myworldofbaseball

A couple laughers and a couple close games in four elimination games.

Caribbean (Dominican) 8 Australia 7

Australia made a valiant comeback scoring five runs in the last two innings, but still fell short. Edward Triunfel went 3 for 3 with three hits and three RBIs. Australia committed five errors in the game, resulting in two unearned runs scoring for the Dominicans. Australia has now been eliminated from the tourney.

Northwest (Walla Walla) 4 Midwest (Sioux Falls) 3

Caiden Thompson drove in three runs with a two run double in the first inning and an RBI single in the fifth to give the Northwest enough runs to secure a victory. The Midwest rallied for two in the final inning, but just like Australia the runs came up short. Marcus Phillips drove in all the runs for the Midwest with a solo homerun in the first and a two run homer in the sixth. Andrew Hall for the Northwest and Ethan Burns for the Midwest each pitched a complete game in a match that meant elimination for the losing team.

Mexico 13 Europe/Africa (Italy) 0

In another elimination game Italy could not record a hit off four Mexican pitchers. On the flip side Mexican hitters banged around the Italian pitchers for 13 hits and five walks to complete the four inning rout. The top two hitters in the lineup accounted for much of the Mexican offense. Saul Soto, the number two hitter was a perfect 4 for 4 with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored. Isaac Miranda drove in a team leading four runs from the leadoff spot, scoring three times on a 2 for 3 day with a double and a homerun. Andre Garza also drove in three runs with a homerun in the second inning.

Mid-Atlantic (Holbrook) 15 Great Lakes (Gross-Point Woods Shore) 5

This game was tied 5-5 after two, but a 9 run fourth inning ended the game early because of the 10 run slaughter rule. Great Lakes was eliminated from the tournament. Chris Cartnick slugged two homeruns and a double to drive in six runs to lead Mid-Atlantic. For Cartnick he now has three homeruns and 8 RBIs in the two games Mid-Atlantic has played. Ryan Kinsman was a perfect 2 for 2 from the leadoff spot with two doubles to drive in three and score twice.

There was a combined perfect game on the second day of the Little League World Series. Japan appears to be the team to beat, based on what myworld sees from the results.

Japan 8 Australia 0

Japan cruised past the Aussies. Japan used four different pitchers to pitch the shutout, giving up only two hits. Combined the Japanese pitchers whiffed 10. The Japanese scored a run in all five innings they batted, with a four run fifth putting the game out of reach. Keitaro Miyahara led the offense with three hits. Five wild pitches and two errors resulted in four runs scoring for Japan.

West (Santa Margarita) 9 Northwest (Walla Walla Valley) 0

Bobby Gray was two outs away from pitching a complete game no hit shutout, but had to yield to Bryan Ramirez to get the last two outs after giving up a one out single. Joey Gray hit a grand slam in the first to give the West an early lead. He finished 2 for 2 with a walk and five RBIs. Drew Rutter crossed the plate three times.

Korea (Asia Pacific) 10 Dominican Republic (Caribbean) 1

Korea spanked the Dominicans, slugging four homeruns. Jin-Won Shin powered two homeruns, driving in four and scoring three times He also doubled. Ye-Joon Khym and Dong-Heon Kim also went deep. Khym went a perfect 3 for 3 and scored four runs.

South East (Greenville) 6 Midwest (Sioux Falls) 0

Three different pitchers, Chase Anderson, Matthew Matthijis and Carson Hardee combined for a perfect game no hitter. Anderson worked three innings, striking out four of the 10 whiffs on the day. Matthijis struck out five in his 2.2 innings of work. Drew Fields and Ashton Byars each drove in two runs to lead the Greenville offense.

The Little League World Series is around the corner and most of the games have been played to determine the participants. Canada and some of the United States regions have championship games that will be played today to determine the Little League World Series representative.

