2008

 

 

 

History of Blue Caps and Clark Griffith League

 

The Beltway Blue Caps will be entering their second season in the Clark Griffith League in 2008.  Currently we are recruiting players for the 2008 summer season.  Blue Caps players are the highest caliber, competitive college players with aspirations of playing professional baseball.  The Clark Griffith League has been around for over 60 years and is one of the oldest and most established summer leagues in the country.  The CGL is covered by professional scouts and has a long track record of vaulting players to the professional ranks.  The Blue Caps will play approximately a 45 game schedule, and will also participate in post-season play.  Players may also have the opportunity to participate in national tournaments, such as the Johnstown and Wichita tournaments held in early August.

 

Partnership with Reviving Baseball in Innercities

           

In an effort to continue the development of players and to increase their profile with professional organizations, the Blue Caps are teaming up with the D.C. Reviving Baseball in Innercities program (RBI, which is sponsored by Major League Baseball) and RBI’s sister organization the BATTER-UP Foundation to provide players with some of the best competition, coaching, and exposure in the country.  The partnership of President and Head Coach Jonas Singer (assistant coach at Catholic University) and Executive VP Keith Stubbs (area scout, Philadelphia Phillies) provides players with access to expert and experienced coaches and a huge network of professional scouts and front office personnel.

 

A primary goal of the partnership is to provide minority players an opportunity to play at the highest level.  We hope to provide them exposure to professional organizations, but to also provide the minority youth of D.C.—with whom we work closely in our mentoring and inner-city programs—role models to invigorate them with a passion and drive for the game.

 

 

Housing and Employing Players

 

The Blue Caps find local housing with host families for players.  Players are encouraged to bring their own cars if possible.  Typically, families will provide transportation and food at no cost to the player, but any financial contribution players can make is appreciated. 

 

The Blue Caps also assist in finding employment, including internships and other career development opportunities.  Players also have the opportunity to work with the BATTER-UP/RBI Program in one of the country’s leading inner-city baseball programs.  Players serve as counselors in the BATTER-UP/RBI camps, working with inner-city youth as coaches and mentors.

 

Next Steps

 

Please take some time to consider which players would best fit the Blue Caps; typically we field the top players from each school to compete against other top-notch players.

 

Please contact us at your earliest convenience at 301-461-0602 or at JonasSinger@bluecapsbaseball.com.   We look forward to working with you and your players.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Jonas Singer                                                                           

President and Head Coach                                         

 

301-461-0602                                                                       

JonasSinger@bluecapsbaseball.com         

 

 

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The Bethesda Blue Caps are proud to partner with the BATTER-UP/RBI program for the 2008 season.  Blue Caps President Jonas Singer and Executive VP Keith Stubbs serve as the leaders and administrators for the BATTER-UP/RBI program in Washington, D.C. 

 

 

The Reviving Baseball in Innercities program (RBI) was originally launched in 1994 by Major League Baseball.  MLB franchises out RBI programs and Keith Stubbs took over the D.C. franchise in 1996.  In 2004, Keith launched BATTER-UP to provide mentoring and character education to complement the baseball instruction offered by RBI. 

 

We hope that this partnership will provide minority players from around the country the opportunity to play at the highest amateur level and provide them with exposure to professional organizations in order to forward them to professional careers.  The Blue Caps are dedicated to forwarding the mission of BATTER-UP/RBI by providing opportunities for minority players and once again gaining attention and recognition for minority ball players.

 

In addition, the Blue Caps and BATTER-UP/RBI anticipate that this partnership will provide role models for the youth of D.C. and continue our mission of reinvigorating the metropolitan area with a passion for baseball.  Blue Caps players will have the opportunity to work as coaches and mentors in our summer programs with innercity youth.  Our innercity youth will work with the team as bat boys, interns, and in other supporting roles in order to expose them to the highest levels of amateur baseball.

 

 

Professional Exposure

 

 

Beyond the fulfillment of forwarding the mission of BATTER-UP/RBI and having an impact on underserved youth, Blue Caps players will be playing for a Major League Baseball-sponsored franchise and will have the opportunity to get significant professional exposure.  Keith Stubbs is a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies and, through the executive staff, the Blue Caps have a large network of professional organizations.  We have already received commitments from a number of scouts to attend games in the summer of 2008, and to provide scouting reports and feedback on Blue Caps players. 

 

Any players with a serious possibility and commitment to playing professional baseball will get every opportunity to make it playing with the Blue Caps and in the CGL.

 

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Background of BATTER-UP RBI

 

Batter-Up was founded in 2004 in order to provide character education and baseball instruction to the youth of the Greater Washington area.  BATTER-UP lays the cornerstone for success by creating a structured growth path for children that teaches them invaluable life lessons, both on and off the field.  

 

Our unique approach integrates mentoring with year-round baseball opportunities, including character education on and off the field, league play and clinics to develop basic and advanced skills. BATTER-UP focuses on coach training and development to ensure that players receive proper instruction in their schools. This strategy will help improve and sustain the quality of the baseball and softball programs throughout the area.

