In 2007, Joe Smith (Wright State/Rockville Express 2005) became the first Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League alum to reach the Major Leagues when he made the Opening Day roster of the New York Mets. The 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft featured 17 Ripken, Sr. League alumni. In addition to the alumni listed below, Neil Ramirez (Orioles '06/Kempsville HS) was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first supplemental round, 44th overall. Justin Grimm (Orioles '07/Georgia) was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round, 414th overall. Connor Hoehn (Big Train '07/Alabama) was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 21st round, 641st overall. Mitch Harris (Orioles '06/Navy) was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 24th round, 738th overall. Travis Dirk (Orioles '07/Navarro JC) was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 44th round, 1300th overall. In 2006, Neal Davis (Orioles '06/Virginia) was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 39th round, 1165th overall.

Joe Smith │ Wright State │ Rockville Express '05
Drafted: 2006 (Round 3, Overall Pick 94), New York Mets
Current team: New York Mets

The first Ripken, Sr. League alum to reach the Major Leagues, Smith went 3-2 with a 3.45 ERA out of the bullpen for the New York Mets in 2007. The sidewinder appeared in 54 games, striking out 45 batters in 44.1 innings-pitched. He allowed just three home runs.

Seth Overbey │ Maryland │ College Park Bombers '05
Drafted: 2006 (Round 15, Overall Pick 450), Toronto Blue Jays
Current team: New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Overbey went 2-4 with two saves in 30 appearances for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Class-AA Eastern League in 2007. He struck out 32 batters in 50.2 innings-pitched, allowing 55 hits and 15 walks. Overbey spent time with the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Class-A Advanced Florida State League and the Lansing Lugnuts of the Class-A Midwest League before earning the promotion to the Fisher Cats. For Dunedin, Overbey went 0-1 in 9 appearances with two saves and eight strikeouts in 10 innings. He was dominant at Lansing, where he did not allow a run in 24.2 innings-pitched over 16 appearances and collected seven saves and 21 strikeouts. Opponents there hit just .146 off of him. In 2006, Seth appeared in 23 games out of the bullpen for the Auburn Doubledays of the Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League. He went 4-2 with a 2.42 ERA and 4 saves, and struck out 29 batters in 44.2 innings pitched. He walked just 12 batters.

Zach Clark │ UMBC  │ Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts '05
Drafted: 2006 (Free Agent), Baltimore Orioles
Current team: Delmarva Shorebirds

The most-traveled Ripken, Sr. League alum, Clark earned a promotion to the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Class-A South Atlantic League in 2007 after allowing just three earned runs in 26.1 innings for the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Class-A Short Season New York-Penn League. Clark went 2-3 with a 3.10 ERA in nine starts (10 appearances) for the Shorebirds, including one complete game. He struck out 37 batters in 58 innings-pitched and walked just nine. For the IronBirds, Clark finished with a 3-1 record and 1.03 ERA in four starts (five appearances), with 20 strikeouts and just seven walks. Opponents in the New York-Penn League hit just .194 off of him. Clark also saw time with the Frederick Keys of the Class-A Carolina League in 2007. He was 0-1 in three appearances for the Keys. In 2006, Zach started 13 games and went 5-4 for the Bluefield Orioles of the Rookie-level Appalachian League before earning a promotion to the IronBirds. For Bluefield, Zach struck out 58 batters in 64 innings pitched while posting a 2.11 ERA. He allowed just one home run. In two starts (three appearances) for the IronBirds, Clark struck out five batters and allowed nine runs in eleven innings pitched. He went 1-1 for Aberdeen.

Steven Johnson │ St. Paul's (MD) School │ Youse's Maryland Orioles '05
Drafted: 2005 (Round 13, Overall Pick 406), Los Angeles Dodgers
Current team: West Oahu CaneFires

Johnson is currently 1-1 in three starts for the West Oahu CaneFires of the Hawaiian Winter League. He has allowed six runs on ten hits in 13 innings (4.15 ERA) with one home run. He has struck out 11 batters and walked just one. The righthander went 3-6 in 16 starts for the Great Lakes Loons of the Class-A Midwest League in 2007. He struck out 65 batters in 81.2 innings-pitched, but allowed 90 hits, including two home runs, and 40 walks. His ERA was 4.85. In 2006, Steven made 14 starts for the Ogden Raptors of the Rookie-level Pioneer League before earning a promotion to the Jacksonville Suns of the Class-AA Southern League. For the Raptors, Steven went 5-5, tossing 78.2 innings and compiling an ERA of 3.89. He struck out 86 batters to 25 walks. He appeared in two games (4.2 innings pitched) for the Suns, allowing no runs on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Steven is the son of former Baltimore Oriole and Youse's Maryland Oriole assistant coach Dave Johnson.

