By Benjamin Upson
We are rapidly approaching the end of the 2021 Futures League regular season. It has been a season to remember, with new teams, offensive slugfests, stellar pitching matchups, new FCBL records and more! The drama continues to intensify as we gear up for the playoffs. It is also time for the announcement of the FCBL team of the month for July.
This is a compilation of players at their specific positions that maintain a level of efficiency and production that in turn help to elevate their teams. Here are the members of the FCBL Team of the Month for July 2021 presented by our friends at NPI Sports and On Demand Storage.
C, Ethan Anderson, Vermont (Virginia)
78 SPORTS PLAYER OF THE MONTH
30 for 70 | .429 AVG | 5 HR | 4 2B | 18 R | 27 RBI
Ethan Anderson recorded an unbelievable month of play in July for the Vermont Lake Monsters, who set an FCBL record with a team record of 23-2 during the month. Ethan Anderson ended July on an 11-game hitting streak, with 21 hits, 22 RBI and 3 HR. This streak is still active as we have completed the first week of August. Fun fact: Anderson has recorded all 5 of his home runs and 27 RBIs since the second half of the season began on July 15th!
1B, M.J. Metz, Vermont (Trinity [Texas])
24 for 71 | .338 AVG | 1 HR | 6 2B | 12 R | 18 RBI
M.J. Metz has provided us with fantastic play in July. He has had a nice 2021 campaign overall, with 4 home runs and 28 RBIs in 48 games for the Lake Monsters and has been one of the more reliable sources of offense for the team. He has 12 multi-RBI games and is among the league leaders in RBIs, ranking in the top 15. Metz’s best performance of the season came during Vermont’s NESN appearance on July 31st, as he went 3-6 with a double and 3 RBIs.
2B, Hunter Pasqualini, Westfield (Central Connecticut State)
24 for 74 | .324 AVG | 0 HR | 5 2B | 15 R | 7 RBI
Hunter Pasqualini has been an everyday player for the Westfield Starfires mostly at second base and batting in the top 3 of the lineup. He found offensive success during the month of July, ending it on his own 7-game hitting streak. He is more of a contact hitter, reflective of why his on-base percentage was .428 in July and the 5 extra base hits he recorded. Pasqualini certainly did his part for Westfield as they stuck around for a playoff push throughout July.
3B, Cam Meyer, Westfield (Georgetown)
20 for 70 | .286 AVG | 2 HR | 6 2B | 15 R | 16 RBI
Hunter’s teammate from the Starfires, Cam Meyer, who is primarily used at third base, makes our list at this position. Despite a lower .286 average, he put together a nice resume, including 2 home runs and 16 RBIs with a total of 8 extra base hits. Cam Meyer also showed off in front of the NESN audience in a 8-6 win for Westfield, back on July 24th. He had a 4-5 day with 3 RBIs, earning him the player of the night award for that performance.
SS, Randy Flores, Worcester (Franklin Pierce)
30 for 95 | .316 AVG | 0 HR | 4 2B | 17 R | 10 RBI
Randy Flores has been a good source of offense for Worcester during the month. He easily had the most at-bats for the month in the league with a whopping 95 appearances at the plate. He recorded 9 games in the month of July with at least 2 hits and had 10 RBIs throughout the month. He also showed off his speed in the field with 11 stolen bases. His best performance was on July 17th in a loss to the Vermont Lake Monsters, a 3-4 night with an RBI.
OF, Javier Rosales, Pittsfield (Long Beach State)
22 for 65 | .338 AVG | 2 HR | 6 2B | 14 R | 17 RBI
The first member of our team of the month outfield goes to Javier Rosales of the Pittsfield Suns. His impressive July resume was highlighted by a 3 RBI game against the Nashua Silver Knights on July 18th and a 4 RBI game against the Westfield Starfires just a few days later on July 22nd. Rosales had no trouble finding his way on base as he recorded a hit in 7 of 9 games to end the month, along with a few 3 hit games in the final week.
OF, Jacob Studley, Brockton (Wheaton)
21 for 62 | .339 AVG | 2 HR | 8 2B | 12 R | 14 RBI
Jacob Studley is one of two Brockton outfielders that makes the list for team of the month. He recorded a pair of 4 RBI games in July, on the 21st against the Vermont Lake Monsters and the 30th against the Norwich Sea Unicorns. During those 4 RBI games, he also hit a home run in each which were his first 2 blasts of the summer. His .339 average during the month was 3rd best among our team of the month players and he also had the most extra base hits with 9 (8 doubles, 1 triple).
