Plattsburgh, NY – Josh Ferro, catcher of the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds has signed a contract with the Houston Astros.
Ferro spent the 2021 season with the Thunderbirds who made it to the final game of the season but came up short.
He batted .250 during his time in the Empire League.
Article by Empire Media
DATE: June 3-7, 2023 | LOCATION: Municipal Park in Tupper Lake, NY
ADDRESS TO TRYOUT:19 Demars Blvd, Tupper Lake, NY 12986
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: To Play in the Empire League, Players must attend this week long League wide Spring Training Showcase camp, which serves as the final Tryout to be eligible to be selected by a Empire League team. Only players that have attended other Tryouts or Showcase camps and were selected to teams can be exempted from this tryout.
WHY ATTEND THIS TRYOUT:
The Empire League Scouting executives and Managers will select the players that earn the final rosters spots for the upcoming season.
This 5-day tryout also includes a MLB Analytics Evaluation day by PBR-New York. All players will have their MLB Data on the Empire scouting databases available for all requested MLB scouting reports. ALL the Empire League Rosters will be formed and finalized. Over 100 available Roster spots are filled.
CAMP HOUSING: The league is not responsible for housing players during this camp. Players must book their own housing accommodations for the duration of this camp. After camp is completed, Only selected roster players will be sent to the League housing for the season.
REFUND POLICY: There is NO REFUNDS! Camp registered players that confirm signing to an MLB affiliated or MLB partnered league, (American Association, Frontier League, Atlantic League) before the Empire camp date, are eligible for a refund. Players signed to leagues other than the MLB affiliated or MLB Partnered Leagues (Atlantic League, American Association, Frontier League, or Pioneer League) are not eligible for Empire Camp refund.
Cost: $795 Position Players & $495 Pitcher Only
Instructions: Submit Registration for Camp below, Agree to Terms and Conditions, You will be redirected to Make Payment, Use receipt as confirmation of entry. Check in on the first day begins at 9am at 19 Demars Blvd, Tupper Lake, NY 12986.
LIMITED PARTICIPANTS. Deadline to Register is May 25th.
REGISTER HERE: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
YORK, PA – The Empire League will be hosting its annual All Independent Professional Baseball League Showcase Tryout in April.
Every year, players attend the All Indy Showcase tryout looking for an opportunity to sign last minute to MLB Partnered League teams as well as Empire Baseball League teams for the Regular Season.
As usual, April 5-6, 2023 will bring players from all over the country to showcase in front of confirmed coached from the Frontier League, Atlantic League and Empire League .
The Empire League will begin to fill its 125+ roster spots at this event for players who do not have the experience or are not properly developed to compete at the higher levels just yet. Every year, the Empire League allows for new players to enter the system, therefore all rosters start fresh every season. In order to play in the Empire League, however, you must attend a tryout, showcase camp or spring training.
This showcase tryout will take place at PeoplesBank park in York, Pennsylvania which is home to the York Revolution of the Atlantic League.
Over the years, players have signed directly to MLB partnered leagues and to Empire League. That number is higher than 80% of players in attendance are provided an opportunity.
If you’re looking to begin your career out of college or released from minor league ball and looking for opportunities, be sure to register for this event. NO Experience is necessary as the Empire Leagues platform is used to create experience to eventually move up to the higher levels.
Visit the Tryouts Link located in our navigation menu to register today.
For stats, news, updates and more, visit our website periodically at www.plattsburghthunderbirds.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @ebltbirds. If you have any questions about upcoming events, tryouts, or more, contact the Empire League via email at baseball@empireproleague.com
TUPPER LAKE, NY – The series everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived. After the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds beat the Saranac Lake Surge in the Wild Card game, the Thunderbirds moved onto the Empire Baseball League finals to face the Tupper Lake Riverpigs.
Game one saw fans packed to the brim at Municipal Park in Tupper Lake as the Riverpigs Jordan Warecke faced off against Rancys Nunez. Warecke had a solid start for the Riverpigs, going seven strong innings, allowing three runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out five batters. He was relieved by Zach Goree who struggled to get outs, going only 0.2 innings allowing two runs on one hit and two walks. Randy Alcantara entered the game for Goree and gave Tupper Lake a scoreless 1.1 innings in relief to solidify the Riverpigs 7-5 game one win.
