Chris Cappas
Who Would You Start a Franchise With – LI Edition?
Long Island has had many great ballplayers through out history – but people forget how rich the recent history has been. Several players that graduated over the past decade have gone on to great college careers and even reached Major League Baseball. We even did a mock draft back in June covering this topic. Here are the results of yesterday’s mock draft. Players selected played on Long Island between the years 2010-2020 pic.twitter.com/UV4LWlU9gb — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 10, 2020 But what if we made it even more exclusive? Instead of fielding an entire team, it was just a pitcher and a position player. Who would you pick then? I know who I would pick – but I solicited the help of some of the most well-respected coaches on Long Island to fill in my blin...
Anthony Kay Voted Best Pitching Season of 2010s
As sports fans we are usually victim to ‘recency bias’ in which we favor players that have excelled recently while our mind suppresses the memories of yesteryear. In the case of current Major League Anthony Kay, he’s been on the front of enough baseball fans minds to never forget the greatness that was his high school career. In 2012, while pitching for Ward Melville, he compiled what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most remarkable seasons in Long Island history. The hard-throwing southpaw went 53 innings, struck out 87 batters and allowed 0 ER. That’s right, even in the ultra-competitive League I and Class AA playoffs, he was completely untouchable. And it’s not like he was skating by and stranding runners on base. He allowed 17 hits and exactly 1 XBH....
Man of the Year Award Finalists Announced
Finalists for Axcess Man of the Year are: •Brian Morrell, SWR •Jimmy Joyce, Wantagh •Chris Cappas, Kellenberg pic.twitter.com/NnO1H4GAEC — Axcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) November 21, 2017 We will be hosting our third annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, January 6 at Villa Lombardi’s. Among the several awards we will be handing out will be the Axcess Man of the Year Award to the top high school player on Long Island. The four finalists are: Chris Cappas (Kellenberg) Pitching: 6-1 record, 0.18 ERA, 53 K, 39 IP Offense: .438 AVG, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 1 K Mark Faello (Plainview-Old Bethpage) Pitching: 7-0 record, 1.26 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, 74 K, 56.2 IP Offense: .372 AVG, 2 HR, 23 RBI, .450 OBP, 22 R Jimmy Joyce (Wantagh) Pitching: 9-2 record, 1.27 ERA, 92 K, 66 IP Offen...
What Research Says About Weighted Baseballs
WEIGHTED BASEBALLS: DO’s and DON’T’s BASED ON THE RESEARCH Jarad Vollkommer, CSCS Assistant Director of Training, Infiniti Sports Performance Oh boy, here we go again with all the weighted baseball stuff… But, seriously, are you educated yet? Probably not. There is so much more research needed to fully understand everything there is about weighted baseballs. So far, here is some of what we do know in a quick summary: Throwing Velocity Using an array of weighted baseballs (4-12oz.) can lead to an increase in throwing velocity, we know that. One study [1] found that using over-weighted baseballs as a warm up greatly improved both throwing velocity and accuracy. These results are great, but they lack ecological validity (carry-over effect). Will a pitcher ever warm-up with a non-regula...
Chris Cappas Reflects on Successful 2017
(Editor’s Note: Chris Cappas is a 2017 graduate of Kellenberg Memorial HS. He just led the Firebirds to a consecutive CHSAA championship and he was named Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year. He batted .438 with 2 HR, 22 RBI and struck out only once. On the mound, he compiled an ERA of 0.18 with 53 strikeouts in 39 innings. He did not allow a run over his final 25 innings of the season. There was much-speculation that he would be selected in the MLB Draft in June, considering the southpaw’s velocity had touched 90 MPH at times. Although he was not, he is now at the University of Pittsburgh and figures to be a major factor right away. The following words are his own.) Winning the NSCHSAA baseball championship my senior year at Kellenberg is something that I think about alm...
Which Players From Long Island Could Get Drafted? Part 2
Back in January, we did the first part of this series. I promised there would be a Part 2, and here it is. This is based off of my observations and the opinions of the local scouts. Rob Andreoli (LIU Post) The ECC Player of the Year was spectacular from day 1. He compiled 73 hits, walked more times (24) than he struck out (22) and was successful on 22 of 26 stolen base attempts. Despite hitting leadoff, he was able to drive in 44 runs and launch five home runs. He is 6’2″and plays a terrific center field as well–leading the team in outfield assists with six. He did battle an injury towards the end of the season that compromised his speed, but he continued to play at a high level. Ben Brown (Ward Melville) As I stated yesterday, Ben returned to the mound after a serious ap...
