 Prospects prospect
JOHN VESSOYAN
Sports - Friday, August 17, 2007 @ 09:00
Colin Buckborough has taken a major step toward his big league dreams, and in a few years he hopes his dream will become a reality. The 18-year-old woke up at home in Niagara Falls Wednesday, had lunch in Toronto, went to the airport in Buffalo and finally went to sleep in Phoenix. Oh, the Seattle Mariners signed him to a minor league contract worth $200,000, too. The M's drafted the Stamford graduate in the 16th round of the June entry draft. After watching the right-handed pitcher carefully over the past month and a half, they offered him the rookie contract Wednesday.
Seattle had selected 51 players in the draft and Buckborough was one of 31 to be offered a contract. The team's first-round pick, fellow Canadian Phillippe Aumont, signed for $1.9 million US. While the Buckborough household was buzzing Wednesday night, Colin had to miss the excitement as he was sent to Phoenix for physical testing. The pitcher will be back in Arizona in mid-September to take part in an instructional league, then in March he plans to report to spring training. "Hopefully in a few years I'll be able to get to the bigs," he told The Tribune in a phone interview last night from Peoria, Ariz., where he underwent a physical yesterday. "A lot of hard work to get there." Buckborough spent small parts of the last two seasons with the Bullett Proof Prospects, a premier showcase team in Welland, mostly training with the team in the winter. Prospects head coach Scott Bullett said he's proud to see one of his players reach the top. "It makes us feel great," Bullett said last night. "It's the end of the road. He got what he worked for, so we're very happy today." Bullett is also happy because Buckborough is a pioneer. "
Colin is our first official Bullett Proof kid to go to the pros," he said. Buckborough has four main pitches: fastball, curveball, slider and change-up, pitches that he can launch to 90 mph. "Colin - each and every day, on and off the field - put his time in and that's one of the reasons that we try and tell these kids in our organization it takes more than just going to practice. You've got to go out there and be able to dedicate yourself on and off the field and in the gym." Buckborough's thankful an organization such as the Prospects exists. "They helped me a lot in the off-season. It was great to have that place there to be able to throw in the off-season and train," he said. "I'm not sure where else I would go if they weren't there."
Buckborough's agent Dan Lawson called Tuesday to say a contract offer was going to be presented. On Wednesday, the family headed to Toronto to meet Lawson and look over the contract. On the table was a $120,000 signing bonus, a $80,000 education fund and the standard $1,200 monthly rookie ball salary. It wasn't first-round money, but it was significantly more than what is typically offered to a 16th-round pick. The contract was in line with a sixth-round pick, which Buckborough's father, Lee, said was the result of a strong summer of baseball. "His control was pretty good, his curve ball was good and he had good velocity. That's why Seattle moved him into sixth-round money." Colin Buckborough is is just happy to have his name on a contract. "It was a big relief," he said. "It felt great. It's every kid's dream to get to the pros and make it to the big leagues. That's the next step." After his stay in Arizona, Buckborough will be flown to Missouri, where he will join the Canadian national junior team for a training camp leading up to the World Junior Championship qualifiers, which will be held in Mexico Aug 24 to Sept. 2. Canada is hosting the 2008 World Junior Championships in Edmonton, although he will be too old to play on the team next year.
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Bullett Proof Baseball is represented at the Olympics!
Bullett
Proof Baseball is very proud to have two members of our clinic taking
part in this year's Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Our pitching
coach, Dave Davidson, and former student Nick Weglarz are both taking
part in this huge event as part of Team Canada. We are so proud of both
young men and wish them and the team good luck! Read the story here.
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Colin Buckborough's big day is almost here. The 18-year-old
pitcher is expected to be selected in the Major League Baseball
draft which starts Thursday.
Photo: Mike DiBattista
Major League moment
Niagara Falls pitcher slated to be picked in amateur draft
DAN DAKIN / Review Staff Writer
Sports - Wednesday, June 06, 2007 Updated @ 6:27:53 AM
Anxious. Excited. Nervous.
Colin Buckborough is full of emotions this week, as the moment he has been working towards for years has finally arrived.
"My time has come," Buckborough says in a matter-of-fact way.
"I've done everything I can to get myself ready."
Buckborough's date with destiny is here.
On Thursday and Friday, the 18-year-old Stamford Collegiate
student will be glued to the Internet as he watches the Major League
Baseball draft unfold.
The words the pitcher is waiting to hear are simple:
"In this round, the (insert pro team here) select Colin Buckborough, pitcher from Niagara Falls."
