pitch strikeout. Klein was dominant out of the bullpen for the Rangers’ Double-A club, going 5-1 with a 2.52 ERA in 29 appearances. The 6-foot-7 righty struck out 74 batters in 53 2/3 innings, or 12.4 per nine innings.

Fresh off a collegiate season in which he won the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation’s top catcher, Stuart Turner (Southampton ’11) had a strong debut in the Twins organization. The Ole Miss product batted .264 with three homers and 19 RBI in 34 games, and even got a taste of Double-A ball, hitting DH in one game and going 2 for 4. Joining Turner in Elizabethton were lefthander Andrew Ferreira (Southampton ’10) and Aaron Slegers (Riverhead ’11). In a full season with the Twins’ Rookie ball squad, Ferreira went 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA, striking out 30 batters in 21 innings. He gave up just 11 hits in that span. Slegers, the 2013 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, carried that success into the summer, posting a 0.47 ERA in 19 innings of work.

Elsewhere in the Appalachian League, Kevin McCarthy (Sag Harbor ’11; pictured) went 4-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 10 appearances for the Burlington Royals, while another righthander, Justin Topa (Southampton ’10), shined for the Pirates’ Short-Season affiliate in the New York-Penn League, going 5-2 with a 2.19 ERA in 19 stints out of the pen in Jamestown.

Across the US, Ryan Doran (Westhampton ’11) shrugged off not getting drafted and logged a heck of a rookie season. Doran signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and immediately made an impact with their Arizona League squad, going 3-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 10 games (9 starts). He then got the call to Class-A Hillsboro of the Northwest League and continued his success, going 2-0 in three starts and posting a 2.18 ERA. Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Padres RHP Kyle Lloyd (Westhampton ’10) went 4-1 with a 2.30 ERA before being called up to High-A Lake Elsinore, while righthander Zack Godley (Southampton ’10) posted a 2-0 record with a 1.75 ERA for Boise, the Cubs’ Single-A affiliate.

Two of the HCBL’s top bats in 2011 continued their success in the Pioneer League. With Idaho Falls, a Royals affiliate, Frank Schwindel (Riverhead ’11) hit .300 with six homers and 42 RBI, while Rockies prospect Jordan Patterson (Westhampton ’11). hit .291 with 10 long balls and 37 RBI for Grand Junction.

For a complete list of HCBL alumni in the pros and links to their stat pages, click here.