RIVERDALE, N.Y. - With summer winding down GoJaspers.com highlights the past and present Manhattan baseball standouts who competed in professional and NCAA sanctioned amateur leagues. Seven former Jaspers participated in minor league baseball, and five current student-athletes excelled in summer leagues.
In the Pros:
Chris Cody '06: Cody was called up to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds of the Milwaukee Brewers organization and made his first start on June 5th. Since his debut, Cody has recorded eight wins, 51 strikeouts and a 4.77 ERA over 88.2 innings. The left-handed pitcher from Brewster, N.Y. began the 2009 season with the Double-A Huntsville Stars. Cody was dominant on the hill while with Huntsville as the registered a 5-1 record, 2.30 ERA and .195 batting average against in 10 starts. He was named Southern League Pitcher of the Week on April 27, 2009 after allowing just one run over 12 innings with the Stars. Cody was drafted in the eighth round of the 2006 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. He was acquired by the Brewers in a trade in 2007. Cody split the 2008 season between Class-A West Virginia Power of the South Atlantic League and the Brevard County Manatees of the Class-A+ Florida State League. He was named Milwaukee Brewers 2008 Minor League Pitcher of the Year by MLB.com.
Jesse Darcy '07: Darcy has made 16 starts and 21 appearances in 2009 pitching for the Class-A Charlotte Stone Crabs of Florida State League. Last year, Darcy was named the 2008 Pitcher of the Year for the Single-A Columbus Catfish of the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He went 8-3 and harbored a 3.05 ERA, which was sixth best in the South Atlantic League. Darcy also led the Catfish in ERA and strikeouts (98). A product of Levittown, N.Y., Darcy was selected by Tampa Bay in the 2007 MLB Draft.
Nick Derba '07: Derba was promoted to the St. Louis Double-A affiliate Springfield Cardinals in early June after starting the season with the Class-A Advanced Palm Beach Cardinals of the Florida State League. Since joining the Springfield club, Derba appeared in 40 games behind the plate. The catcher from College Point, N.Y. played the entire 2008 campaign with Palm Beach and recorded 22 RBI, scored 15 runs and hit two homes runs over 66 games. Derba was selected in the 2007 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Mike Parisi: Parisi spent the majority of the 2009 season on the disabled list of the St. Louis Cardinals Triple-A affiliate Memphis Redbirds. He was reassigned to the Palm Beach Cardinals and made his first start with the club on August 30 as he allowed just one run over 4.1 innings in his debut. Parisi made 12 appearances in the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008 from May 5 - June 26, and then returned to the Redbirds where he recorded an 8-2 record with 3.86 ERA. Parisi was drafted by the Cardinals in the ninth round of the 2004 Major League Draft.
Matt Rizzotti: Rizzotti has blasted 12 home runs, 26 doubles and 56 RBIs over 96 appearances with Philadelphia Phillies affiliate Clearwater Threshers of the Class-A Advanced Florida State League. The 6'5" left-handed power hitter is currently batting .263 with 42 runs scored. Rizzotti played 102 games last season with the Lakewood Blueclaws of the Class A South Atlantic League. He hit .268, while recording 10 home runs, 26 doubles, three triples and 55 RBI. Rizzotti was picked in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Phillies.
Rene Ruiz '07: Signed with the Big Bend Cowboys of the Continental Baseball League. He appeared in 53 games, scored 42 runs, and recorded 16 RBI and 31 hits. Ruiz helped Big Bend advance to the 2009 Continental Baseball League.
College Players:
Mike McCann: McCann helped lead the West Hampton Aviators of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) to the league championship. The Manhattan junior from Belle Harbor, N.Y. started 27 of 31 appearances, hit .326, scored 21 runs and posted 28 RBI. McCann also launched five home runs, seven doubles and one triple.
Tom Moran: Moran spent the summer with the Manchester Silkworms of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). Over 20 innings of work pitching in relief, Moran struck out 16 batters and posted a 4.50 ERA. The rising senior led Manchester with three wins, six saves and a .181 opposing batting average. Moran led the team and ranked second in the NECBL with 19 appearances. He limited opponents to just 13 hits all season, which led Manchester and ranked fifth in the league.
Kevin Nieto: Nieto returned to the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) for the 2009 season. Coming back from an injury, Nieto started 13 of 18 games and hit .227.
Mark Onorati: Onorati played with the Keane Swamp Bats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). Onorati started all 33 appearances and drove in 12 RBI. He hit .266, scored 19 runs, and posted 33 hits, including six doubles. He went 9-for-11 in stolen base opportunities.
Austin Sheffield: Sheffield played first base for the Amsterdam Mohawks of the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) and helped guide the team to the 2009 Championship. Sheffield batted over .300, and recorded over 50-hits, 30-runs and 30-RBI during the summer campaign. In the championship sweep of the Hornell Dodgers, Sheffield hit 4-for-8 and scored two runs.