"I don't know what the reaction will be," Buckborough said.
"It's every kid's dream. Other than making it to the majors, getting
drafted is the big thing."
A right-handed pitcher who can throw in the low 90s,
Buckborough is considered among the top handful of Canadian prospects
in this year's MLB draft.
He spent the past year on Canada's junior national team along
with No. 1 Canadian prospect Phillippe Aumont, who is expected to go
early in the draft. For someone whose life is probably about to take a dramatic
turn for the better, Buckborough is surprisingly grounded and level
headed.
"It came up quick. Now that it's here, I just want it to be Thursday and Friday.
I'm anxious and a little nervous," he said.
"I know I'm not going in the first couple of rounds, but I'm
hoping no later than the 15th," he said. "It's a poker game of who's
going to go where. You can't really tell."
The game gets underway Thursday, but since he's expected to
go in the later rounds Buckborough's big day will likely be Friday. When the draft gets going that day, he will be at his
parents' Niagara Falls home along with some friends, other family, and
his player representative Dan Lawson, who also represents Stevensville
ball player Nick Weglarz, drafted by the Cleveland Indians two years
ago. Buckborough has already booked Friday off school.
He credits his teachers for their willingness to work around his busy schedule of travelling to tournaments over the years.
Stamford phys-ed department head Bonnie Brady said the whole school is rallying around one of their own.
"This has been a hard week. We're all dying inside for him," she said.
"It's exciting. It's hard not to keep talking about it.
"Colin has always been such an athlete, but he doesn't just go out and throw a baseball. He's well-rounded."
Though making the big leagues is the ultimate goal, Buckborough
has set himself up to be successful either way by accepting a full
four-year scholarship deal at the University of Evansville in Indiana.
If he doesn't sign with a pro team this summer, an education and a spot
on one of the Top 25 baseball programs in the U.S. awaits him. New rules put in place this year mean major league teams have
until Aug. 15 to sign their draft picks to a contract or else they get
released outright - which would also result in Buckborough going to
university.
The goal, however, is to get drafted in an early round this
week, then have a solid summer playing travel baseball (Buckborough
also plays for the Intercounty Brantford Red Sox).
Sometime before Aug. 15, Buckborough, the team that drafts
him and his player representative (by NCAA rules he can't have an
agent), will sit down and hopefully sign a contract with a weekly
salary for playing on a semi-pro team plus a signing bonus.
"I want to play ball, that's my main goal. I want to go in a
half-decent round in the draft and sign and go play pro somewhere," he
said.
Buckborough has no clue who might draft him, although he's
said to be on the draft list for the Milwaukee Brewers, who have a
Canadian general manager and scout Canada heavily.
"That would be a good organization for him. If you get
drafted by the Yankees, maybe you'll spend longer in the minors," said
Mike Simpson, the pitching coach for Bullett Proof Baseball, a prospect
team out of Welland that Buckborough occasionally pitches for. Simpson figures he has all the makings of a big league pitcher.
"Right now he has a major league curve ball. It's tough to
hit," he said. "He's young, he's tall, he's got what they look for in
major league pitching."
If he signs a contract, Buckborough will automatically lose
his eligibility to play baseball for an NCAA university team, but by
MLB rules, the approximately US$130,000 his scholarship would have been
worth is picked up by the pro team that signed him and put into escrow.
If and when the player leaves the team - even if it's at the end of a
lengthy professional career - that money will be given to Buckborough
tax free.
It's a lot of money, but any money the pitcher makes from baseball will be the repayment of years of hard work and dedication.
"Baseball has been such a big commitment. The last couple of
years I knew I had a shot at going pro, so I had to give up the other
sports and stuff," he said.
But Buckborough also knows the hard work is far from over.
"If I get drafted and signed, I'll have to perform. Staying there is harder than getting there," he said.
But getting there is what will have Buckborough's stomach in a knot until Friday afternoon.
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Golden boys settle for silver; Prospects improve to league-best 10-2-1 after placing second at tourney
Sports - Tuesday, May 22, 2007 @ 09:00
Bullett Proof Prospects, the Canadian Showcase Baseball League's golden
boys of the diamond, didn't hit the motherlode this time out. But returning home to Welland from a Victoria Day weekend
tournament in Brockville with the silver medal was a pretty good
consolation prize. The Prospects, who opened tournament play the week
before by capturing gold at the western tournament in Barrie, improved
their record to a league-leading 10-2-1 after going 2-1-1 at the
tournament in eastern Ontario.