International

The Asian Pacific Region was played in Korea. The two powers of that area Korea and Taiwan were placed in the same pool. South Korea blasted Taiwan 12-0 and eventually won the pool with Taiwan finishing second. Hong Kong was the winner of the other pool. In the playoffs the championship round found Taiwan playing Korea again. Korea wins 6-1 to advance to the Little League World Series.

Australia had 20 teams battle it out in four different pools. In the end Hills Little League played Swan Hills, two teams without a loss. Hills was the winner 8-4 and will represent Australia in the Little League World Series.

The finals for Canada will be played today between White Rock Little League in British Colombia and Diamond Baseball Little League in Quebec. White Rock is undefeated while Diamond Baseball has lost twice, to Port Arthur Little League in Ontario 9-4 and White Rock 6-5. Diamond Baseball got into the finals beating Port Arthur 8-5.

In the Caribbean tilt the Dominican Republic got upset by Aruba 6-2. That put them in second place in their pool where in the semi-final they had to play an undefeated Puerto Rican team. They downed Puerto Rico 5-4 and then got revenge by beating Aruba in the championship match 8-4 to advance to the Little League World Series.

In the European/Africa division there were no African teams represented in the series. Myworld has to wonder what happened to the feel good story of Uganda from a couple years ago. A number of European teams battled it out with Italy remaining the lone undefeated team with their 12-2 win over a United Kingdom team. The two teams had played earlier in pool play where Italy also won 11-2. A team of American military kids from Germany found the going tough finishing the series 1-2, failing to advance to the playoffs. The UK eliminated baseball powerhouses Netherlands, Spain and Czech Republic as they advanced to the finals. Since no African teams participated in this round the “European/Africa” name was a bit inaccurate.

Japan will be represented by Tokyo Kitasuna. They won the championship game 17-0 and breezed through their four opponents by scores of 53-6.

In the Latin American series it was Colombia Falcon versus Venezuela in the finals. Venezuela had beaten Colombia earlier in pool play 9-2. Colombia Falcon was able to upset a strong Panama team 4-3 to get to the finals. Panama had beaten Colombia Falcon earlier 3-0 and their only loss had been to Venezuela. Guatemala was a surprise to make the semifinals but Venezuela disposed of them 8-3 and then shutout Colombia Falcon 8-0 to make it to the Little League World Series.

Guadalupe Trevino rolled through their competition to represent Mexico in the Little League World Series. They beat a team from Matamoros 3-1 in the championship game.

United States

The Great Lakes will see Hinsdale Little League in Illinois play Gross Points Woods Shore Little League in Michigan. Michigan has a loss to Westside Little League in Ohio, which Illinois beat in the semi-finals to get to the championship. Michigan had to beat Ohio 11-3 to advance to the finals.

The Mid-Atlantic finds Thurmont Little League in Maryland playing Holbrook Little League in New Jersey in the championship game today. Maryland had to beat Upper Providence Little League in Pennsylvania, a team they had lost to earlier to make it to the finals. Their bats were smoking in their 14-4 semi-final win.

The Midwest has Sioux Falls Little League in South Dakota playing Webb City Little League in Missouri in the finals. South Dakota had beaten Missouri earlier 6-5.

New England will see Fairfield American Little League in Connecticut play South Portland American Little League in Maine in the finals. Connecticut beat Maine 8-0 early in the double elimination tournament but Maine pulled out three games in the loser’s bracket to make it to the championship.

The Northwest will see Walla Walla Valley Little League in Washington play La Grande Little League in Oregon in the championship. Oregon had beaten Washington earlier 8-4 to knock them into the loser’s bracket.

The Southeast will be represented by North State Little League in North Carolina who beat Peachtree City National Little League in Georgia 8-6 in the championship. Georgia had lost to Goodlettsville Little League in Tennessee earlier 12-3 but came back in the semifinals to beat them 4-1.

In the Southwest it was an all Texas final with Lufkin Little League representing Texas East beating McAllister Park National Little League representing Texas West 2-1 in the finals. The two had played each other earlier in the tournament with Texas East again beating Texas West 11-10 to knock them into the losers bracket early.

