All-State baseball choices getting tougher each year
June 29th, 2008 by WesThis was the eighth Advertiser All-State baseball team I’ve put together, and somehow it seems like the choices get tougher every year. I swear in those first few years, things seem to fall into place easier and the positions were more likely to sort themselves out.
We always set a goal to select 12 players for the first team: 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, C, P, P, DH, Util.
We almost never end up with 12, usually adding an extra player or two when the voting is tied or virtually tied at certain positions. Remember last year, when we went with three catchers?
Well, this year’s trouble spots were at first base, shortstop, catcher (again), pitcher and DH/Utility. Even Coach of the Year almost became a three-way tossup.
Here’s a basic rundown, by position:
• First base — ‘Iolani’s Reyn Nagamine was the first team pick as a freshman and sophomore, and was first-team ILH this season, with Torigoe second team. Their stats were similar. But the All-State consideration includes postseason play, and ‘Iolani was bounced early from the ILH tournament. Torigoe helped MPI advance to the state quarterfinals, and in two championship bracket games, he went 4 for 9 with 2 RBIs, and he drew respect from the state’s top two teams.
• Shortstop — Pi‘ikea Kitamura (Kamehameha) was the ILH first team pick, Danny Higa second. But see above regarding postseason. Plus, Higa was a veteran leader for the Saints, providing intangibles all the way to the state title game. Jordan Tom (Castle) had huge numbers in the OIA but seemed relatively quiet late in the postseason.
• Catcher — Aaron Fujiki was ILH Player of the Year, Kolten Wong BIIF Player of the Year. Fujiki’s defense was outstanding and he hit well; Wong is a pure hitter who also plays solid defense. Went with both. Zach Kometani (Punahou) was outstanding to watch, but his offensive numbers did not quite match up to Fujiki and Wong’s. Might be the best second-team All-State catcher in a while.
• Pitcher — Josh Saio was an overwhelming choice, but the second spot was up for grabs. MPI’s Matt McDaniel was first team ILH and had good numbers, but he was injured in the ILH tournament and did not pitch at all in the state tournament. Bryson Nakamura made OIA West first team as a pitcher, but seemed just as valuable as a hitter and left fielder. Jordan Buster was lights out in the DII state championship game, and proved his legit talent vs. top O‘ahu DI teams in the preseason. Seemed as good as any pitcher we saw all year.
• DH/Utility — Moses Samia was a constant threat to go deep; Scotty Talaesea just plain smashed the ball almost every time he made contact. Who would you want to pitch to? Neither. So both belong on the first team. Nakamura didn’t make it as a pitcher, but deserved a spot somewhere as the go-to pitcher and hitter for the OIA champs. Fits in well as the utility pick.
• Coach of the Year — Bottom line, Kadooka got it done. May not have been pretty at times, but the man and his staff got it done, again. They did it the hard way, finishing with eight straight wins, the eight most important wins. Fraticelli didn’t have it easy, either, but again did what it took to get Saint Louis playing its best baseball in many many years. Going from 4-12 to 20-5 in one year is some feat that deserves recognition. Hank Ibia (Kaua‘i) did another masterful job with a team that probably could have competed in the DI state tourney. Unfortunately, the Red Raiders’ regular and postseason schedule simply cannot compare to the gauntlet Punahou and Saint Louis had to go through en route to the DI state championship game. So everything else being equal, we went with the DI guys.
So there you have it. As in any All-State selections, I’m sure there will be debates and people upset about certain choices. Sorry, unfortunately we cannot please everybody.
But at the very least, please know that a lot of thought, a lot of phone calls, a lot of looking at numbers, a lot of different considerations and a lot of tough decisions went into the final product.
Personally, I think it’s a team we can not just be comfortable with, but also be proud of.
June 29th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
castillo, silva and antolin not all state all stars did any one watch baseball who voted? By far best pitchers in the state!!!! Last I heard castillo and antolin is playing pro ball and silva is at a great jc and fast track to a big D1. What is any of the all state pitchers doing? There is D2 pitchers and a guy who never even played in the playoffs and states. Glad to say none of the people voting is pro or college scouts!!!
June 30th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Good job Wes! To me there was not one standout in each position to make a clear cut
decision. I thought the picks were fair under the circumstances.