Ron Lowe │ St. Leo │ Bethesda Big Train '05
Drafted: 2006 (Round 21, Overall Pick 630), Toronto Blue Jays
Current team: Lansing Lugnuts

Lowe went 3-1 with two saves and a 3.90 ERA in 18 appearances for the Lansing Lugnuts of the Class-A Midwest League in 2007. Lowe struck out 28 batters in 32.1 innings and allowed 37 hits and 15 walks. Prior to being promoted to Lansing, Lowe made eight appearances for the Auburn Doubledays of the Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League and collected six saves. He pitched to a 1-0 record with a 2.19 ERA and struck out 10 batters in 12.1 innings. Opponents in the NY-Penn League hit just .171 off of him in 2007.

Steve Clevenger │ Chipola (FL) Junior College │ Youse's Maryland Orioles '05
Drafted: 2006 (Round 7, Overall Pick 209), Chicago Cubs
Current team: Daytona Cubs

Clevenger earned a promotion to the Daytona Cubs of the Class-A Advanced Florida State League midway through 2007. After hitting .373 with nine doubles and posting a .880 OPS in 22 for the Boise Hawks of the Class-A Short Season Northwest League, Clevenger hit .323 in 43 games for the Cubs. Clevenger collected 53 hits in 164 at-bats for the Cubs, including 8 doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He knocked in 24 runs and scored 21. Perhaps most importantly, the catcher struck out just five times (and just 11 times total in 2007). In 2006, Steve hit .286 in 220 at-bats for the Hawks. He collected 63 hits, including eight doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He scored 35 runs and knocked in 21. He also stole five bases.

Brian Bent │ Catonsville (MD) Community College │ Youse's Maryland Orioles '05
Drafted: Free Agent, Baltimore Orioles
Current team: Aberdeen IronBirds

Bent hit .172 in 22 games for the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League in 2007. Bent collected 11 hits, including a double, in 64 at-bats, with three RBI and five runs scored.

Brett Cecil │ Maryland │ Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts '05
Drafted: 2007 (Round 1-S, Overall Pick 38), Toronto Blue Jays
Current team: Auburn Doubledays

The highest drafted alum in Ripken, Sr. League history, Cecil proved his value very quickly for the Toronto Blue Jays at Class-A Short-Season Auburn. The lefthander went 1-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 14 appearances for the Doubledays. Cecil struck out 56 batters in 50 innings and walked just 11. He allowed just one home run, and opposing hitters batted just .197 off of him. Baseball America named Cecil the top pro prospect in the Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League in 2007 and also a short-season classification All-Star.

Michael Eisenberg │ Marietta │ College Park Bombers '05
Drafted: 2006 (Round 8, Overall Pick 251), Cleveland Indians
Current team: Mahoning Valley Scrappers

Eisenberg went 4-7 with a 4.08 ERA in 15 starts for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League in 2007. He struck out 50 batters in 79.1 innings-pitched and walked just 17, but allowed 76 hits, including seven home runs. Eisenberg also made eight starts for the Lake County Captains of the Class-A South Atlantic League in 2007 before returning to the Scrappers. For the Captains, Eisenberg went 1-5 with a 6.96 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. In 2006, Michael started 13 games for the Scrappers. He went 3-1 with a 4.29 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched.

Charles Kerfoot │ Delaware │ Youse's Maryland Orioles '05
Drafted: 2007 (Round 30, Overall Pick 930), Oakland Athletics
Current team: Vancouver Canadians

Kerfoot went 0-2 with two saves in 19 appearances for the Vancouver Canadians of the Class-A Short-Season Northwest League in 2007. He posted an ERA of 3.47 and struck out 37 batters in 36.1 innings-pitched. He allowed 36 hits but just eight walks and two home runs.