For Plattsburgh, Nunez went 6.2 innings, allowing five runs on two hits and five walks while striking out eight batters. Andrew Bielicky relieved Nunez and allowed two runs in 1.1 innings, earning the loss for the game.
For the Thunderbirds, Brandon Russo went 1-3 in the game with a double, one run scored and two RBIs. For the Riverpigs, Malik Blaise was on offensive force, going 2-5 with four RBIs. Mikey Edie also had himself two RBIs, going 2-4 with a triple.
Game two was the complete opposite of game one, being a lopsided affair in favor of the Thunderbirds. The Plattsburgh offense put up an offensive barrage against Tupper Lake pitching scoring 15 runs in the 15-2 win. Katsuya Arai and Derrick Pyles each had three RBIs while Hanley Acevedo tacked on two of his own. Plattsburgh was also led by starting pitcher Kyung Min Han, who went six innings, allowing two runs on six hits and six walks, while striking out eight. He was relieved by Hunter Davis who closed out the game with a scoreless inning of his own.
For the Riverpigs, Mikey Edie and Hector Martinez had an RBI each for the quiet Riverpigs offense. Dimitri Nunez got the start and struggled, only going one inning allowing three runs on three hits and two walks. The Tupper Lake relievers did not do much better allowing nine runs in five innings of work.
Game three was a back and forth affair with neither team being able to pull away. Plattsburgh started the game putting up five quick first inning runs, but the Riverpigs answered with three of their own. This trend would continue up until the ninth inning when Riverpigs designated hitter Sean Guida ripped an RBI infield single to walk-off the 11-10 game and lead Tupper Lake to a 2-1 series lead and one win from the title.
Walner Espinal had five RBIs in the game and Mikey Edie and Hector Martinez had two RBIs each for the Riverpigs. For Plattsburgh, Marcos Estevez had two RBIs, while Olivber Moreno, Derrick Pyles, Brandon Russo, Jake Sisto and Hanley Acevedo had one RBI apiece.
Hiroto Yasuda had a rough outing for Plattsburgh, allowing 10 runs in 5.2 innings pitched. Emmanuel Brantley entered in relief and was rock solid until the ninth when he allowed the game winning run.
Jared Dingus started game three for the Riverpigs, allowing five runs in 3.1 innings before being relieved by Jose Mieses who allowed four runs in four innings of work. He was relieved by Randy Alcantara who shut the door for Tupper Lake securing the victory.
With the series on the line, the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds came to play. Although they went down early in the first inning as the Riverpigs scored two, they cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first then rode a three run fifth inning to take a 4-2 lead.
Thunderbirds starter Hunter Davis twirled a much needed strong start going six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out two batters. Davis had his curveball working, keeping the Riverpigs lineup off balance throughout his outing. He was relieved by Andrew Kramer who was able to hold the two run lead into the ninth inning before being replaced by Andrew Bielicky.
In the ninth, the Riverpigs were able to rally to tie the game at four, and gave the team a chance to send the game to extra innings on a single to centerfield by Bramdon Perez that was misplayed by centerfielder Hanley Acevedo.
The Riverpigs would lose the game on a walk-off walk at the hands of Olivber Moreno. Randy Alcantara came in for the Riverpigs to try and send the game to extras, but to no avail.
Joseph Brennan started the game for Tupper Lake, going 4.2 innings allowing four runs on four hits and six walks while striking out three. Zach Goree relieved Brennan and bounced back from his previous shaky outing, going 3.1 innings, allowing one hit and striking out five.
Olivber Moreno was the Thunderbirds main offensive force, going 1-3 with a run scored, two RBIs and the walk-off walk. For the Riverpigs, Bramdon Perez went 2-4 with two RBIs and a stolen base.
It all came down to a decisive game 5 situation. Both teams threw their aces out on the mound, Jordan Warecke for the Riverpigs and Keyvan Grenald for the Thunderbirds. The pitchers duel was as advertised as both starters had strong starts, Warecke going 5.2 innings allowing two earned runs, and Grenald allowed four runs in 6.2 innings. Grenald’s one mistake in his start was an early three-run home run by Hector Martinez.