Bullett Proof right-hander Rob Nixon went the distance,
striking out seven and walking three in a two-hitter, as Welland
blanked the Ontario Prospects from Ajax 1-0 to clinch second place at a
three-day tournament that served double duty for the league - the
results also count in the regular season standings. Welland only scratched out four hits of its own as it rebounded
from a 4-0 loss to the host Brockville Bunnies in the gold medal game,
but Nick Stansbury, A.J. Prankard, Matt Upper and Aaron Butler made
sure that their singles counted.
Shawn Somerville, Nixon and Upper doubled, while Graeme
Riches, Port Colborne's Mark Ciolfi and Nixon combined to pitch a
six-hitter in Welland's tournament-opening 4-4 tie against the Ottawa
Knights.
Bullett Proof - 5-0 at the western tournament - returned to
the win track by taming the Barrie-based Ontario Tigers 9-0 on the
strengh of Somerville's two-run homer, Nixon's triple and a double,
single and two walks from Alex Zegers.
Cam Cartwright pitched a complete game to earn the shutout
victory. The right-hander from Port Colborne scattered four
hits and fanned eight over seven innings.
Stansbury, with two singles; and Nixon, double; provided the
only offence Welland could muster in the loss to the Brockville Bunnies
in the gold medal final. Randy Kraneyk allowed six hits, walked five and struck out one in the route-going loss.
Welland, which played three "home" games over the weekend in
Brockville according to the league's regular season schedule, really
will be at home this weekend. First up for the Prospects is a
doubleheader Saturday beginning at 9:30 a.m. against Ajax at Welland
Stadium. Sunday's twin-bill - this time, at Burgar Park - has the
Ontario Tigers from Barrie providing the opposition. First pitch is 1
p.m., weather permitting.
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Welland Bullett Proof Prospects right-hander Rob Nixon
delivers a
pitch to Ajax batter Matt Marienelli in Canadian Showcase
Baseball League
under-19 action Saturday at Welland Stadium.
Photo: John Vessoyan / Staff
Roller-coaster ride; error-plagued slugfest follows pitching gems as prospects split two series
BERND FRANKE
Sports - Monday, May 28, 2007 @ 09:00
 There's nothing funny about a comedy of errors, especially when it
takes place on the baseball diamond and involves the first-place team.
Welland Bullett Proof Prospects head coach Scott Bullett
certainly was in no mood to laugh after his normally sure-handed team
allowed seven errors that gave the visiting Ontario Tigers from Barrie
a 20-15 victory in a Canadian Showcase Baseball League game at Burgar
Park that seemed to drag on forever.
"Will this game every end!" a Bullett Proof batter muttered
in the on-deck in the bottom of the fifth inning of the error-plagued
slugfest.
It was the Prospects' second meltdown on defence in as many
days. On Saturday at Welland Stadium, they collected more errors than
hits as they dropped a 1-0 decision to the Ontario Prospects from Ajax,
marring a pitching gem from Port Colborne's Cam Cartwright in the
process. He allowed only three hits, while striking out three in the
complete-game loss.
On both days, the letdowns occurred in the second game of
doubleheaders after Bullett Proof opened the twin-bills with victories.
Welland native Rob Nixon and Simon Earp combined to pitch a six-hitter
in a 9-1 victory over Ajax to open the four-game set, while Aaron
Butler, A.J. Prankard and Matt Upper each doubled as the Prospects
tamed the Tigers 4-3 in yesterday's lidlifter.
Pitching coach Mike Simpson suggested that inexperience may
have been a factor on the weekend when his young team return to the
field for the bottom half of the doubleheaders. He pointed out that
with nine 16-year-olds and five 17-year-olds facing players as old as
20, "the Prospects are a young team.
"While no excuses can be given, sometimes that happens, especially considering they are playing in an under-19 league."
Still, youth is being served as the Welland-based elite team
continues to lead the league with a 12-4-1 record and followed up a
gold medal at its first tournament with silver the next weekend.
In Saturday's opening game against their namesakes from Ajax,
Nixon scattered five hits, struck out five and walked three in a
five-inning start. Earp was solid in relief, limiting a team managed by
former Toronto Blue Jays Rich and Rob Butler to one hit and two walks
in two innings.
Joining Cartwright in the spotlight following Saturday's Game
2 was the newly-signed Royce Consigli. The latest Wellander to join a
regional team on which all but one player hails from Niagara collected
the only two hits the Prospects were able to muster.
