Williamsport Crosscutters 2017 Manager and Coaches

Crosscutters' manager Pat Borders returns for his third season at the helm in Williamsport. The Crosscutters went 45-33 in 2015 and 39-36 in 2016 under his leadership. Borders was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth round of the 1982 amateur draft. He spent 17 years in MLB, catching for the Blue Jays, Royals, Astros, Cardinals, Angels, White Sox, Indians, Mariners and Twins. He is one of four players to have played on a World Series ('92, '93) and Olympic gold medal ('00) winning team.

Hector Berrios returns for his second year as pitching coach for the Crosscutters. This will be his 20th season as a minor league pitching coach (Hagerstown Suns, Charleston Alley Cats, Brooklyn Cyclones, Binghamton Mets, Gulf Coast League Mets, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Great Lakes Loons, Chattanooga Lookouts). Berrios was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 9th round of the 1983 MLB January draft out of Connors State College (Warner, OK), but did not sign. He signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals in 1984 and played 8 seasons in the minors with the Royals, Tigers, Angels, Cubs and Dodgers organizations.

Tyler Henson begins his coaching career in 2017 as the hitting coach for the Crosscutters. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 5th round of the 2006 amateur draft out of high school (Tuttle, Oklahoma). He spent 10 years playing in the minor leagues in the Orioles, Dodgers and Phillies organizations. Henson played in the New York-Penn League in 2007 with the Aberdeen IronBirds.

Photo Credits: Go Sports Cards

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.

Williamsport Crosscutters 2016 Season Recap

The Williamsport Crosscutters finished the 2016 season with a record of 39-36, 10.5 games out of first in the Pinckney Division and 5 games out of the Wild Card race.

The two biggest news items this past season were the Player Development Contract with the Philadelphia Phillies was renewed through the 2018 season and the stadium lease with the City of Williamsport was extended through the 2020 season.

Williamsport, Pennsylvania has a rich baseball history. Organized baseball has been played at Bowman Field (now known as BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field) since 1926.  BB&T Ballpark was voted as the Best Stadium in Short Season Class-A in 2016 by fans on BallparkDigest.com. A road trip to north central Pennsylvania is recommended if you have never attended a game at the old ballpark. I attended several Williamsport Bills games with my family back in the 1980s when the Bills were a Cleveland Indians affiliate in the Double A Eastern League. Mike Hargrove was the manager and Turner Gill played shortstop, before he got back into football as a coach.

Groundbreaking took place in May on a new “Premium Deck” that will accommodate up to 250 people along the first base side of the stadium. The deck will feature rail seating, high top and 4-top tables on two levels along with full bar and food service for fans. Completion is scheduled for the 2017 season. There are also plans for additional renovations that would include converting all bleacher seating in the stadium to new individual seats while also redesigning the current box seating area to be more fan friendly with wider seats, aisles and cup holders.

2016 Season in Review:

Attendance: Totals 60,429 for 35 dates, Average per game 1,727

Record: 39 wins; 36 losses.

There were several bright spots for Williamsport in 2016. Four of the 2016 Crosscutters to follow in the future are:

Adonis Medina was signed as an international free agent by Phillies in May 2014. Pitching in his third year of organized ball, Medina went 5-3, 2.92 ERA, 1.10 WHIP in 64.2 innings over 13 starts. He was selected to the NYPL All-Star game in August.

Signed as an international free agent by Phillies in July 2013, Outfielder Jesus Alastre was a NYPL All-Star game pick last summer. He batted .290/.345/.327 and had 14 stolen bases in 50 games for the Crosscutters.

Pitcher Ranger Suarez was a NYPL All-Star game pick in 2016. A native of Venezuela, Suarez was signed as an international free agent by Phillies on April 1, 2012. He went 6-4 in 73.2 innings and finished the 2016 season with an ERA of 2.81 and a 1.15 WHIP. On July 26, Suarez pitched a seven inning no hitter (on 79 pitches) against the Auburn Doubledays.

First baseman Darick Hall showed good power with 9 HRs and 29 RBIs, while batting .282/.372/.518 in 195 AB (55 hits; 57 SO) over 57 games. The Phillies picked Hall in the 14th round in 2016, out of Dallas Baptist. Bats left and throws right and is 6’4”, 236.

The Crosscutters home opener for the 2017 season is on June 20 against in-state rival State College.

The Stedler Report is not affiliated with Minor League Baseball or the New-York-Penn League.