The West will see Santa Margarita Little League in Southern California play against Dixie Little League in Utah in the finals. Utah had been knocked into the loser’s bracket early 14-5 by Hilo Little League in Hawaii but was able to fight through the loser’s bracket and beat Hawaii 12-6 in the semifinal match.

Below are some of the awards that were given out to players for their performance in the 12 and under World Cup. These awards were normally handed out to players who performed on winning teams. Below the all tournament team myworld lists some other players who performed well in the tournament.

All Tournament Team

MVP Kai Caranto (United States) - .391 average, 2 homeruns and 17 RBIs with 9 stolen bases

Top Hitter Reiji Toi (Japan) - .706, 1, 7 with 7 stolen bases

Top Pitcher - Chia-Cheng Chao (Taiwan) - 2-0, 0.69 with 15 K’s

Top Defensive Player - Pai Chen An (Taiwan) - .556, 5, 14

Starting Pitcher - Chao Chia Cheng (Taiwan) - 2-0, 0.69 with 15 K’s
Relief Pitcher - Joshua Atomanczyk (United States) - .381, 5, 12, 2-0, 1.24 ERA
Catcher - Pai Chen An (Taiwan) - .556, 5, 14
First Base - Raffaele Velazquez (United States) - .455, 1, 8
Second Base - Cesar Monjeras (Mexico) - .393, 3, 15 with 11 runs scored
Third Base - Chan-Seo Lee (Korea) - .385, 0, 4
Shortstop - Kai Caranto (United States) - .391, 2, 17, 9 stolen bases
Outfield - Adan Sanchez (Panama) - .750, 4, 7 with 15 runs scored
Jose Tirado (Mexico) - .654, 5, 15 with 13 runs scored
Toi (Japan) - .706, 1, 7 with 7 stolen bases

Other Players to Recognize

United States

Benjamin Reiland - .643, 1, 9 with 16 runs scored and 9 stolen bases
Spencer Butt - .600, 1, 3 with 6 stolen bases
Brad Burnes - .391, 2, 9 with 10 runs scored and 11 stolen bases
Brandon Olivera - 1-0, 1.71

Taiwan

Yi-Lei Sun - .524, 2, 5 with 11 runs scored and 9 stolen bases
Yu-En Chien - .467, 2, 6 with 13 runs scored and 8 stolen bases
Yi-Cheng Yang - .444, 2, 10 with 14 runs scored and 10 stolen bases
Shuo-Heng Han - 1-0, 0.75 with 15 K’s, .409, 4, 12 with 11 runs scored
Sheng-Wei Yang - 1-0, 1.06

Mexico

Juan Saldana - .450, 2, 9
Antonis Macias - .417, 2, 8 with 13 runs scored
Juan Hernandez - 4-0, 1.32

Japan

Koki Yamaguchi - .563, 1, 9
Daisuke Mori - .348, 2, 7 with 13 runs scored and 7 stolen bases

Korea

Jeong-Gyu Woo - .474, 0, 3
Seong-Mu Jang - .444, 0, 6

Nicaragua

Bryant Machado - .417, 1, 7 with 8 runs scored

Panama

Dimas Oda - .529, 0, 4 with 5 doubles
Emanuel Villarreal - 2-0, 1.44 12 K’s

Czech Republic

Lukas Hurta - .450, 1, 4 with 4 doubles

Brazil

Gabriel Ota - .412, 0, 5

Australia

David Hyde - .409, 0, 5, 1-1, 1.33

Russia

Jared Riffel - .417, 2, 5

Germany

Kilian Redle - .333, 1, 3

After being upset by Mexico on the second day Japan has bounced back handing host Taiwan their first loss and beating Russia 31-0. Taiwan smoked Mexico to create a two way tie for first with Japan just a half game back with a makeup to play against Brazil in a game they are winning 5-0. The United States remained the only undefeated team in the tournament by blasting Germany.