Prankard and Nixon each cleared the fence with homers in the
loss to Barrie, while Alex Zegers did a yeoman's effort on the mound
for Welland in a relief of Consigli and Port Colborne native Mark
Ciolfi.
Zegers, who normally doesn't pitch for the Prospects, was
pressed into duty when three hurlers on Simpson's staff were unable to
the hill due to injuries.
"Alex did a great job," said Simpson after Zegers "took one
for the team" and gave up four earned runs on 10 hits and one walk in
four innings.
Zegers, who did as he was asked by keeping the ball down the
middle for much of his emergency stint on the mound, was let down by
unearned runs. This did not go unnoticed by Bullett, who at one point
hailed Zegers as the best player on his team for getting the Tigers to
hit grounders.
"You're keeping the ball down the middle, but you're all
alone out there. You're not getting any support," said the one-time
major leaguer with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs as he told
his fielders in a sideline meeting "you should be ashamed of
yourselves." sports@wellandtribune.ca
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Prospects win big - on and off the field; Welland celebrates pitcher's selection in mlb draft by winning three of four games Bernd Franke / Osprey News Service Sports - Tuesday, June 12, 2007 @ 09:00  A winning weekend which began with the Seattle Mariners selecting one of their pitchers in the Major League Baseball Draft ended with the Welland Bullett Proof Prospects navigating their way to a 3-1 record in home-and-home doubleheaders. Welland stole the show Saturday in Stratford, taking both curtain calls in the Festival City, as it defeated the King City-based Ontario Cobras 5-1 and the host Nationals 1-0. Sunday's twin-bill against Stratford at Burgar Park started out strong, too. However, a 3-1 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning was anything but Bullett Proof for Welland. A meltdown on defence turned a two-run lead into a 7-3 loss as the Nationals plated six unanswered runs in their final at bat in regulation. Welland returned to the win column in the nightcap - also played at Burgar Park - with a 6-4 victory to improve to 18-6-1, still tops in the Canadian Showcase Baseball League and a hallmark of the team's ability to rebound from a loss. So far this season the Prospects have never lost more than one game in any of their four-game series they have played. On Friday, right-hander Colin Buckborough became the first Bullett Proof Prospects player - and the second developed by former major leaguer Scott Bullett - to be taken in the major league draft when the Mariners made the Niagara Falls native the 495th overall pick with their selection in the 16th round. A couple of years ago, the Cleveland Indians selected first baseman Nick Weglarz from Stevensville in the third round after he spent some time sharpening his baseball skills with Bullett - a one-time Pittsburgh Pirate and Chicago Cub - at his training facility in Welland. "While Colin's the first for this team - we've only been around for a year - but he's the second under Scott's Bullett Baseball," Prospects pitching coach Mike Simpson explained. If Seattle doesn't sign Buckborough by Aug. 15, the 18-year-old Stamford student will be receive his outright release from the Mariners and be free to attend the University of Evansville Indiana on a four-year baseball scholarship. Buckborough, who wants to take his game to the next level this summer by pitching with the Intercounty League's Brantford Red Sox, would lose his eligibility to play university baseball if he signs a pro contract. However, major league rules would require teams to place the $130,000 US the scholarship would have been worth is escrow. If, and when, Buckborough leave the team - even after a lengthy pro career - that money will be given to him tax free.  Buckborough's decision to play in the Intercounty League won't leave his under-19 time high and dry and scrambling for fresh arms. Prospects pitching coach Mike Simpson is confident that Buckborough will continue to "split time" between the two teams, as has been the case since the outset of the season. "In July we're going to be on the road 22 of 31 days for showcase tournaments in the States," Simpson said. "Colin's going to join us some of the time, so that will give me another fresh arm to use in the rotation from time to time."  Last weekend on the diamond for the Prospects, the newly signed Royce Consigli blasted a three-run homer in the fifth inning to seal Welland's victory in the opener. The Welland native and Notre Dame student who last played for the Inferno baseball development program in Buffalo added a single to round out his three plate appearances. Welland's Rob Nixon limited King City to three hits and struck out 10 in earning a complete-game victory. Another homebrew hurler - Cam Cartwright from Port Colborne - sparkled on the diamond in the Prospects' first game against Stratford. In another route-going effort for the visitors, Cartwright scattered two hits, walked one and fanned 10 over seven innings. Shawn Somerville, 3-for-3 for the game-winning RBI; and Consigli, 2-for-3 with a single and a double; accounted for all but one of Welland's six hits in the 1-0 victory. Pinpoint pitching also was the storyline for the Prospects in Sunday's lidlifter on their home field, at least it was in the early going. Welland native Randy Kraneyk, fresh from helping Notre Dame win the Zone 3 championship in high school baseball, appeared headed for a sure victory when Welland fielders forget to bring