Mack’s Apples - Shane McClanahan, David Peterson, Tito Francona, HBCUs, Xtra Inning Issues

Good morning.

Players To Watch in  College Baseball   -

        

   LHP Shane McClanahan, South Florida - McClanahan is rated as the No. 1 or 2 draft-eligible left-hander in the college game. The 6-2, 188-pounder came back from Tommy John surgery to strike out 12.32 per nine innings last season, ranking eighth in the country. He also led the American Athletic Conference with a .181 batting average against. With a 97-mph fastball and effective changeup, McClanahan draws comparisons to Chris Sale and is on track to be the highest draft pick in USF history.

John Sickels –

2) David Peterson, LHP, Grade B/B+: Age 22, first round pick in 2017 from University of Oregon; short leash in pro ball with just 3.2 innings but in NCAA play he went 11-4, 2.51, with an excellent 140/15 K/BB ratio in 100 innings; fastball anywhere from 88 to 94 but plays up due to excellent slider and workable change-up; given 6-6, 240 pound frame it is possible his fastball velocity may improve further with pro coaching; even if it doesn’t, his ability to throw quality strikes with solid stuff will get him to the majors quickly; ETA 2020. 

Minor League Ball

 Tito Francona , a Former Baseball All-Star, Dies at 84 –

        

   John Patsy Francona was born on Nov. 4, 1933, in Aliquippa, Pa., on the Ohio border. His father, Carmen, a steelworker, gave him the nickname Tito (“little one” in Italian), according to the Society for American Baseball Research. The family moved to New Brighton when Tito was 10.

Francona was a star quarterback for New Brighton High School and played American Legion baseball. He married Roberta Jackson in 1956 and had two children with her, Terry and Amy. She died in 1992. His second wife, Jean, is among his survivors; a complete list was not available.

In retirement Francona was the parks and recreation director in Beaver County, Pa.

Baseball tourney with  HBCU 'foot in the door' for players –

         

   Last week, the tournament formally known as the Urban Invitational was renamed the Andre Dawson Classic. This weekend, it’ll feature six HBCUs: Alabama State, Alcorn State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Grambling State, Prairie View A&M and Southern. The University of New Orleans, which is helping to host the event with the New Orleans MLB Youth Academy, also will play, along with Illinois-Chicago.

Three outside-the-box answers to baseball's   extra-innings issue -

Last year, the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs -- an independent minor league in Northern California -- adopted a rule to force extra-inning games to resolution: Each half-inning would begin with baserunners on first and second base. Indeed, games ended much more quickly. The league's general managers, who pay most of their staff hourly, were happy.

Everybody else? "The players and fans hated it," said Theo Fightmaster, GM of the Sonoma Stompers, who went 8-1 in extra innings. "Even with all our success, it was easily the most hated thing we've ever introduced into the league."