June 30th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Mark, you want some cheese with your whine?
June 30th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Reebok with the strap:
June 30th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Mark, you want some cheese with your whine?
YES!!!!! SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE A VOTER?
Mark
June 30th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
The selections were made based on what each player did this season, not where they were drafted or where they will go to college.
Castillo and Antolin only made honorable mention in the OIA West, which would make it tough to crack first or second team All-State. Antolin’s team went 3-9 did not even advance to the league playoffs.
Castillo at least had a big win (15 Ks) in the OIA quarterfinals, but lost in the state tournament first round.
Silva was first team OIA East, but lost in the OIA semifinals and state tournament first round, although he did not get much run support in either.
Don’t get me wrong, all three are very good pitchers. Their seasons just did not turn out as well as they probably expected.
Oh, and by the way, I did consult with three scouts before finalizing the team.
Mahalo for reading.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Buster and Saio were completely dominant each time they got on the mound this year. Castillo had a good year, but could not deliver in the big game. Antolin may have gotten drafted but, lets face it, had a very bad year in terms of win loss. Saio shut down perennial state powerhouses, Punahou, Mid Pacific, Kamehameha, Baldwin, Pearl City, etc. etc. Buster shut down everyone he pitched against including Saint Louis. Castillo and Antolin’s records dont even come close. Good kids, though.
June 30th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Mark:
There were alot of deserving pitchers in 2008, and yes, Antolin and Castillo did get drafted in this year’s pro draft. And yes, they have very gifted right arms! But don’t knock the two D-2 pitchers, who’s only crime is that they live on the Neighbor Islands. What are those two D-2 pitchers doing next season you ask? They both got baseball scholarships to play college ball, that’s what!
Kauai’s Jordan Buster is going on to pitch for UH Hilo. This after beating some of Hawaii’s top high school programs over the past couple of seasons and playing for a team that most unbiased experts said would have made the Hawaii D-1 semis — at the very least. And Michael Jahns from St. Anthony’s on Maui (isn’t that Shane Victorino’s alma mater?). Did you realize that he got one of the only 5 Division I baseball scholarships awarded in all of Hawaii in 2008 (along with: Wong, Fujiki, Sneider & Ishida). He’ll be playing next season in the Big Ten for Northwestern University (he must be a smart buggah too!). And not as an “invited walk-on”, like some of the other talented local all-stars, but a real D-1 baseball scholarship. I apologize to any other local players who got D-1 scholarships that I missed.
Anyone who saw this year’s State final between Kauai and St. Anthony know’s those two D-2 pitchers deserved All State honors. Maybe some Neighbor Island road-trips are necessary for many of my Oahu brothers (like Mark) who think they don’t play baseball beyond Sandy Beach or the Waianae Coast.
Aloha,
Jimmy J
June 30th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Thank you Wes for explaining how the selection was done!!! It definitely was not an easy job! The choices and explanations seem fair and it was good that you focused on what they contributed to their team. Isn’t that what an All State Team should be made of?
It is sad that Mark is whining about pitchers who unfortunately did not make it to the semi finals or finals. I’m more then sure that all the Senior players that were selected are going to a great Junior College, Division 1, Division 2, or Division 3 college. Next year we will be reading about them and how successful they are doing at their respective college.
Maybe next year you may consider doing a Division 1 and Division 2 All State team.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
To all,
Take it easy all I was saying is that antolin, castillo and silva were the best pitchers in 2008. If you have watched them threw out everyone would agree. Their stats not as great, correct but all three of them played on teams that was short on talent making more errors than getting hits.
Everyone is saying antolin, castillo and silva did not do well in playoffs I don’t remember MPI’s Matt McDaniel even playing in the playoffs. (like antolin)
If antolin, castillo and silva stats were not as great can you please post it! And please make sure their stats are correct if someone is going to do so.
Jimmy J
Are you sure Michael Jahns from St. Anthony’s is going on a baseball scholarship.
I heard differnt.
BTW Wes you did a great job!!!
Just talking story
June 30th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
you mean danny higa right? danny kimura was like 10 years ago and iolani.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
You’re right; I fixed it.
Maybe I got mixed up becuse there is a Kimura (Marcus) that played for Saint Louis this year, too.