Japan 7 Taiwan 5

Taiwan pitchers had gone the whole tournament without giving up a run, just coming off a 10-0 shutout earlier in the day against the powerful bats of Mexico. They had Japan shutout for the first four innings, ahead 4-0 when the Japan bats broke out of their slumber and assaulted the Taiwan pitching staff for seven runs in the last two innings. Koki Yamaguchi put a charge into the Japanese offense by blasting a 3-run homer in the top of the fifth to close the gap to one run. A wild pitch broke a 4-4 tie in the sixth but with Yamaguchi at the plate the pitcher may have been a bit nervous. Yamaguchi followed the wild pitch with an RBI single to advance the score to 6-4. Taiwan put runners on first and third with two out in their last at bats but Yu-en Chien grounded out to short to end the game. Taiwan got a solo homerun from Shuo-Heng Han, his second of the day.

Taiwan 10 Mexico 0

Coming into this game Taiwan pitchers had yet to give up a hit. Small consolation for Mexico but they got four hits, but none of their players crossed the plate. The power bats of Antonis Macias, Juan Tirado and Cesar Monjaras were a combined 1 for 6, with Tirado getting the only hit. Shuo-Heng Han worked the first 3.1 innings allowing just one hit and striking out six. The game ended after the top of the fifth when Mexico could not score a run. Han helped his cause with a homerun and three RBIs on a 2 for 3 day with three runs scored. The Taiwan lineup put a lot of pressure on the Mexican catcher, stealing 8 bases and also walking 9 times.

Mexico 8 Brazil 7

Mexico got a little complacent after their tough loss to Taiwan. Leading 7-2 they allowed Brazil to score five runs in the last three innings to tie the game. Mexico won it in the seventh when Brazil could not score after loading the bases with no outs. Juan Hernandez struck out the next two hitters and got a ground out to end the threat. Mexico got a one out walk off single from Daniel Garza to end the game. Mexico got a homerun and two RBIs from Jose Tirado, his feverish bat blasting his third homerun of the tournament. Juan Saldana also hit a homerun for Mexico. Brazil got a solo shot from Gabriel Deangelo.

United States 20 Germany 3

The United States slugged three homeruns, pieced together 16 hits with seven walks and blasted Germany. Joshua Atomanczyk bashed his third homer of the tournament and his replacement in the game Carl Rice also went deep. Trent Abel also went deep, finishing the game 4 for 4 with four RBIs and four runs scored. Gregory Pierantoni also contributed four RBIs.

Japan 31 Russia 0

This was the first game for Japan with an evening affair against undefeated Taiwan to follow. Russia remains the only team that has yet to score a run. Japan scored their 31 runs in three at bats, an 18 run third putting the game out of reach. As a team they stole 16 bases. Kota Yonezawa had a perfect 5 for 5 day with four RBIs and four runs scored. Every player in the Japanese lineup crossed the plate at least once and drove in at least one run.

Korea 5 Nicaragua 1

Korea needed the win to put them in the playoffs. Jin-Jung Lee hit a solo shot and Seung-Won Ji pitched 3.2 innings of shutout ball. The win put Korea and Nicaragua into a second place tie with Panama. Korea and Nicaragua advanced because of their team quality balance.

Panama 15 Australia 2

Panama banged out 16 hits in their rout of Australia. Adan Sanchez and Omar Reluz each scored three times to lead the offense. Even though the win put them in a second place tie with Korea and Nicaragua their team quality balance was not good enough to advance them to the playoffs.

The tsunami or storm has passed. Most of the teams were able to get their games in. The big game between Taiwan and Mexico was one of the two games postponed. That gives Taiwan two big games they have to make up tomorrow, one against Japan and the other against Mexico. Japan had their game against Brazil postponed after three innings with Japan leading 5-0. Four teams will play double headers tomorrow (Taiwan, Mexico, Japan and Brazil). In the games played there were no big upsets.