Although Warecke had a strong start, Plattsburgh was able to come back to tie the game at four. But not all hope was lost, as in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs, Sean Guida stepped up to the plate and delivered the game winning run on a sacrifice fly off Hiroto Yasuda, cementing the series with a 5-4 victory.
Jose Mieses entered the game in the late innings for the Riverpigs and shut the door, earning the victory. Sean Guida earned the title of Finals MVP hitting a walk-off single in game three and scoring the game winning run to seal the finals victory.
That wraps up the 2022 Empire Baseball League season! Congratulations to the Riverpigs on their first ever EBL title. Thank you fans for your support!
TUPPER LAKE, NY – On Tuesday, the #3 seed Plattsburgh Thunderbirds faced off against the #2 seed Saranac Lake Surge. Heading into the matchup, the Surge had a 1.5 game lead on the Thunderbirds with a record of 18-19 while the Thunderbirds sat at 18-22. Both teams came off of losing the final series of the regular season, the Surge to top seeded Tupper Lake Riverpigs and Plattsburgh to the #4 seed Japan Islanders.
Both teams threw out their best pitchers with the Surge relying on Cairo Selden and the Thunderbirds relying on Keyvan Grenald, and as expected both pitchers kept their teams in the game. Grenald came out firing, going seven strong innings in his start, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks while striking out 11 Surge batters. Selden also had himself a strong start going five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven batters.
Unfortunately, Selden needed to leave the game in the hands of the bullpen. Kenta Tanaka, a player picked up from the Japan Islanders, came in and gave the Surge 1.1 scoreless innings before handing the game to Levi Parker, who was also picked up from the Islanders. However, Parker did not have the same success, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk, while striking out four. He would be credited with the loss. For the Thunderbirds, Emmanuel Brantly came into the game and led Plattsburgh to the Empire Baseball League finals with two scoreless innings in relief.
On the offensive side, Katsuya Arai, one of the Japan Islanders pick-ups on Plattsburgh, showed why he was one of the more valuable players on the Islanders roster. Arai went 2-3 with two runs scored, two RBIs and three stolen bases. Marcos Estevez also gave the Thunderbirds some offensive production, going 1-2 with two RBIs. For the Surge, Taiga Sato was the main offensive force, going 1-4 with one run scored and two RBIs.
Although their season is over, we congratulate the Surge on a fantastic season. For the Thunderbirds however, still have one more obstacle to overcome, the top seed Tupper Lake Riverpigs. They will face the Riverpigs in game one of the finals starting on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Article by Ben Diamond
TUPPER LAKE, NY – The Empire Baseball League All-Star Game featured the top players so far during the 2022 season. Players from all four teams were selected to participate in the game and the teams were split into East and West squads. The East squad included players from the Saranac Lake Surge and Plattsburgh Thunderbirds, while the West squad included players from the Tupper Lake Riverpigs and the Japan Islanders.
In the end, the West All-Stars took home the 6-1 victory over the East. The pitching on the West team was too much for the East to overcome, scoring their only run late in the contest.
The player named MVP of the All-Star game was Tupper Lake’s own Khalyd Cox. Cox went 1-2 in the game with a lead off home run to start the game, two walks and three runs scored. He also had a stolen base.
The pitcher of the game also came from the West All-Stars, starting pitcher Mizuki Akatsuka. Akatsuka started the game going two perfect innings, not allowing a single baserunner to reach from the East All-Stars. He struck out one batter in his two innings of work.
Fans from around the Tupper Lake area as well as fans of the EBL came out to make the 2022 All-Star festivities special for every player. Now, all eyes look towards the upcoming EBL playoffs that are looming right around the corner.
Article by Ben Diamond
TUPPER LAKE, NY – One of the staples of any All-star weekend is the Home Run Derby. It is no different for the Empire Baseball League.
This year had many strong participants set to put on a show for the fans in Tupper Lake. Yordi Francisco, Takuto Hasegawa, Sean Guida, Taisei Shinmen, Zack Fowler, Jake Sisto, Olivber Moreno and Bramdon Perez, all got a shot at the title of EBL Home Run Champion.