Jon Kibler │ Michigan State │ Youse's Maryland Orioles '06
Drafted: 2007 (Round 30, Overall Pick 931), Detroit Tigers
Current team: Oneonta Tigers

Kibler began the 2007 campaign with the Rookie-Level Tigers of the Gulf Coast League, going 3-2 with a 2.43 ERA in five starts and two relief appearances. There he struck out 23 batters in 29.2 innings and walked just six. He allowed 26 hits but did not allow a home run. He earned a promotion to the Oneonta Tigers of the Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League, where he made two starts and posted a 2.38 ERA before the season ended. In his first start, against the Lowell Spinners, Kibler allowed just two hits and two walks in seven shutout innings. He struck out three. He allowed three runs on six hits in his next start, but struck out eight in just 4.1 innings.

Ryan Moorer │ Maryland │ College Park Bombers '06
Drafted: 2007 (Round 12, Overall Pick 375), Seattle Mariners
Current team: Everett AquaSox

Moorer went 2-2 with one save and a 4.96 ERA in 20 appearances for the Everett AquaSox of the Class-A Short-Season Northwest League in 2007. He struck out 32 batters in 32.2 innings-pitched. Moorer allowed 35 hits, including two home runs, and walked 13.

Adam Olbrychowski │ Pepperdine │ Rockville Express '05
Drafted: 2007 (Round 5, Overall Pick 184), New York Yankees
Current team: Staten Island Yankees

Olbrychowski went 3-5 with a 4.47 ERA in 13 starts for the Staten Island Yankees of the Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League in 2007. Olbrychowski struck out 51 batters in 58.1 innings-pitched, but walked 33 and allowed 51 hits, including four home runs. Opponents hit just .243 off of him. The righthander won his final two starts of the season, allowing a pair of runs on four hits in each start.

Brian Tracy │ UC-Santa Barbara │ Rockville Express '05
Drafted: 2007 (Round 20, Overall Pick 608), Pittsburgh Pirates
Current team: State College Spikes

Tracy went 3-2 with a 4.37 ERA in 14 appearances for the State College Spikes of the Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League in 2007. He struck out 14 batters in 22.2 innings-pitched but also walked 14. He allowed 26 hits, including four home runs.

Jason Bour │ George Mason │ Youse's Maryland Orioles '06
Drafted: 2007 (Round 23, Overall Pick 709), Cincinnati Reds
Current team: Billings Mustangs

Bour hit .287 in 42 games for the Billings Mustangs in the Rookie-Level Pioneer League. Bour collected 45 hits in 157 at-bats with nine doubles and a home run. He knocked in 22 runs and scored 15 of his own.

Justin DeFratus │ Ventura College │ Rockville Express '06
Drafted: 2007 (Round 11, Overall Pick 353), Philadelphia Phillies
Current team: Gulf Coast League Phillies

DeFratus went 2-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 8 starts (and two relief appearances) for the Phillies of the Rookie-Level Gulf Coast League in 2007. He struck out 34 batters in 46 innings and walked just three. DeFratus allowed 51 hits, including one home run.

Austin Hinkle │ Jacksonville State │ Bethesda Big Train '06
Drafted: 2007 (Round 41, Overall Pick 1218), Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Current team: Princeton Devil Rays

Hinkle went 4-2 with a 1.64 ERA in 10 appearances (two starts) for the Princeton Devil Rays of the Rookie-Level Appalachian League in 2007. Hinkle struck out 27 batters in 33 innings and walked just eight. He did not allow a home run and held opposing batters to a meager .186 batting average. He picked up a save in his final appearance of the season, striking out six batters over four shutout innings.

Ivor Hodgson │ Mount St. Mary's │ Rockville Express '06
Drafted: 2007 (Round 17, Overall Pick 516), Kansas City Royals
Current team: Arizona League Royals

Though an All-League outfielder with the Rockville Express in 2006, Hodgson was drafted as a pitcher by the Royals in 2007. Hodgson went 1-1 with a 5.29 ERA in 14 games for the Rookie-Level Arizona League Royals. Hodgson struck out 36 batters in 32.1 innings. He allowed 45 hits and 15 walks, but just one home run.

Preston Pehrson │ Towson │ Youse's Maryland Orioles '05; Bethesda Big Train '06
Drafted: 2007 (Round 47, Overall Pick 1373), Baltimore Orioles
Current team: Bluefield Orioles

Pehrson hit .118 in 24 games for the Bluefield Orioles of the Rookie-Level Appalachian League in 2007. He had nine hits in 76 at-bats, with three doubles and a triple. He knocked in seven runs and scored twice.