Nicaragua 10 Australia 4

Nicaragua enhanced their chance of making it to the playoffs improving their record to 3-1. Australia dropped to 1-3 with their loss. A six run fourth inning proved to be the difference in the game with Bryant Machado slashing a two run single and Jeral Bravo powering a two run homer to contribute to the inning. Machado closed out the scoring with a two run homerun in the sixth to finish the game with a team leading four RBIs. Leadoff hitter Jarold Montealto went 3 for 3 with a walk and three runs scored. The Aussies banged out 10 hits, one shy of Nicaragua, but they failed to plate many of their opportunities.

United States 7 Panama 3

Panama can take consolation they were not blown out by the United States team. Their record dropped to 2-2 with the loss while the United States improved to 4-0. Joshua Atomanczyk pitched the four middle innings, allowing just one run on one hit. Adan Sanchez got the start for Panama and was just a little wild, walking six, with three wild pitches and two hit batters. Benjamin Reiland was the offensive hero, going 2 for 2 with two RBIs, two runs scored and two walks. Raffaele Velazquez also had a perfect day, finishing 3 for 3 with two RBIs, one run scored and a walk.

Korea 7 Germany 2

Korea improved to 2-2 while Germany remained one of the two winless teams in the tournament, dropping to 0-4. Germany actually had a 1-0 lead after three innings but Korea pounced in the last two innings for seven runs. Germany committed five errors in the game, one contributing to the first Korean run and another error allowing the go ahead run to score in the bottom of the fifth to break a 2-2 tie. Korea would score two more runs in the five run fifth on another error and a balk.

Czech Republic 10 Russia 0

Russia has still not scored a run this tournament and the Czech Republic improved to 2-3, which will probably find them fall short of a playoff spot. Filip Votava got the win, pitching the last 2.1 innings and striking out six of the seven hitters he faced. Jakub Winkler drove in three runs on a 2 for 2 day, walking twice and stealing a base.

The big game, Taiwan versus Japan was postponed by rain. Taiwan has yet to give up a hit in the two games they have played. Japan was stung with a loss to Mexico. The mild upset of the day was Nicaragua bouncing back from their loss against the United States to beat their neighbors Panama, who were undefeated until that loss.

Nicaragua 10 Panama 2

Three of the first four runs Nicaragua scored in the third inning were on a strikeout wild pitch. balk and wild pitch. Jeral Bravo hit a two run homer in the fifth to give Nicaragua an overwhelming 6-1 lead. Bryant Machado had three hits, including a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Jarold Montealto pitched five innings and only allowed a Adnan Sanchez solo blast for his only run given up. Adnan is the offensive weapon for Panama getting three of their five hits including his second homerun of the tournament. In the first game he homered in the sixth in a 1-0 Panama win.

Australia 9 Germany 1

Australia got their first win and scored their first runs of the tournament. Germany remained winless. Six of the ten Aussie hits were doubles with Oscar Hyde contributing two doubles on his 2 for 3 day with two runs scored and two RBIs. Hyde also threw five shutout innings in the start. William Baker went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored as well for the Aussies.

Brazil 10 Russia 0

It appears Brazil was the victor but the boxscore for this game is from the United States win over Nicaragua.

Mexico 18 Czech Republic 3

Mexico continues to roll. A 13 run fourth ended the game in four innings. Cesar Monjaras hit a two run homer in the first, his second of the tournament and Antonis Macias blasted a three run tater to begin the 13 run fourth, also his second of the tournament. Macias finished with five RBIs on a 3 for 3 day with three runs scored and Monjaras went 3 for 4 with three runs scored and four RBIs. Mexico battered the Czech pitching staff with 22 hits, seven of them for extra bases. Two Mexican pitchers did not allow the Czechs a hit. They scored all three runs in the second inning on three walks, two balks and a wild pitch. Macias is hitting .778, Monjaras .600 and Juan Tirado .889 after the first three games. Tirado finished the day 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, making his first out of the tournament. He leads all players in RBIs with 10 after three games.