 

We combine the Healthy Children, Healthy Choices character education developed by the Cal Ripken, Sr.  Foundation (CRSF) with our own approach, which uses lessons learned in baseball to help our mentee/players deal with the unique challenges they face growing up in the innercity. 

 

BATTER-UP/RBI is sponsored in part by KPMG and is a franchise of Major League Baseball.  The organization also works with the Nationals and local colleges, high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools to provide baseball development and opportunities to nearly 1,000 underserved players each year.  The ultimate goal is to provide a growth path for youth that will shepherd them from their elementary experience all the way through college.

 

 

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Executive Staff

 

 

Jonas Singer  President and Head Coach

 

Jonas Singer has been coaching in the D.C. area for 7 years.  Jonas played at Washington University in St. Louis for their nationally ranked Division III program.  Currently, Jonas serves as the assistant coach for Catholic University (serving as the bench coach, hitting instructor, and recruiting coordinator).  He is also the Deputy Director for the BATTER-UP/RBI Program.  In 2006, Jonas founded the Blue Caps Baseball program to serve as an umbrella organization for four summer teams.  In 2004, Jonas took over the head position of American Legion Post 105 in Bethesda.  After recording no more than 10 wins in the previous 8 years, the Post has had 4 consecutive winning seasons, including one postseason appearance.  Jonas also founded the Bethesda Greys (a 19U travel team) and the Bethesda Lookouts (a 16U travel team) to serve as a feeder system for the American Legion and Blue Caps teams.

 

 

Keith Stubbs  Executive Vice President

 

Keith Stubbs has been coaching in the D.C. area for over 15 years.  Keith attended Hampden University before coming to the D.C. area.  He has coached at over a dozen schools in the area and has worked with hundreds of D.C. youth.  In 1996, Keith became the director of the D.C. RBI program and has led the RBI Regional All-Star teams to 5 World Series in that time.  In 2000, Keith became an area scout for the Philadelphia Phillies.  In 2004, he launched the BATTER-UP Foundation to provide mentoring and character education to complement baseball instruction.  Over this time, BATTER-UP/RBI has helped nearly 100 players play college baseball, including Emanuel Burris (Kent State) who was drafted 33^rd overall in the

 

2006 MLB Draft.

 

 

 

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Player Amenities and Professional Assistance

 

 

The Blue Caps provide players with housing with host families and also assist players in finding employment over the summer. 

 

Host families live around the D.C. Metropolitan area in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland.  Hosts provide a room, amenities, and typically feed players and assist with transportation and other creature comforts.  Players are encouraged to bring their own transportation if possible.  While most host families do not expect any sort of reimbursement, players do have the option of chipping in financially.

 

The Blue Caps assist in finding employment over the summer.  The Blue Caps can place players with the Blue Caps program (there are three high school travel teams affiliated with the CGL team that players can assist in coaching).  Moreover, the Blue Caps are looking to place players with the BATTER-UP RBI program as coaches and mentors.  In these positions, players will work camp hours (typically 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.) an earn in the range of $9 - $15 per hour. 

 

We also help players who are interested in other employment, whether it is vocational work, professional internships, or positions with more flexible hours.  The Blue Caps and BATTER-UP/RBI have a large network of professional connections in the area, and we can facilitate professional connections in some of—but not limited to—the following professional areas:

 

– Law Firms                                                                       – Professional sports                          

– Accounting Firms                                                           – Medical and scientific research

– Government consulting                                                 – Communications

– Journalism                                                                      – Construction/Engineering

– Financial firms (brokerage, investing, banking)                        – Non-profits

 

Professional Exposure

 

Most importantly, the Blue Caps are supported by the scouting departments of most professional organizations.  The Blue Caps arrange for private workouts, including only scouts and Blue Caps players.  The Blue Caps also help players network with their area scouts through local scouts (players are designated in the area in which their school is located.  Local scouts may not report on summer players, but will share information with their area scouts).  

 

The Blue Caps experienced staff can help players learn about the process of garnering attention from professional organizations, including going to scout days, building professional tools, and staying on the scouting radar.

 

 

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  Clark Griffith Baseball

 

It was 60 years ago that the Clark Griffith League won its first AAABA National Championship and since then the summer wood bat league has maintained its place among the top summer leagues in nation.  According to outlets such as Baseball America, Perfect Game Crosschecker, and Project Prospect the Clark Griffith League is among the Top 15 college summer leagues in the country. 

 

In 2007, the CGL was made up of 5 teams: Vienna Senators, Fairfax Nationals, McLean Raiders, DC Grays, and Beltway Blue Caps.  The teams played a 44 game schedule plus a single elimination post-season tournament.  The Senators won both the regular season and post-season titles. 

 

Following the season, the Senators competed in the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, and finished the season ranked 12^th in the nation.  The McLean Raiders competed in the AAABA national tournament in Johnstown and were leading the championship game going into the final inning before falling, taking home second place.