their gloves when they returned to the field for the top of the final inning. Kraneyk, who limited Stratford to no runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings, had a 3-1 lead when he was relieved by Mark Ciolfi. The Port Colborne left-hander surrendered four earned runs on five hits and one walk before he gave the ball to Simon Earp, who got the final two hits after giving two hits. After opening the weekend as Bullett Proof's hitting star, Consigli stood tall on the mound in the final game of the four-game set. He got the win in the 6-4 victory by limiting the Nationals to four runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven, while walking six. Matt Spillman singled twice and doubled to lead Welland at the plate. Next weekend the Prospects need to have some snake charmer in them if they want to continue their winning ways - all four games in another series of home-and-home doubleheaders will be against the Ontario Cobras. Once again, action gets underway Saturday with the Prospects playing on the road. Sunday afternoon's home games at Welland Stadium are scheduled to begin at 3 and 5. sports@wellandtribune.ca
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Bullett Proof Prospects also defeat proof; Welland sweeps 4-game weekend series to remain in CSBL driver's seat BERND FRANKE / Tribune Staff Sports - Tuesday, June 19, 2007 @ 09:00
Welland Bullett Proof Prospects base runner Matt Spillman is about to be forced out at second in Canadian Showcase Baseball League action against the Ontario Cobras Sunday at Welland Stadium.
Photo: Bernd Franke / Staff
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It was the Ontario Cobras, not the Welland Bullett Proof Prospects, who kept rolling snake eyes on the baseball diamond. Last weekend, in home-and-home doubleheaders in Canadian Showcase Baseball League under-19 action, the King City crew was unable to win at home nor take advantage of the home side's errors in Sunday's nightcap at Welland Stadium to avoid a four-game sweep in the second last series of the regular season. Two errors by the Prospects in the top of the sixth inning put the Cobras up 3-2, but the lead was short-lived as Welland scored eight runs in their next at bat to clinch a 10-3 victory in a game that was called official after six full innings as a result of a curfew. Welland improves to a league-leading 22-6-1 heading into a four-game set against the Ajax-based Ontario Prospects next week. Matt Upper doubled twice to lead Bullett Proof in the finale against the Cobras. Nick Stansbury also hit 2-for-2, collecting two singles. Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Colin Buckborough went the distance on the mound for Welland for the victory.
He allowed two runs on three hits and striking out seven. Port Colborne's Cam Cartwright and Graeme Riches combined to pitch a seven-hitter in a 4-3 victory in Saturday's opening game in King City. Matt Spillman went 2-for-3 and stole three bases while fellow Wellander Rob Nixon singled twice in two plate appearances. Another Wellander stole the show in the nightcap on Day 1 of the series. Royce Consigli's 2-for-2 performance at the plate included his second home run of the season as the Prospects scored a 9-2 mercy-rule victory. Randy Kraneyk, Consigli's teammate from the Notre Dame baseball squad that won the Zone 3 championship, threw five complete innings for the victory. A Welland native, Kraneyk gave up one earned run on five hits while striking out four. In Sunday's opener at the stadium - a 10-4 victory for Welland - Nixon got the win with a three-hitter, becoming the second hurler who saw action with the Fighting Irish at the high school level pitch a complete game for the Prospects in the weekend series. Upper drove in five runs on a triple and a double, while Consigli collected a single to go along with his triple. After next weekend's play, the Prospects will spend 22 days traveling throughout the U.S. attending showcase tournaments. Stops include Trevecca University in Tennessee, the Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio; and CABA Wood Bat World Series in Charleston, S.C. "These showcase tournaments allow the team to be seen by college and pro scouts in the hopes that the player will gain a scholarship to college or be put on a pro team's draft list for 2008," Prospects pitching coach Mike Simpson said. In addition to Buckborough, who was taken by the Mariners in the 16th round as the 495th overall selection in the Major League Baseball draft, recent success stories involving the Welland-based Prospects include Nixon, who accepted a part-athletic, part-academic scholarship to play baseball at Long Island's Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. and Shawn Somerville who has accepted an offer at Mercyhurst Junior College in Erie, Pennsylvania. Welland 14, Buffalo 12
In recent under-12 action at Walkinshaw Park in St. Catharines, Scott Dubois had two singles and a double and starting pitcher Tyler Stewart went 3-for-4 at the plate as the Bullett Proof All-Stars overcame an 8-2 deficit to edge the Buffalo Inferno. Nick Spillman and Matthew Guarasci hit home runs to highlight an eight-run third inning for Welland. After Stewart surrendered seven runs in two innings, Jonah Mondloch limited Buffalo to five hits over three innings to earn the victory. Trevor Ferri pitched the final two innings for Welland to pick up the save. He allowed two runs on four hits. sports@wellandtribune.ca
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Opening weekend starts off with No Hitters by Nixon and Bray!