OF, Michael Golankiewicz, Brockton (Merrimack)
22 for 68 | .324 AVG | 1 HR | 3 2B | 15 R | 10 RBI
Mike Golankiewicz is the second member of the Brockton outfield featured on the team of the month and yet another returning member to this new list. Golankiewicz impressed us in June with a .418 average, along with 4 home runs and 20 RBIs, which put him at the top of the league. A month later, he is still a hitting machine as he had 6 games during July with at least 2 hits. He is in 2nd place for league average, remains tied for 2nd in home runs with 5 on the year, and top 10 in RBIs. He is having an impressive 2021 season.
DH Jake Hyde, New Britain (Georgetown)
22 for 52 | .423 AVG | 0 HR | 2 2B | 16 R | 7 RBI
It’s not much of a surprise to see Jake Hyde once again make our team of the month list. He has been the most reliable first baseman in the Futures League throughout the summer and he has found success again in July. His best performance of the month was on July 7th against the Sea Unicorns, a night in which he went 4-5 with 4 runs scored and 4 RBIs.
P, Patrick Harrington, Vermont (Assumption)
2-0 | 2.57 ERA | 21 IP | 18 H | 6 R | 5 BB | 24 K | 4 Games
The first pitcher we will look at comes from the red hot Vermont Lake Monsters and that is Patrick Harrington. He was a team of the month pick during the May/June edition and finds himself here once again. What makes Harrington a great pitcher is the efficiency that the Lake Monsters get out of him. He threw for 6 innings in 3 of his 5 starts during July and picked up 2 wins in the process.
P, Bryce Afthim, Worcester (Southern Maine)
CHANGEUP PITCHER OF THE MONTH
1-1 | 0.93 ERA | 19.1 IP | 11 H | 3 R | 10 BB | 22 K | 4 Games
Bryce Afthim is the first of a string of pitchers from the Worcester Bravehearts that had a stellar July with a sub-1 ERA. His best performances of the month came in back-to-back starts. On July 18th against the Lake Monsters, he allowed 1 run on 3 hits with 5 strikeouts. He followed up on that success in his last start of the month, July 25th with a 6-inning shutout against the Brockton Rox, allowing just 3 hits.
P, Jack Choate, Worcester (Assumption)
1-2 | 3.00 ERA | 27 IP | 16 H | 16 R | 19 BB | 40 K | 6 Games
Jack Choate is another Worcester Braveheart member that appears here. There’s one stat in his monthly line that stands out: 40 strikeouts in 6 appearances, an average of 6.67 per game! Choate’s best start of the month was on July 17th against the Vermont Lake Monsters. He was credited with a loss, but tossed 5 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs with 2 hits, 3 walks along with 9 strikeouts. He also leads the list for most innings pitched during the month with 27 across 6 appearances.
P, Nick Guarino, Nashua (Southern Connecticut State)
3-0 | 1.69 ERA | 26.2 IP | 18 H | 6 R | 11 BB | 23 K | 5 Games
Nick Guarino makes our list from the Nashua Silver Knights with a perfect record in July combined with a lot of innings pitched, ingredients that will certainly help you in making the team of the month list. He had 3 consecutive wins on July 18th, 24th and 31st and pitched at least 5 innings in each start, with just 3 runs allowed over that span. Guarino has also been with Nashua from the start of the season, making his first start way back on May 27th.
P, David Hagaman, Pittsfield (West Virginia)
1-0 | 1.69 ERA | 21.1 IP | 17 H | 5 R | 9 BB | 20 K | 6 Games
David Hagaman is one of our relief pitcher picks for team of the month. He has only been with the Pittsfield Suns since the end of June, and the freshman from West Virginia put together a good resume of work in July. In 6 appearances during the month, he had a string of quality starts. His best one came at the end on July 30th against the Worcester Bravehearts. Hagaman tosse 5 innings, allowing 1 earned run on 6 hits while striking out 6 batters.
P, Dennis Colleran, Worcester (Northeastern)
1-0 | 1.93 ERA | 14 IP | 6 H | 3 R | 4 BB | 22 K | 7 Games
To finish it off, yet another pitcher from the Bravehearts staff makes the list, this time its reliever Dennis Colleran. He had an impressive month after making his debut on June 27th against the Norwich Sea Unicorns. Colleran went on a stretch of 5 consecutive scoreless outings, where he allowed only 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 10 batters, almost flawless. He also recorded a save in the process, solidifying his status as a pick for team of the month.
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