United States 27 Korea 6

The score was 0-0 after one inning. A 10 and 12 run innings by the United States finished Korea early. Kai Caranto was the big RBI man with five, his only hit being a triple. Joshua Atomanczyk went deep for the second game in a row. Brad Burnes drove in four runs and scored four, going deep once, adding a double and stealing two bases. Daniel Arambula also hit a homerun for the Yanks. Ten different players in the United States lineup contributed an RBI. The United States remains the only undefeated team in their pool.

For day two of the World Cup the scores were a bit more palatable. The biggest upset was Mexico defeating Japan. In milder surprises Panama continued their strong play with a win over Germany while the Czech Republic achieved the first European win with a victory over Brazil.

Mexico 6 Japan 5

Japan committed three errors which allowed three unearned runs to score. The big hit was a Juan Tirado three run homer in the third inning that gave Mexico a 3-0 lead. It was his second homerun in two days. He was hit by a pitch in his other two at bats. Japan came right back in the bottom frame with three in the third. Mexico took the lead again with three runs in the fifth. A walk and two hit by pitches loaded the bases. In the third inning two walks had preceded the homerun by Tirado. Cesar Monjaras singled to score two and a Alan Nava single scored one. Japan again came back in the bottom frame but could only score two. In the sixth and final frame Juan Hernandez retired the Japanese in order to secure the victory. Mexico only collected three hits in the win but five of the six runs that scored were put on base by either a walk or a hit by pitch.

Panama 12 Germany 1

Six German errors and an eight run second with seven of the runs unearned proved to be the undoing for Germany. Pedro Catuy was the offensive star for Panama with two doubles and three RBIs in two at bats. Brian Villarreal went 3 for 3 with a double and two RBIs. Emanuel Villarreal worked four innings, giving up just two hits and one run to get the win. Omar Gonzalez came on to pitch the last inning and struck out all three hitters he faced.

Korea 8 Australia 0

Korea got on the winning track after their opening loss to Panama while Australia still finds themselves with zero runs scored in the two games they have played. Three different Korean pitchers combined for two shutout innings each, giving up just one hit. Seong-Mu Jang was the big bat for Korea driving in three runs with two doubles in two at bats.

Czech Republic 8 Brazil 2

The Czechs erupted for five runs in the final frame to break out a close game. Jakub Winkler finished the game 2 for 4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs. Lukas Hurta came on in relief and threw five innings of shutout ball, striking out 10 to claim the victory.

United States 10 Nicaragua 0

A seven run first put this game out of reach early. Staked to a big lead three different United States pitchers limited the Nicaraguans to two hits. The United States was limited to six hits, but eight walks ignited two innings. Joshua Atomanczyk slugged a solo shot to drive in the only run that was needed. Kai Caranto stole four bases while walking twice. For the game the United States team stole 10 bases. For Nicaragua this was their first loss after walloping Germany.

Taiwan 18 Russia 0

The hosts remain undefeated while Russia has given up 43 runs in their two games and have yet to score. Three different Taiwan pitchers combined for a no hitter, their second no hitter in the two games. Chia-Cheng Chao got the start and struck out all six hitters he faced. The game ended after four innings because of the slaughter rule. Sheng-Wei Yang slugged a solo shot and scored four times. In addition to his six whiffs Chao also went deep with a solo shot. Ruei-Fong Chen drove in four runs, stole two bases and scored twice despite collecting only one hit, a double. The Taiwan team stole 16 bases. In two games the two starting pitchers for Taiwan have pitched four perfect innings and struck out 11 of the 12 hitters they have faced.

The difference between the 12 and under baseball World Cup and the Little League World Series is the World Cup is composed of the best 12 year olds in the country while the Little League World Series is made up of the best teams in a specific area. The scores can get a little lopsided when the best in the world play against countries who still view baseball as a third or fourth sport. Below are the results from the first day.