Man, 10 years? Time flies …
Mahalo for reading.
July 1st, 2008 at 1:03 am
honolulu advertiser all state teams have historically captured two things; the best players by position and the reward of advancing or winning a state championship; fair or not all state team selections have been based on these criterias; difficult many years when multiple players deserve recognition but a team will advance deep into the state tournament and the nod will go to that particular player over other deserving players. it is not an exact science but great discussion as dished out above blog entries.
here is my two cents.
antolin-mililani, castilo-aiea, silva-castle, nakamura-pc, yuh-pc, tanaka-roos, wong-kaiser, armeral-ks hawaii, pascaul-ks, utsui-stl, snieder-punahou, krim-maui, kinoshita-mpi are pitchers of all state caliber as those selected on all state teams did separate themselves being on teams advancing deep into the tournament and having excellent performances in playoffs. cant go wrong selecting anyone from this group, all are solid pitchers. i like antonlin and castilo as pitchers with pro stuff and potential with physical frames; silva with dirty slider, yuh, utsui, armeral, snieder, kinoshita as consistant performers all season long; but i think pascaul has the best stuff out of everyone
at shortstop you have another great debate; higa-stlouis, kitamura-ks, tom-castle, derby-damien, acosta-pc, tamura-mpi; a complete toss up but lets take a closer look; higa 4 yr starter at sltouis made all the plays and hit 2nd in lineup and offensive threat; kitamura-best hands and range hit 3rd and middle of ks offense all year; derby 4yr starter at ss switch hitter solid from left side of plate; tom speed and quickness hit lead off and catalyst for castle; acosta solid for pc for many years; tamura 4 yr starter defensively steady with some big hits during the years. my choice would have been co all state for higa and kitamura based on what they did during the entire season but can see that danny is a senior and lead stlouis deep into the tournament; any of these shortstops are deserving and recognized
July 1st, 2008 at 9:41 am
Mark:
No worries! Just trying to defend Wes’ picks and the D-2 guys.
Try Googling: Michael Jahns Northwestern. The first link is a Northwestern website that says they signed two to baseball scholarships from the 50th state on National Letter of Intent signing day back in November, 2007: Jahns and Paul Sneider from Punahou. Great school. They better buy the biggest winter jackets they can find! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Jimmy J
July 1st, 2008 at 11:38 am
Antolin, Castillo, and Silva may have had the best arms or “stuff” in the state but they didn’t put up the stats. Antolin factored in all of Mililani’s wins (2 wins & 1 save) but had a least 4 losses (Aiea, PC, Waianae, Campbell). Castillo took a while to get into the groove with some tough outings (PC game lasted only a couple of innings with about 5 walks) but threw the ball well at the end of the year (Kaiser game and MPI game even though they lost). Silva was hurt for about half the season so his appearance were limited. It’s true that McDaniel was hurt at the end of the season but stats up to that point showed that he deserved to be on one of the allstate teams.
FYI Michael Jahns is going to Northwestern on a baseball schorlarship.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
The Island Movers sponsored Paradise League for players just graduated and presently in college features many of the top local seniors. Sometimes All State comparisons are not made against each other but by the values they had for their respective teams. The Paradise league matches these guys up against each other as well as former all star types who have taken their game to the next level in college. For the most part so far this summer the older college guys have been the ones to excell. Wooden bats and better pitching have shown that age and experience makes the difference and not who has a better supporting cast or what league they played in such as OIA,ILH,KIF, etc. If your idea of an all state team is one that should be made up of the best players in the state then come to the games and judge yourself. Mark, the drafted guys aren’t playing but it’s fun to see what these guys can really do against good competition. Team Elite is made up of all star players from the adult open league and they pretty much dominate as no high school hitter is going to light up Sean Yamashita or Chris Loo and no young pitcher has held these guys down as hitters.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Best of luck to all the seniors moving on to play pro/college ball. Hope to read about you guys in the near future representing Hawaii. As for all-state and all-league selections, they tend to be over hyped as college coaches actually put more weight on summer travel teams at high school showcases. World Wood Bat, Perfect Game, Blue Gray Classic are just a few of them. Bunch of college coaches where at the most recent USA Baseball Junior Olympics (16U) scouting. Happened to run into coach Trap from UH as he was watching the local boys playing for the ABD organization based out of California. Probably the top summer team in the nation year in and year out. Hawaii had some players who stood out at the Arizona State Univ. workout consisting of some of the top juniors. Two infielders and one outfielder stood out and caught the eyes of those attending.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:19 pm
theres reasons for ANTOLIN and CASTILLO not making the all state team… but on the other side of it… there should be no excuse getting drafted, pitching in the OIA and not making all state…. pretty sad… the advertiser and scouts should make a write up about that….