How's this for starters?
JOHN VESSOYAN
Sports - Tuesday, May 08, 2007 @ 09:00
 Days before Welland's Bullett Proof Prospects played their first game
of the under-18 baseball season, Robert Nixon told manager Scott
Bullett that he was going to throw a no-hitter. Nixon was joking with
his manager at the time. The joke turned real on opening day.
The 18-year-old Welland native stepped onto the mound at
Welland Stadium Saturday morning for the first game of a doubleheader
against the Stratford Nationals. Nixon accomplished a daunting feat as
he threw a no-hitter in a 1-0 victory.
"It feels awesome," Nixon said after his team scored the
winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to claim the win. "It's
even better because it's the first game of the year." The Notre Dame graduate, had a perfect game going through
five innings. But soon after he got wild and accidently hit a few
batters, putting them on base. He then settled down, regained his composure and started throwing the ball well."I tried to throw strikes and stay ahead of the batter," he
said. "I tried to keep the ball down. There were lots of ground ball
outs." Nixon, who earned a baseball scholarship to Adelphi
University, an NCAA Division II school located in Garden City, N.Y.,
has thrown a no-hitter before. Last year as a member of the Welland
Mustangs, he didn't allow a hit against Niagara Falls in a 10-0 win in
the championship game. Bullett didn't downplay Nixon's performance during the weekend.
"He had control of his game from beginning to end," he said.
"It's big, man. It's baseball. A no-hitter is a no-hitter. He did well.
We're proud of him." Nixon, who said his best pitches are the slider and two-seam
fastball, will showcase his talents in front of many professional
scouts next weekend in London, Ont., during a prospects camp hosted by
Walt Burrows of the Major League Baseball Canadian scouting bureau.
The Prospects carried the momentum from the first match into
Game 2 Saturday afternoon and defeated the Nationals 2-1. Jordan Bray
pitched a complete-game, five-hitter for the victory. Matt Spillman and
Aaron Butler each scored a run in the game on a sunny, but extremely
windy day in the Rose City.
On Sunday, Welland completed the home-and-home series against
the Nationals with a doubleheader, and while lightning did strike twice
- T.J. Bray and Mark Ciolfi combined to throw a no-hitter - it rained
runs in the nightcap, with the Prospects deluged under a 14-run
downpour after taking a 9-0 lead into the fourth inning for their lone
loss of the weekend. T.J. Bray, Jordan's older brother, had a no-hitter through
seven innings in Sunday's first game but, with his pitch count
mounting, he walked in the tying run before giving the ball to Ciolfi,
who got the win after the Prospects plated the go-ahead run for a 4-3
victory. Matt Spillman and Nixon drove in runs with sacrifice flies,
while A.J. Prankard led Welland at the plate with a single and a
double. Nick Stansbury also doubled for the Prospects. The lone bright spot for the Prospects in the nightcap
loss was Robert Gay's bases-loaded triple. He finished the game with
six RBIs. Defence - "Normally, one of the team's strong points,"
according to pitching coach Mike Simpson - was at its worst as Welland
committed six errors to let Stratford back into the game. The Prospects next set of games will be in a league tournament in Barrie as they play the Nationals on Friday at
7 p.m. Bullett Proof will then entertain the Ontario Prospects Saturday
at 10 a.m. and the Brockville Bunnies at 3 p.m.
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Printed from www.wellandtribune.ca web site Tuesday, June 05, 2007 - © 2007 Welland Tribune
Prospects prospering; Winning weekend keeps Welland in driver's seat in CSBL standings
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
- 09:00
Sports
- June came in like a tiger - the Ontario Tigers, to be exact - for Welland's Bullett Proof Prospects.