Jason Diaz Pitches Kellenberg to Back-To-Back CHSAA Championships
Final: Kellenberg 1, St. John the Baptist 0 WP: Jason Diaz (4-Hit Shutout, 10 K) Kellenberg wins CHSAA Championship for consecutive year pic.twitter.com/SVUCaB11Be — aXcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) May 29, 2017 It was the year of the strikeout for the Kellenberg Firebirds. Their rotation of Chris Cappas, Jason Diaz and Andrew Williams combined for a sub 1.00 ERA. Fittingly, it ended with a strikeout and a dog pile on the mound. Today it was the youngest of the trio–sophomore and University of Miami-commit Jason Diaz that stepped up and fired a four-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over St. John the Baptist to deliver the Firebirds to a consecutive CHSAA Championship. He struck out 10 and walked two, looking mature beyond his years. The only offense needed was senior and CHSAA Play...
Chris Cappas Dominates Again in Kellenberg’s 2-0 Shutout of Chaminade
The firebirds shutout the Chaminade flyers 2-0 at Mitchell Feild pic.twitter.com/UytNg7G9dZ — aXcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) May 24, 2017 By Johnny Vaccaro Pittsburgh-commit Chris Cappas did it all for the Kellenberg Firebirds at Mitchel Field in tonight’s 2-0 shutout over Chaminade in the CHSAA playoffs. He extended his scoreless innings streak to 25.1 IP in the process. At the plate, he went 2 for 3 with a triple, an RBI, and 1 run scored. On the mound, he pitched 6.2 IP, allowing no runs on 5 hits, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. It was a stellar performance by the MLB Draft hopeful Cappas. “I want it really bad,” he said in regards to wanting to repeat as CHSAA champs. “We won last year and we’re gonna repeat this year. It’s a great feeling and I...
Jack Delaney’s Clutch Hit, Cappas’ Lights-Out Performance Clinches No. 1 Seed for Kellenberg
Final: Kellenberg 3, St. Anthony’s 0 WP: Chris Cappas (5-1) Kellenberg clinches No. 1 seed and bye in the postseason next week pic.twitter.com/Ju8iKeHfuv — aXcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) May 12, 2017 With first place on the line, Kellenberg put the ball in the hands of the reigning CHSAA Pitcher of the Year, Chris Cappas, and let him do what he does. The senior, who has routinely silenced the opposition’s bats this season, did that today as well. He fired 6.2 shutout innings, earning his fifth win of the season, and delivered Kellenberg their second consecutive CHSAA regular season title. He was supported by captain Jack Delaney, who ripped a two-run single in the fifth inning to left-center field, which was the difference in this game. Cappas extended his scoreless str...
Joe Francisco: Who Are the Top Hitters on Long Island Right Now?
(Editor’s Note: Joe Francisco is the owner of Performance Factory where he works with many of the top hitters on Long Island of all ages. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 32nd round of the 1999 MLB Draft out of Wagner College. The following words are his own.) by Joe Francisco Top Hitter in SUFFOLK COUNTY Brian Morrell Height: 6’1” Weight: 195 Bats/Throws: R/R Poistion: SS/RHP High School: Shoreham Wading River College Commitment: University of Notre Dame (ACC – NCAA Division I) Profile: The reigning Yastrzemski Award winner and Newsday Player of the Year hasn’t skipped a beat coming off of last years .405 AVG, 12 HR, 28 RBI performance. He’s hitting .500 with 5 HRs despite being pitched around all season with (8) intentional walks. Morrell is explosive in the batt...
Chris Cappas Strikes Out 10 in 6-1 Victory Against St. Dominic
The bats of Kellenberg struggled for the first few innings against St. Dominic freshman Carlos Hidalgo. Fortunately, they had their ace, Chris Cappas, on the hill to throw up zeros while the offense figured it out. “We really put it together as a team,” said the Pittsburgh-commit Cappas. “The whole lineup, front-to-back-is just hitting really well right now so it’s working out for us,” he added. Jack Delaney got them on the board in the third inning with an RBI double to score Terrance Murray. The Bayhawks tied it up in the fourth on an RBI single by Kevin Duffy, but the Firebirds responded back with a three-run fifth inning thanks to a fielder’s choice and a two-run single to left field by Cappas. The flamethrowing LHP fanned 10 batters over f...
Kellenberg Fueled by Making History
Sometimes it’s tough to stay motivated when you’ve already reached the mountain top, but according to Kellenberg‘s Head Coach Chris Alfalla, his team is motivated by making school history and becoming the first back-to-back CHSAA league champs. “These guys are hungry,” said Alfalla. Even though they won last year, they are not satisfied,” he added. Last year’s squad was dynamic–compiling a record of 19-5– thanks in large part to a phenomenal offensive season by Robert Weissheier (now at Hofstra), who could be tough to replace. Alfalla noted that it will take a team effort to not only replace his level of production but also his leadership ability. “He was basically an extension of the coaching staff. He was a great team leader,...