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
piikea kitamura is hands down the best ss in the state.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Paradise
How do you think antolin and castillo would do in the Paradise League?
damonstah
theres reasons for ANTOLIN and CASTILLO not making the all state team… but on the other side of it… there should be no excuse getting drafted, pitching in the OIA and not making all state…. pretty sad… the advertiser and scouts should make a write up about that….
What do you think the resons are? Because I tend to agree with you.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
what about the OIA d2 players? some very deserving players that didnt even get a good look because of what division they play in..im sure of that! how does a conference player of the year not even make an honorable mention selection for all state?! thats crazy! Very competitive conference..maybe only between a couple of teams(Kahuku, Kalaheo, and Waipahu) but still very competitive. maybe a d1 and d2 all state team is needed.
July 4th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Kaimi Haina was OIA White Player of the Year. He made honorable mention as a pitcher.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Castillo and Antolin weren’t drafted based on stats. They were drafted based on potential. One recent example would be the #3 overal pick in the 2007 draft, Josh Vitters. He hit “only” .371 but yet he got drafted #3 overal and signed for $3.2 million. If he was that good shouldn’t he have hit way over .400?
July 8th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
hey mark….
in my opinion of CASTILLO and ANTOLIN not getting drafted, ANTOLIN got practically “SHELLED” all season against LITTLE TALENT in the OIA and couldnt lead his team to a state tournament birth.. CASTILLO, he could prove that he was a statewide dominating pitcher against the lowest ILH seed in the state tournament…
i hate to say it but whether you think you know or you dont.. if you didnt have a dominating regular season that would convince the whole state, the state tournament could make or brake a spot on the all state team…
hey rays fan…
i see where you are coming from… i’ve seen a 1st round sandwich pick out of oahu amazingly make an all state team w/ an unofficial batting average(meaning it wasnt as high as the paper said it was) & was probably MR. “E” of the state… believe me he wasnt drafted based on “POTENTIAL”, it look like just NAME to me… thats why its pretty weak for the advertiser and star bulletin to come out w/ a all state team after the draft….
if you all know who im talking about….. HOLLA!
July 8th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
If you’re talking about Bully Sardinha, that All-State selection was made by statewide vote, as in other years. And if I recall, I think I sent the ballots out before the draft that year (2001).
I’m not sure how we got his stats; I’m guessing it probably came from Kamehameha.
As for the All-State team coming out after the draft, as stated in the main post I like to publish the All-League layouts first, and not just for baseball. So that means the All-State baseball page usually will come out after the draft.
But as shown this year with Antolin and Castillo, obviously the draft does not always impact the voting.
Mahalo for reading.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Bully wasnt the only one on that selection that had a BIG question mark… That year there was ALOT of “holes” in the selections.. How can ANYONE declare an all state team w/ half the season being completed?? That year the whole OIA played less than 3/4 of the season due to a teachers strike… How can the sports writers declare official stats w/ out a full season being played?
ACCURATE STATS PROVE ACCURATE AND WELL DESERVED SELECTIONS…..
THE ADVERTISEMENT OF HONOLULU WHETHER IT BE STAR OR THE ADVERTISER ITSELF SHOULD STOP “SUGAR COATING” THE ALL STATE SELECTIONS… ITS TAKING EVERYTHING AWAY FROM THE PLAYERS AND THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY WATCH!
July 10th, 2008 at 12:43 am
The ILH played a full season, I believe, because their season was uninterrupted.
I forget if/how the OIA made up for any games lost during the strike, but they did play their tournament. Not sure what the Neighbor Island leagues did.
As always, stats are only one tool in assessing a player’s performance. If All-State selections were based on stats alone, they might turn out different. But stats can sometimes be misleading or don’t always tell the whole story.
