Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

Article By: Michael Lane

Zach Neto Makes His MLB Debut

In August of 2021, Zach Neto (Brewster ‘21) led the Brewster Whitecaps to a Cape League Championship. On July 17th, 2022, Neto was drafted 13th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels. This past Saturday, Neto made his MLB debut at Fenway Park. Neto’s rise to the big leagues has moved exceptionally quick, playing in just 44 minor league games and none above AA. The expectation is that Neto will be the Angels everyday shortstop for the remainder of the season, as they look to return to the postseason for the first time since 2014.

J.D. Davis Hot Start Continues

Stop us if you’ve heard this before. The San Francisco Giants brought in a player who’s shown success previously, but over recent years has struggled. J.D. Davis (Chatham ‘13) is the latest player to fit that mold, and he’s started the year off hot for the Giants. Over the last week, Davis is slashing .400/.478/.750 with two home runs. Through 16 games this season, Davis has four home runs, which matches the total he had in 66 games last year before being traded to the Giants. His old team the Mets come to San Francisco for a four-game series this weekend, so he’ll have a chance to show them they made a mistake.

Sean Murphy Leading Braves

Sean Murphy (Orleans ‘15) came over to the Braves this past offseason in a trade from Oakland. So far the Braves are 14-5, the second best record in MLB, largely thanks to Murphy’s contributions. On the season, Murphy is slashing .259/.420/.611 with four home runs and extremely solid defense behind the plate. Over the last week alone, Murphy has three home runs, three doubles, eight RBI, and a .444 OBP. The NL East is going to be challenging this season, but with Murphy leading the way, the Braves are looking to win their sixth straight division title.

Eric Lauer Bounces Back

Eric Lauer (Orleans ‘15) started the season slow, allowing eight runs over 9.1 innings in his first two starts of the season. This past week though, Lauer delivered two quality starts for the Brewers. Lauer went six innings Friday night against the Padres, allowing just one earned run. Then, on Wednesday, he went 7.2 innings and allowed two earned runs in a win over the Mariners. Between Lauer’s performances and Corbin Burnes (Orleans ‘15) finding his form, the Brewers pitching has led them to a 14-5 start.

Weekly Walk-offs

Adley Rutschman (Falmouth ‘18) launched the first walk-off home run of his career last Thursday against the A’s. Rutschman has started the season off showing potential that he could be a contender for the AL MVP. Tommy Edman (Y-D ‘15) has had a relatively slow start to the season, but on Sunday he played hero for the Cardinals. With a tie game and two outs in the 10th inning, Edman hit a walk-off single up the middle.