While the Barrie-based Tigers earned their stripes with a 2-0
win to open a four-game, home-and-home series, the Prospects tamed the
tabbies the rest of the way. Welland's winning weekend improves the
under-18 team's record to a Canadian Showcase Baseball League-leading
15-5-1.
Much like the Prospects' batting order in their Game 1 loss
Saturday in Barrie, it was an up-and-down weekend at the plate for the
Wellanders - it was either feast or famine. Randy Kraneyk's single was
their only hit in the opening game of the series, yet this offensive
output increased dramatically - to 15 hits - by the time Bullett Proof
wrapped up the set with a 7-5 victory in Sunday's nightcap at Welland
Stadium.
Despite missing five seniors who were away writing college
entrance exams, the Prospects were competitive from the opening pitch.
Only an error that led to two Barrie runs marred Rob Nixon's
complete-game pitching gem in the series opener. In seven innings of
work, the Welland right-hander allowed only two hits and one walk while
striking out eight.
Welland's bats came alive in Saturday's second game while the
pitching remained top-shelf for Welland. Led by Royce Consigli's triple
and two singles and Rob Gay's two singles, the Prospects pounded out 11
hits in support of Cam Cartwright's one-hitter in a 7-0 victory.
Like Nixon, the Port Colborne portsider went the distance on
the mound for Bullett Proof, a baseball development program run by
former major leaguer Scott Bullett. Cartwright had nine strikeouts and
walked five.
Hits were at a premium when the scene shifted to Welland
Stadium for Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheaders. Jordan Bray led the
Prospects' meagre four-hit attack with a triple and a single, while
Kraneyk limited the Tigers to five hits to earn a complete-game win as
Bullett Proof came back in their final at bat to score a 2-1 victory.
Up 3-0 in the third inning, Welland appeared headed for an
easy win in the final game of the weekend set when the Tigers' patience
at the plate against Prospects starter Colin Buckborough began paying
dividends. Barrie plated one run in the third and then knotted the game
at three-all two innings later.
Welland responded with a rally of its own - four runs in the
seventh - enough to offset the two runs the Tigers scored in their
final at bat in the 7-5 decision for the Prospects.
Matt Spillman went 4 of 5 and Matt Upper, Consigli and Bray
all went 3 for 4 to lead Welland at the plate. Nixon had two singles
and drive home three runs, while Simon Earp hit a two-run single for
Welland.
Buckborough scattered six hits, walked five and fanned nine
batters in his return to the Bullett Proof lineup after pitching for
Team Canada at a tournament in the Domincan Republic. A top prospect, the
six-foot-five, 190-pound right-hander from Niagara Falls is expected to
be selected in the top 15 rounds of this week's Major League Baseball
draft.
Mark Ciolfi surrendered two runs on one hit and struck out one to earn the save.
Another series of home-and-home doubleheaders is on tap for the
Prospects this weekend. Saturday has the team on the road playing the
Stratford Nationals, returning home to host 1 and 4 p.m. starts at
Burgar Park the following day.
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Prospects in the newspaper
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U18 Prospects split twin-bill; Welland suffers letdown in field and on mound
Sports - Tuesday, September 26, 2006 @ 09:00
Disappointing perfomances on the mound and on defence in the tail end of a doubleheader Sunday in Vaughan marred an otherwise winning weekend for Welland Bullett Proof Prospects.
After edging the reigning Premier Baseball League of Ontario champion Inter-County Terriers 5-3 Friday night in Welland, the under 18 team opened the twin-bill with a 9-8 victory over Team Ontario.
Randy Kraneyk led the hit parade for Welland with a triple and a single. Matt Spillman, Deryn Henry and Cody Body, with two singles apiece; Matt Upper, Aaron Butler and Garrett Fisher also collected out hits for a baseball development team managed by former major leaguer and one-time Welland Pirate Scott Bullett.
Game 2 was a different story as the Prospects suffered a power outage at the plate. Upper's double and singles by Boyd and Kraneyk were Welland's only hits in the 8-1 loss.
A silver lining for Prospects pitching coach Mike Simpson in the loss was the work of freshmen Jordan Bray and Brandon Shaw. They combined to shut out Team Ontario over the final two innings, giving up no runs or walks while striking out four.
Welland began the weekend by overcoming a two-run, first-inning deficit in their defeat of the Terriers. Bullett Proof plated four runs in the fifth as A.J. Prankard and Will Hunter led off with singles, Chris Redmen reached first on a sacrifice bunt and Robert Gay followed with a double to score two runs. They added an insurance run an inning later when Jordell Farquarson singled, stole second and scored on Nick Stansbury's singles.
