Team Tuesdays: Campus Commandos

by Brandon Corbett

The Campus Commandos roster is straight out of Field of Dreams. Adam Grant built a field in downtown Detroit, and grown men wander out of the streets in droves to relive the baseball glory days of their youth. Substitute the corn for a city skyline and it is an exact recreation. The guys who show up may not be playing for world championships or making national headlines with their play, but they are in their own little world. And when the camera pans out over the field you can see headlights lined up for miles; even if that is just traffic backed up leaving Comerica Park. Hell, had Rick Snyder not chased the film industry out of the state, I bet we could have even gotten James Earl Jones down for an afternoon. So, just who are these players who appear on WSEM's urban Field of Dreams, LaFayette Park? Well, the Commandos have a doctor, Kelly Walsh, who, like his movie counterpart, only appeared in one game last season before being unable to return. Grant has said Walsh will be available to play more frequently in 2012, which is just the hint of stability this revolving door of a roster needs after the loss of two part-time players and last year's number-one pitcher to cross-divisional rival, the Donkeys. Last season saw nine players with less than ten games played, while only three players appeared full-time. Alex Linebrink pitching at Frenchtown Field Two full-timers are returning for 2012: captain Adam Grant and Alex Linebrink. Linebrink is a southpaw who grooved into the number-two pitcher role for the Commandos in 2011. His season numbers may not be pretty (8.78 ERA, 3.41 WHIP, 64 BB : 51 K), but Alex shows promise on the mound and got better as the season progressed. In the month of July his ERA was half of that: 4.47. Alex also turned his K/BB ratio around in July, posting 38 K to only 25 BB. That progression is important for the Commandos, as preaseason chatter names Linebrink as the opening day number-one starter. If he is able to find a rhythm, as a lefty he can be a nuissance on the outside corner to a predominately right-handed league, much like first-team NWLA pitcher Cliff Comstock of the DeLoppes. Finding a steady number-two should be the big concern for the Commandos at pitcher.

Pfefferle in the box at LaFayette Park Offensively, the Commandos best returning hitter is Eric Pfefferle, who played in eight games last season. Eric's AVG is underwhelming at .229, however his OBP and SLG% hover right around the league average at .426 and .400, respectively. That is the trend team-wide, as well, with OBP being twice a player's AVG. Adam Grant was atop the league with 40 BB, and Linebrink was directly behind him with 34. Clearly, these Commandos are patient at the plate and get runners on base. Grant has a healthy list of names who will play at least a few games this season: Dave Crechilio, Brian Bandemmer, Patrick Minch, and Daniel Egan to name a few; if some of these part-time players can bring big bats with them, then that may be solution enough to their offensive woes.

It is hard to make a prediction with so many unknowns for the 2012 Campus Commandos. With a year under his belt, though, Adam Grant is approaching the game with a new attitude and better understanding. To paraphrase from another famous group of famous commandos: that is half the battle.

Supplemental: Another unknown for the Commandos is their own "Wiffle Centipede." In December the Commandos made a huge acquisition in free agent pitcher, Steven "Céspedes" Harris. Harris is sold as having been putting on amazing displays of outstanding pitching for many years. The first dose of unknown, though, is that - like Yoenis Céspedes Milanés - nobody has seen Harris play to confirm his skills on the mound. Still, like "the Cuban Centipede" again, everyone is buying the hype as realiy, and believing the Commandos have made a home run signing. However, there is a second dose of unknown in this story. After signing his deal to come to the organized leagues, Steve Harris went on a vision quest to prepare himself. He removed himself from the internet, gave his phone to charity, and reportedly set off on foot to climb the first mountain he could find. We are assuming he did not mean Mt. Trashmore, Holly, nor even Boyne, and is heading west through the desert to cleanse his soul before his ascent. Nothing is known of his condition or whereabouts. Will he surface before the season? Will his slider be even stronger after his journey? Is he alive? All of these questions have the same non-answer. So, we wait to see.