Personally, I’m glad we were able to put together an All-State Team in 2001. The kids had enough irreplaceable high school moments taken away from them that spring; they didn’t need one more thing taken away.
Mahalo for reading.
July 12th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
STATS should be the only proof of making an all state team… whats unusual is that some guys make first team ILH/OIA but dont make all state… then theres other guys that make all state but dont make first team OIA/ILH… this doesnt make sense…
July 14th, 2008 at 1:11 am
What if an ILH kid batted .600, but for whatever reason (injury, sick, whatever) missed games against Punahou, Saint Louis, Mid-Pac? Or, what if he played those teams and went a combined 0 for 10?
That’s why I say stats can sometimes be misleading or don’t always tell the whole story, and why they are only one tool in assessing a player’s season.
Obviously, not everybody who makes first team ILH/OIA can make All-State, otherwise we’d have three or more guys at every position. As for “guys that make All-State but don’t make first team OIA/ILH,” the all-league selections are based on league play only.
The All-State team accounts for the state tournament and league playoffs.
Mahalo for reading.
July 15th, 2008 at 12:43 am
so what if the WHOLE OIA schools missed 1/3 of the season and come back and finish on a hot streak? how can you compare a full season kid to a partcial season kid? somethings dont match up and this is one of them…. like you said, “The All-State team accounts for the state tournament and league playoffs.” …. some teams dont make playoffs or state tournament and those players still make the all state team…
it doesnt matter where your team’s position is among the state tournament or playoffs… if your STATS prove you right, you deserve a spot on the all state team..
July 16th, 2008 at 3:17 am
“so what if the WHOLE OIA schools missed 1/3 of the season and come back and finish on a hot streak? how can you compare a full season kid to a partcial season kid? somethings dont match up and this is one of them….”
Exactly.
That is why stats are only one part of the equation.
As for All-State players on teams that don’t make the playoffs or state tournament, there weren’t any this year. But it did happen in other years, especially when the ILH was allowed only one state tournament berth.
Obviously there were players on the ILH runner-up and third-place teams who were All-State caliber.
Like I said, there is no one factor that determines who makes it. It’s a combination of many factors.
Mahalo for reading.
July 18th, 2008 at 10:16 am
THERE SHOULD ONLY BE ON FACTOR…..STATS!
July 20th, 2008 at 7:19 am
Damonstah, you must not know to much about the sport. Stats is something to guide you with, but nothing you judge to much on. If you really know about baseball, stats are all something that helps to keep track of things, but is not what the Dr. ordered. Example, what if your son came up to bat with the situation to hit the ball to the opposite field, and had to do it 3-4 times a game? or if your son got robbed of hits all season long, but played unbelievable defense and had a couple of no hitters? and didnt hit? now what. Think before you talk. DA
July 25th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Bfactor————If you only knew who i was then im pretty sure you wouldnt be saying that i dont know baseball..
STATS are results of the progression of each player… you batting average, fielding, pitching etc… a player’s stats falls w/ unsuccessfull progress and increases w/ success… YOU tell me how pros or college seasons are determined?? It would be on “potential”…
NOW, if you knew anything about baseball than you would know that… Potential is not based on the all state selections..
Like Wes said, “As for All-State players on teams that don’t make the playoffs or state tournament, there weren’t any this year. But it did happen in other years, especially when the ILH was allowed only one state tournament berth.”
The years prior, there were ALOT of people that made all state… Especially a bogus “co-players” of the year… A PLAYER OF THE YEAR IS ONE PLAYER and that goes for positions to…
oh yeah Bfactor…. and by the way… your “example” DEFENSE wont get you a spot on the all state team only if you’re a pitcher… Believe me i seen it all….
AND YOU WONDER WHY BESIDE EVERY PLAYER THERES THEIR STATS… MUST BE FOR A REASON… NOT BECAUSE THEY PLAYED UNBELIEVABLE DEFENSE, NOT BECAUSE THEY GOT ROBBED OF HITS OR THEY HIT THE BALL TO THE OPPOSITE FIELD 3-4 TIMES A GAME….
STATS ARE THE BOTTOM LINE!
AND THATS WHAT DAMONSTAH ORDERED SON!