 

Beyond the success of teams in the league, the CGL has vaulted hundreds of players onto professional careers.  Players such as Jonathan Papelbon, John Maine, Mark Texiera, Mike Venafro, and Trey Lunsford are all alumni of the league. 

 

This year the league’s top players, Aaron Loup (Tulane), Nate Newman (Pepperdine), Robbie Shields (Florida Southern), Xavier Qualls (Southeastern Louisiana), and others are currently draft-and-follow players and are slated to be playing professional baseball in the next several years.

 

With such distinguished talent, the CGL provides some of the finest playing facilities.  In 2007, players competed at Waters Field in Vienna, VA, an all-sport turf field that is considered on of the best facilities in the area.  The Blue Caps played home games at Catholic University, one of the top Division III facilities in the country.  The Fairfax Nationals played at Paul VI High School, whose field was recently redone for the Top 50 high school program.

 

Please see the following pages for information on PGCrosschecker’s top summer teams and ranking of CGL’s Top 10 prospects, Baseball America’s scouting of CGL, and a list of the CGL’s professional alumni.

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Baseball America ranks top CGL athletes

SUMMER COLLEGE LEAGUE TOP 10s

 

Clark Griffith Collegiate League

Top 10 Prospects

 

Compiled by Aaron Fitt and John Manuel

 

Once again, Baseball America has compiled its Top Prospect lists for 18 different summer leagues, and noted that 2007 was a fine year for of its perennial mainstays, the Clark Griffith League. Top 10 Prospects lists were compiled at the conclusion of the extensive process of gathering information from league coaches and scouts. As with most Baseball America rankings, emphasis is on long-term professional potential over collegiate potential. Players are identified with their class in school as of the 2007-'08 academic year.

 

PLAYER                                 POS.     TEAM                              B-T      HT     WT      YR         SCHOOL                        

 

1.   Aaron Loup                    LHP     Vienna Senators            L-L     5-10   170     So.        Tulane

 

2.   Nate Newman                RHP     Vienna Senators           R-R     6-5     215     Jr.        Pepperdine

 

3.   Juan Mujica                      OF     DC Grays                       L-L     5-11   185     Jr.         Southern 

 

4.   Robbie Shields                SS     McLean Raiders             R-R     6-1     190     So.        Florida Southern

 

5.   Sam Honeck                    1B     Vienna Senators            L-L     6-3     215     Jr.          Tulane

 

6.   LaDale Hayes                  OF     DC Grays                          R-R     6-1     180     Jr.        Alabama A&M

 

7.   Alex Gregory              1B/3B    Fairfax Nationals             R-R     6-2     205     Jr.        Radford

 

8.   Nick Schreiber              RHP     Fairfax Nationals             B-R     6-2     175     Jr.         California (Pa. )

 

9.   Ryan Eden                       OF     Vienna Senators              R-R     6-0     190     So.        New Orleans

 

10.   Darrin Campbell          RHP     Vienna Senators             R-R     6-4     190     Fr.         San Diego

 

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PG Crosschecker ranks top CGL athletes

CLARK GRIFFITH COLLEGIATE LEAGUE

 

TOP 10 PROSPECTS, 2007

 

Compiled by Allan Simpson (In association with league managers)

 

Winners of five All-American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA) titles in a six-year span from 1997-2002, the Vienna Senators went looking for a larger stage to showcase one of the nation’s most successful summer programs. They’ve participated in the National Baseball Congress World Series in three of the last four years and even though they have yet to post a top 10 finish in the Wichita-based tournament, the Senators made their most successful run this year with a team that posted a 47-7 record overall.  

 

PLAYER                                    POS.     TEAM                                B-T     HT      WT     YR         SCHOOL                        

 

1.   Aaron Loup                    LHP     Vienna Senators            L-L     5-10   170     So.        Tulane

 

 

2.   Robbie Shields                SS     McLean Raiders             R-R     6-1     190     So.        Florida Southern

 

 

3.   Nate Newman                RHP     Vienna Senators            R-R     6-5     215     Jr.         Pepperdine

 

 

4.   Juan Mujica                      OF     DC Grays                          L-L     5-11   185     Jr.         Southern 

 

 

5.   LaDale Hayes                   OF     DC Grays                          R-R     6-1     180     Jr.         Alabama A&M

 

6.   Sam Honeck                     1B     Vienna Senators            L-L     6-3     215     Jr.         Tulane

 

7.   Ryan Eden                         OF     Vienna Senators            R-R     6-0     190     So.        New Orleans

8.   Nick Wheeler                    3B     Vienna Senators            R-R     6-1     195     Jr.         West Alabama

 

9.   Nick Schreiber              RHP     Fairfax Nationals             B-R     6-2     175     Jr.         California (Pa. )

 

10.   Alex Gregory              1B/3B     Fairfax Nationals             R-R     6-2     205     Jr.         Radford