Panama 1 Korea 0

The closest of the contests. Two Panama pitches combined to no hit Korea. Andres Jaen threw the first two innings walking three while Adan Sanchez threw the last four walking one. Jaen also hit two batters in his two innings of work. Panama scored the lone run in the sixth inning when pitcher Adan Sanchez hit a solo shot to give Panama the lead. Sanchez also contributed a double in a previous at bat.

Mexico 25 Russia 0

Mexico only batted three times to score their 25 runs when the game was ended early after Russia failed to score in the top of the fourth. Mexico blasted six homeruns, Sergio Gastelum contributing two for four RBIs. Juan Tirado drove in five runs and hit one of the six homeruns in a 4 for 4 day that also included a double. Other dingers were contributed by Antonis Macias, Cesar Monjaras and Juan Saldana. Antonis Macias also had a 4 for 4 day. Mexico used three different pitchers to cover the four innings, allowing two hits.

Japan 13 Czech Republic 0

Japan took five innings to dispose of the Czechs. Reiji Toi was the big bat with a homeruns and five runs driven in on a 3 for 3 day. The homerun for Toi in the third was a grand slam to put the game out of reach. Kohei Okada stole four bases getting on base three times with two singles and a walk. He scored twice. Overall the Japanese had 9 stolen bases in the game. Three different pitchers worked the five innings with Shuya Yamada working a perfect three innings with four whiffs.

United States 16 Australia 0

The United States ended this game in four. The Aussies could not get a hit off Bryce Rainier, who worked three innings and Ashton Larson who finished the game retiring all three hitters he faced. Benjamin Reiland, Brad Burnes, Gavin Grahovac and Errick Barnes each went deep for the United States. Burnes and Grahovac were the big RBI guys with four each. Grahovac drove in all four of his runs with a grand slam in a 9 run second inning.

Nicaragua 17 Germany 2

Nicaragua used an 11 run second inning to end this game in four innings. Germany scored two in the fourth, but needed one more run to extend the game. Derick Reyes struck out five of the six hitters he faced in his two innings of work. Carlos Torrentes and Nelson Sevilla each went 3 for 3 scoring three times and driving in two.

Taiwan 10 Brazil 0

Four different Taiwan pitchers went the five innings to throw the third no hitter of the day. Shuo-Heng Han got the start and struck out five of six in his two innings of work. Yi-Cheng Yang and Yu-En Chien each drove in three runs from the top two spots in the order, both going deep for Taiwan.

Not a lot of these players will ever see the major leagues but they are the top prospects from Australia based on my assessments. In all honesty I don’t know a lot about Aussie players because I have not seen many of them play. My assessments are geared basically on the numbers they put up in the minor leagues and what little is written about them. Most of these players made the World Baseball Classic team so there was some information gleamed from those games. Only Warwick Saupold from the list put together last year got a sniff in the major leagues.

1. Aaron Whitefield OF (Twins) - To think he was just a softball player a couple years ago. He has only been playing baseball since 2015 when the Twins signed him to a contract. Now he has gone from playing on the Australian national softball team to the Australian World Baseball Classic team. He only played in one game and got one at bat, yielding to Aussie veterans Trent Oeltjen, Mitch Denning and David Kandilas. Last year he played in rookie ball where he hit .298 with only a .736 OPS. As he plays the game more the bat should improve once he improves his ability to make contact. Last year he struck out 47 times in 51 games. He shows excellent speed with 31 stolen bases in 40 attempts. He could start in Low A in 2017.

2. Lewis Thorpe LHP (Twins) - He ranked atop this list last year. Tommy John surgery has prevented him from playing in 2015 and 2016. The Twins paid out a $500,000 bonus to him in 2012. Aussies are usually not hard throwers but Lewis can hit the radar in the mid-90s prior to the surgery. He also has a plus change to complement the fastball. The Twins will be patient with him. Expect him to work on his delivery in extended spring training and to limit his innings he will probably start in the rookie leagues. In 2014 he started 16 games and struck out 10 hitters per nine innings while limiting the opposition to a .232 average. There was some upside there before the injury.

