How the State College Spikes are adjusting to a new roster, opportunities post-MLB Draft
Selected last week with the 272th pick by the Chicago Cubs, left-handed pitcher Chase Watkins became the first active State College Spikes player to be drafted in the team’s inaugural season in the MLB Draft League.
Pitcher Andrew Moore, infielder Damiano Palmegiani and catcher Kenny Piper were selected a day later in the third and final day of the 2021 MLB Draft. The right-handed Moore went with the 414th pick in the 14th round to the Seattle Mariners, Palmegiani went to the Toronto Blue Jays with the 422nd selection in the 14th round and Piper was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 18th round with the 551st selection.
With those players off to chase their MLB dreams, and rosters shaken up across the league, the Spikes are adjusting to the new makeup of their team.
“It’s plug and play,” Spikes manager Delwyn Young said. “It’s great to have guys get drafted and to see the opportunity of the league to work for some players. As far as the turnover, it kind of feels like the beginning of the season. It’s just trying to get players in and acclimated to the new routine and schedule and teammates — all of the above.”
The Spikes’ four draftees are among the 39 players who were selected in this year’s MLB Draft from the new MLB Draft League. That rate of success is what many around the league hoped for prior to its first pitch.
Young is especially ecstatic for the possibilities that the league brings to many formerly unheralded prospects.
“The league did its job to put players in the position for their skill set to be seen,” Young said. “For them to get to an organization in really a short amount of time in the first time of the league, I think it’s great for them, their work ethic and how they went about their business.”
One of the newest additions to the roster is Grambling State starting pitcher Jason Alvarez. Alvarez played junior college ball at Monroe College in The Bronx, pitching to a 1-2 record with a 4.78 earned-run average in 32 innings pitched, allowing 17 runs and striking out 46. Batters accrued just a .184 average against the right-handed pitcher. Alvarez made his State College debut on Saturday, pitching four scoreless and hitless innings as the team’s starting pitcher.
Alvarez is a self-described “late-bloomer.” He began pitching as a junior in high school, then went on to become a walk-on at Monroe, joining the team as a closer in his freshman season. From that point, he earned a scholarship during his sophomore season and aided his team to a JUCO World Series appearance. He had to alter his mindset at Grambling State as a starting pitcher and now, he’s getting accustomed to his new team after the break.
“I didn’t (know that I would be on the team),” Alvarez said. “I got a call (from the MLB Draft League) in late-June. During that whole month, I wasn’t playing any summer ball, I was still working out and I went to a few showcases before I got here. Then, I didn’t find out that I was coming to the Spikes until July 5th. I was excited to come here. I wanted to play earlier — right when the summer started — but I didn’t get the opportunity. I’m just excited to be here now and just show that I belong here.”
Trae Robertson is another pitcher for the Spikes who joined the team mid-season. He pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, while walking two and striking out four on Sunday. While he began his tenure before the break, he has had to adjust to the new style of play. The Missouri Tiger is just using what he’s learned from pitching in the Southeastern Conference, arguably the toughest in college baseball, to make a difference in State College.
“Being in the SEC, it’s obviously very competitive,” Robertson said. “On our team as well at Mizzou, we’re pretty competitive. So, it’s always having a competitive mentality and you’re not going out there for nothing and you’re going out there to get something done.”
Robertson has a little experience with the MLB Draft process, having been selected in the 2018 MLB Draft 38th Round (1,142nd overall) by the Kansas City Royals. With the shrinkage of the MLB Draft to five rounds in 2020 and 20 rounds in 2021 from the original 40 pre-COVID, there are less opportunities for players to be selected.
But Young expects that the opportunity is still there for the players who remain on the team to play at the next level. It will just take a little extra work.
“For the guys who didn’t get drafted, I don’t think that they lose anything,” Young said. “Anyone that stepped foot in a uniform, in my opinion, I don’t believe that they lost anything. They just gained everything. They gained experience on facing someone from DI. A lower-level college student was able to face a higher-level college student and vice versa. You just can’t think that you’re the best and an 18-year-old kid gets a hit off of you.”
Here’s more on the Spikes who did get selected in the 2021 MLB Draft:
Chase Watkins
Watkins played college baseball at Cal Poly as a relief pitcher. In 67.2 innings pitched, Watkins owns a 3-7 record with an ERA of 5.19. The 21-year old prospect has a SO/9 of 10.9 with 73 total strikeouts and a HR/9 of 0.3 (only allowing one home run), showing his ability to strike batters out and keep the ball in the yard.
Andrew Moore
Moore, standing at 6’5, played his college ball at Chipola Junior College in Georgia. He carries a heavy fastball that has reached speeds of 98.7 in the MLB Draft League. The junior college product also carries a spin rate of 2580-2600 on the aforementioned fastball.
“Andrew and everybody showed off their skill set,” Young said. “It seemed like he got picked by an organization that admired that skill set, which is throwing throwing strikes at high speeds.”
Damiano Palmegiani
Palmegiani played his college ball at the College of Southern Nevada. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound infielder batted .389 on the year with 79 hits, 81 runs batted in, 13 doubles, three triples and 26 home runs in 203 at-bats. He also proved to be a menace for catchers on the basepaths with 14 stolen bases on the year, converting on 14-of-18 tries. Palmegiani slashed .304/.403/.482 and owned an on-base plus slugging percentage of .885 with the Spikes this season.
Kenny Piper
Piper played for Columbia College (Missouri) where he slashed .377/.484/.783 with an OPS of 1.267 in 438 at-bats through three seasons. The catcher had 165 hits, 44 doubles, 10 triples and 38 home runs.
“First and foremost, I don’t know why guys would try to take off on Kenny Piper,” Young said with a chuckle. “So, I think that speaks for itself.”