WEYMOUTH, Mass. (August 13, 2020) -- With the 2020 regular season approaching its conclusion, the Futures Collegiate Baseball League named the six finalists for its Most Valuable Player and Pitcher of the Year honors on Thursday.
Statistics in the biographies below include all games as of August 12.
The winners of both awards as well as the Adam Keenan Sportsmanship & Scholarship Award, Defensive Player of the Year, Relief Pitcher of the Year, Top Pro Prospects and Manager of the Year will be announced next week. All-FCBL First and Second Teams will also be chosen following the conclusion of the playoffs.
MVP FINALISTS
Dominic Keegan, Nashua Silver Knights, Vanderbilt University
Keegan has been front and center for Nashua’s league-leading offense all summer long. The Methuen, Mass., native currently ranks atop the FCBL with his 38 RBI, while his eight home runs are second and his .333 average is fifth. Nineteen of Keegan’s 37 total hits have gone for extra bases as he has totaled 74 bags and a .667 slugging percentage. He earned FCBL Player of the Week honors on July 27 after going 11-for-18 with four homers, four doubles, 10 runs scored and 13 RBI over just four games.
Jared Dupere, Nashua Silver Knights, Northeastern University
Dupere has also supplied the Silver Knights with plenty of power while teaming up with Keegan in the middle of the batting order. The lefty-hitting outfielder from Amesbury, Mass., sports a .349 average with five home runs and 22 RBI and has compiled a .471 on-base and .627 slugging percentage through 23 games this summer. The middle of Dupere’s second season in Nashua included a nine-game hitting streak with four consecutive multi-hit games.
Ben Rice, Worcester Bravehearts, Dartmouth College
A key addition to last year’s title-winning team, Rice brought his power stroke back to the first-place Bravehearts and currently leads the FCBL with 11 home runs. The Cohasset, Mass., native paces the Bravehearts with 27 RBI, while his 38 hits, 77 total bases and .733 slugging percentage top the entire league. He has recorded a pair of four-RBI games this August and also ranks second in the circuit with a .362 average, 17 extra-base knocks and 26 walks.
Ben Malgeri, North Shore Navigators, Northeastern University
After earning 2019 FCBL All-Star honors, Malgeri returned to the Navigators for a second straight summer and has put up more impressive numbers. The outfielder from Stratham, N.H., is hitting .294 with eight doubles, five triples, two home runs, 22 RBI and 17 stolen bases. His 36 runs scored are eight more than any other player, and he also leads the league in triples and steals. Malgeri hit both of his homers and finished with seven RBI during an August 9 win at New Britain.
Noah Martinez, New Britain Bees, Central Connecticut State University
The Gaylordsville, Conn., native has commanded in the middle of New Britain’s order during its first season in the FCBL, hitting .330 with five doubles, four homers, 22 RBI and 18 runs scored. Martinez also leads the league with a .508 on-base percentage and 29 walks. He has recorded eight multi-hit games, seven multi-RBI games and broke out his power stroke later in the season, hitting all four homers since July 22.
Cody Morissette, North Shore Navigators, Boston College
Like Keegan, Morissette is making a major impact for a second FCBL team within the last three years as he ranks eighth in the league with a .329 average for the Navs. The Exeter, N.H., native has knocked in 28 runs, stolen 12 bases and reached base at a .464 clip from the heart of the North Shore lineup. One of the top infield prospects in the country ahead of the 2021 MLB Draft, Morissette has eight multi-RBI games and six multi-hit games on the season.
PITCHER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Nick Dombkowski, Westfield Starfires, University of Hartford
Dombkowski has jumped into the Futures League for the first time and delivered a strong summer for the Starfires. The left-hander from nearby West Springfield, Mass., allowed just three earned runs over his first five starts and has compiled a 1-2 record and 3.17 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 28.1 innings for the summer altogether. Dombkowski struck out nine over six scoreless innings during his August 3 start at New Britain, which was televised on NESN.
Nick Sinacola, Brockton Rox, University of Maine
The FCBL’s Top Pitching Prospect in 2019, Sinacola has once again been one of the most dominant arms in the league. He boasts a 2-1 record, the top qualifying ERA in the circuit at 1.05 and a league-leading 47 strikeouts in 34 innings of work. The North Attleboro, Mass., native has recorded double-digit strikeouts in two starts, and three of his last four have lasted seven scoreless frames. He has held opponents to a .165 average on the year.
Angelo Baez, Worcester Bravehearts, St. Thomas Aquinas College
The FCBL’s 2019 Pitcher of the Year is back in the running this summer after leading first-place Worcester to three of its wins, all within his last four starts. Baez has a 3-1 record, 1.41 ERA and 40 strikeouts over his 32 innings of work. The New York native has an 11-strikeout performance and four starts of six innings in length on his 2020 resume. He also went three straight starts without issuing a single walk and has issues just eight free passes all year.
Chase Jeter, Westfield Starfires, Sacred Heart University
Jeter returned to Westfield following a 2019 All-Star campaign and has been part of a dominant top of the rotation alongside Dombkowski. The southpaw from West Hartford, Conn., began the summer with 17 consecutive scoreless innings before allowing a single run. In total, Jeter has a 2-1 record and 1.98 ERA with 24 strikeouts across his 27.1 frames. Opponents have logged just 15 hits off of him in that time, equaling a .161 average.
Tim Noone, Brockton Rox, Babson College
The lone Division 3 arm up for Pitcher of the Year honors is Noone, who has allowed just seven earned runs and posted a 2.33 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 27 innings for the Rox this summer. After making two appearances out of the bullpen, the Needham, Mass., native has worked at least six frames in each of his first three starts. Most recently Noone pitched a six-inning complete game with eight strikeouts on August 13 against Westfield.
Drew Mead, New Britain Bees, Marymount University
Mead has been the unquestioned lead man in New Britain’s rotation throughout this summer, pitching to a 2-1 record and 2.25 ERA over six appearances, five of which have been starts. The Bushkill, Pa., native has allowed eight earned runs and held the rest of the league to a .216 average over his 32 innings of work. He dealt a pair of seven-inning starts against North Shore and Westfield, striking out 10 against the former team.
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