3. Warwick Saupold RHP (Tigers) - We first saw him pitch in Taiwan at the Asian Series. His fastball hit the mid-90s, but the opposition hit it pretty good so it is probably a little too straight to the plate. He was a late sign by the Tigers in 2012 as a 22 year old. He played for the 2013 and 2017 Aussie WBC teams. The Aussies gave him a start and he threw four shutout innings against Cuba. In the Australian Baseball League he is used as a closer. When the Tigers brought him up they used him in six games of relief, though the opposition feasted on him for a .395 average. He still was able to strike out a batter per inning. In AAA he was more effective, used as both a starter and reliever, compiling an impressive 2.30 ERA. He will begin the 2017 season in AAA and at 27 years of age his prospect days are pretty well done.

4. and 5. Lachlan Wells and Alex Wells LHP (Twins and Orioles) - The two pitchers are twins in the literal sense of the word. Lachlan is the only Twin from a baseball perspective. He is the more established pitcher climbing up to High A. In 12 starts he stitched together a 1.77 ERA limiting the opposition to a .218 average. Lachlan is not overpowering and his 5′8″ height may limit his major league opportunities. Alex may offer more of an upside. He stands 6′2″ but still lacks overpowering stuff. Alex signed a year after Lachlan and pitched at rookie level Aberdeen last year. Expect Lachlan to be promoted to the Florida State League while Alex will see time in a full season league, starting at Low A. Both pitchers made the roster for the WBC team but only Lachlan appeared in a game, getting two relief appearances and getting smoked for four runs in only 2.2 innings.

6.Robbie Perkins C (Rockies) - Robbie is the first player who did not appear on the list last year. He ripped through the ABL in the winter, hitting .353 with three homeruns with a 1.023 OPS. Last year he was limited to just 15 games in the California League hitting .238. In the WBC he got one opportunity, striking out in his lone at bat. At 20 years old there appears to be a lot of upside in Perkins, so we will put him on this list and wait to see how his career develops.

7. Todd Von Steensel RHP (Twins) - At 26 Todd is getting up there to be considered a prospect. He did get five relief appearances in AA and pitched well crafting a 2.25 ERA. His efforts at High A were not as successful (4.12 ERA). Command was a big issue with 27 walks in 54 innings. In 2015 he was used as a closer with 13 saves but in 2016 those saves did not come so easy. In the WBC Todd appeared in one game and did not allow a run in his one inning of work. This will be the big year for him. He should start the season in AA which is a knock on the door away from the major leagues if he shows some success.

8. Jon Kennedy LHP (Braves) - Jon is a big 6′5″ lefthander. At 21 years old the Braves can show some patience with him. His fastball sits in the low 90s, velocity good enough for a lefthander with his height. Trying to find success is a big challenge. With the Braves he has been used exclusively out of the bullpen in his first year of professional baseball, putting together a 4.40 ERA. He returned back to Australia to play in the ABL and had his best year there, starting six games with a 4.01 ERA. For his height he does show good command of his pitches, walking just 1.2 hitters per nine innings. The 2017 season is the year he should establish his identity. Kennedy did get one appearance in the WBC but failed to retire any of the three hitters he faced.

9. Zach Shepherd 3B (Tigers) - Zach was number two on this list last year but the big concern was his lack of power. He only hit five homeruns with a .339 slugging. This year his power numbers went up (15 homers and .350 slugging) at the sacrifice of his batting average, dropping 60 points to .186. He also struck out an alarming 159 times. We were tempted to take him off this list but there are not a lot of candidates to replace him.

10. Samuel Holland RHP (Angels) - He had one of the better years of the Australian players, pitching 29 games in relief and fashioning a 0.83 ERA, with some of that time spent in the hitter friendly California League. The opposition combined to hit only .151 against him. At 23 years of age he should be ready for AA. Holland was on the designated pool pitcher list, but did not get in a game after Australia was eliminated after the first round.

2016 Top Australian Prospects