Rob Nixon, Bray and Shaw shared pitching duties for Welland in the win. Between them they scattered 13 hits, walked three and fanned 11.
Meanwhile, as the only Canadian team at a qualifying tournament in Long Island, the Prospects represented the maple leaf proudly as they had a .667 winning percentage in pool play and missed taking their division and advancing to the finals by one run.
Bullett Proof's defence was outstanding at the well-scouted New York tournament, giving up only eight runs in four games.
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Bullett proof prospects split doubleheader
/ Tribune Staff
Sports - Monday, October 02, 2006 @ 09:00
Rob Nixon limited the Team Ontario 17s to six hits while striking out 11 and walking three in a 4-1 win as his Bullett Proof Prospects split a two-game series at Welland Stadium this weekend.
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The Prospects took the lead in the first game on a sacrifice fly by Jordell Farquarson. A.J. Prankard's double later brought in Randy Krayek and Aaron Butler, while Daryl Henry brought Prankard across the plate.
Team Ontario took the lead early in the second contest, and the Prospects were unable to catch up. Robert Gay had two RBIs for Bullett Proof, while Garrett Fisher scored twice. Farquarson pitched seven innings for the Prospects, allowing nine hits, striking out four and giving up four earned runs.
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Showcases for The Show
Swartz, Derek
Sports - Friday, March 02, 2007 @ 09:00
Winter in Welland may not seem like the breeding ground for a boy summer.
With winter facilities to augment their training when the winter winds blow, the idea is not far-fetched at all. In fact, a Major League Baseball scout and representatives of two American League teams were at Bullettproof Baseball academy Sunday evaluating some of the top 15- to 18- year-old prospects in Niagara.
The day's session won't land any of the hopefuls a contract. The results will, however, find their way into scouting reports that could mean the difference between being drafted or not. More than a dozen hopefuls worked out under the watchful eye Walt Burrows. The Canadian supervisor of scouting for Major League Baseball says Canada, once known in baseball only for perennial all-star Fergie Jenkins and pinch-hitter Terry Puhl, is too rich a talent pool these days to be ignored.
Once an anomaly in the big leagues, Canadians are not only increasing in number, they are increasingly significant contributors to their teams. Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau of New Westminster, B.C., is the reigning American League most valuable player, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.) is a two-time all star, and fellow Canucks Rich Harden (Victoria, B.C.) and Jeff Francis (Vancouver) are the staff aces of the Oakland Athletics and Colorado Rockies, respectively.
There's no question Canadian players in the big leagues aren't filler guys. You've got guys like Morneau, Jason Bay, Rich Harden, Adam Stern. ... Success breeds success, Burrows says. The kids see other Canadians being successful and they say, Why not me.'
There are close to 100 Canadians in the major leagues and Burrows says 500 playing professionally in the minor leagues is a conservative estimate.
One reason Burrows feels more Canadians are reaching The Show is because of academies, such as Bullettproof, that allow young players to develop their skills year-round.
The academy, located at the Niagara Region Exhibition grounds, is becoming part of the Canadian player pipeline. Nick Weglarz, a Stevensville kid who was drafted in the first round last June by the Cleveland Indians, came through the Bullettproof Baseball Academy. St. Catharines pitcher Dave Davidson, a member of the Pirates' 40-man roster, is another Bullettproof alum.
There's talent everywhere, says Ozzie Timmons, a minor league hitting instructor for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays also at Sunday's session. Baseball academies fields of dreams for scouts "When you've got a place like this it will bring the scouts out. There's talent everywhere and you've got to find it, he says as the pitchers show their stuff for him, Boston Red Sox associate scout Paul Pelfrey and Burrows.
Burrows' job is to keep an eye on players he and his staff have already identified and to try to project how they will develop over the next few years. But he also keeps his eyes open for undiscovered players who have the tools to succeed. Those tools may be bat speed for a hitter, arm speed for a pitcher, or in the case of Cambridge's Scott Thorman, strength. Nearly a d decade after he initially scouted him, Thorman finds himself the likely starting first baseman for the Atlanta Braves this season.
The scouting business will keep Burrows away from his home in Victoria for most of the next eight months. Burrows was i Montreal on Monday and and in Saskatoon the following day. That was followed by Calgary and Lethridge yesterday before heading to Langley, B.C., for a weekend tournament.
Next week he heads off to Florida, where some Canadian youth teams will be playing in tournaments, in search of the next Morneau or Bay.
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