Eric Perlozzo │ Shippensburg │ Rockville Express '05
Drafted: 2007 (Round 35, Overall Pick 1055), Baltimore Orioles
Current team: Bluefield Orioles

Perlozzo hit .247 in 55 games for the Bluefield Orioles of the Rookie-Level Appalachian League in 2007. He collected 45 hits in 182 at-bats, including eight doubles, two triples, and a home run. Perlozzo knocked in 16 runs and scored 24.

Bernard Robert │ Alabama │ Youse's Maryland Orioles '05
Drafted: Free Agent, Baltimore Orioles
Current team: Bluefield Orioles

The former Ripken, Sr. League Most Outstanding Pitcher Robert went 3-2 with a 5.09 ERA in 20 appearances (one start) for the Bluefield Orioles of the Rookie-Level Appalachian League in 2007. Robert struck out 37 batters in 35.1 innings-pitched. He allowed 39 hits, including four home runs, and 21 walks.

Justin Segal │ UC-Santa Barbara │ Rockville Express '05
Drafted: Free Agent, New York Yankees
Current team: Gulf Coast League Yankees

Segal went 1-0 in eight appearances for the Yankees of the Rookie-Level Gulf Coast League in 2007. He struck out 10 batters in 8.2 innings-pitched and worked to a 3.12 ERA. Opponents hit just .219 off of him. Segal had a brief three-game stint with the Staten Island Yankees of the Class-A Short-Season New York-Penn League but struggled, allowing five runs in three innings-pitched with two strikeouts.

Josh Dietz │ Bowling Green │ Bethesda Big Train '06
Current team: Gateway Grizzlies

Dietz hit .270 in 26 games for the Gateway Grizzlies of the Independent Frontier League in 2007. Dietz collected 20 hits, including two doubles and two home runs. He knocked in 11 runs and scored 12. Dietz walked 12 times and carried an on-base percentage of 371.

Greg Lemon │ Salisbury │ Bethesda Big Train '05
Current team: St. George RoadRunners

Lemon led the St. George RoadRunners of the Independent Golden Baseball League with a .380 average (27-for-71) in 2007. Lemon scored 16 runs and knocked in 12. He had two doubles, 12 walks, and just six strikeouts. He reached base at a .471 clip and stole five bags.

Dustin Pease │ Mount St. Mary's │ Bethesda Big Train '05-'06
Current team: Winnipeg Goldeyes

Pease went 1-2 in 29 relief appearances for the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Independent Northern League in 2007. Pease posted a 3.26 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 30.1 innings-pitched. He allowed 23 hits and 18 walks. Opponents hit just .217 off of Pease in '07.

Andrew Smith │ San Francisco │ Bethesda Big Train '05
Current team: Florence Freedom

Smith collected 85 hits in 319 at-bats for the Florence Freedom of the Independent Frontier League in 2007. He had ten doubles, 28 RBI, and 37 runs scored. Smith drew 43 walks and stole five bases for the Freedom.

Rhett Teller │ St. Leo │ Bethesda Big Train '05
Current team: Evansville Otters

Teller hit .200 in limited action with the Evansville Otters of the Independent Frontier League after spending time with the Edmonton Cracker Cats of the Independent Northern League in 2007. For the Otters, Teller collected nine hits in 45 at-bats with three doubles and a home run. He knocked in six runs and scored three. For the Cracker Cats, Teller collected 22 hits in 104 at-bats with four doubles and a home run. He drove in 22 runs and scored 16.

RJ Brown │ Cal State-Los Angeles │ Rockville Express '05
Drafted: 2006 (Free Agent), Cincinnati Reds
Current team: Free Agent

In 2006, RJ had a brief stay with the GCL Reds of the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League before earning a promotion to the Billings Mustangs of the Rookie-level Pioneer League. For the Reds, RJ collected eight hits in 23 at-bats, including two doubles. He scored three runs and drove in seven more. He also stole a base. For Billings, RJ hit .211 in 39 games with 24 hits, seven doubles, 13 runs scored and 13 RBI.

 
 

Joe Smith (Express '05) became the first CRSCBL alum to reach the Major Leagues when he broke through with the Mets in 2007. Photo courtesy of New York Daily News. Copyright 2007.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Zach Clark (T'Bolts '05) pitches for the Bluefield Orioles in 2006.