Ultimately, Yordi Francisco took home the title beating out Taisei Shinmen in the finals. Francisco hit six home runs throughout the contest.
The Home Run Derby led into the main event, the EBL All-star game which featured many of the leagues top stars and those with aspirations with moving to the next level.
Article by Ben Diamond
TUPPER LAKE, NY – Every series between these two teams is exciting as both are at the top of the Empire Baseball League standings. This series was no different, as every game was decided by two runs or less.
Game one was a full offensive display on both sides. Thunderbirds starter, Henrry Civil, went 2.1 innings, allowing seven runs on three hits and five walks. Kendri Salvador allowed three runs in relief of Civil, and Emmanuel Brantley gave up a walk off single to seal the Riverpigs victory.
Jose Mieses got the start for the Riverpigs and had a hard time getting outs. He was able to go 4.1 innings but allowed 13 runs, 10 earned, on 10 hits and three walks while striking out five batters. Following Mieses, infielder Danny Coleman, catcher Juan De La Cruz and Randy Alcantara were able to throw 4.2 scoreless innings in relief.
Marcos Estevez once again headlined the Thunderbird’s offense with yet another strong performance at the plate. Estevez went 3-5 with two doubles, a home run, two runs scored and four RBIs.
Mikey Edie was the hero for the Riverpigs in game one of the series. Edie went 1-4 with the walk off single, a sac fly and three RBIs. Bramdon Perez, Brandon Camargo and Julian Hunt all had two RBIs in the game.
Strong pitching was the story of game two. With depleted pitching staffs, both teams needed to strategize who would pitch when. For the Thunderbirds, David Ortiz took on the challenge of giving his team length, and he did just that. Ortiz pitched eight innings, even going into the ninth before giving up a walk off single to Taisei Shinmen. In what was supposed to be a shortened seven inning game, he finished with a final line of 8.0 innings, one run, seven hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
On the other side, the Riverpigs did not pitch a single regular pitcher the entire game. They started first baseman Chandler Kazele who went five innings, allowing one run on two hits, and three walks. Infielder Danny Coleman and outfielder Hector Martinez combined for four scoreless innings in relief.
The top hitter for the Thunderbirds in game two was Marco Melgoza, who went 2-3 with a double and two runs scored. For the Riverpigs, Taisei Shinmen walked off the 3-2 victory ending his day at 1-4 with one RBI.
Game three had a more balanced mixed of pitching and hitting. Andrew Kneussle started for the Thunderbirds and had a bit of a shaky start. Although he only gave up four runs in five innings pitched, he allowed nine hits and four walks. He was relieved by Andrew Bielicky and Frank Giuliano. Bielicky gave up two runs in 1.2 innings while Giuliano had a scoreless 1.1 inning outing.
The Riverpigs needed starter Joseph Brennan to go deep into the game and he gave them the start they needed. His final line was 7.0 innings pitched, four runs allowed on four hits and five walks, while striking out five. He was relieved by Randy Alcantara who gave the team two scoreless innings in relief.
The top hitter in game three for Plattsburgh was second baseman Brandon Madero. Madero went 4-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI. For the Riverpigs, Bobby Garbuio went 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Julian Hunt, Bramdon Perez, Walner Espinal and Khalyd Cox all had an RBI.
Next, the Riverpigs welcome the Saranac Lake Surge to Municipal Park for their three game series, and the Thunderbirds head home to face the Japan Islanders.
Article by Ben Diamond
TUPPER LAKE, NY – The Empire Baseball League takes pride in giving players the chance to continue to play the game of baseball in hopes of getting a chance at the higher levels. So far during the 2022 season, three players have made the jump up to the Frontier League from the EBL.
Christian Naccari dominated the EBL early on in the season with the Saranac Lake Surge before getting a quick promotion to the Frontier League’s Empire State Greys. With the Greys, Naccari is batting .333, with 18 hits, five runs scored, one home run and five RBIs. He also has a .556 SLG and .393 OBP.
The second player called up to the Greys this season was the Tupper Lake Riverpig outfielder Khalyd Cox. In his short stint so far with the Greys, Cox is batting .357 with five hits, three doubles, one home run and three RBIs. His slugging is at 1.071 and his OBP is .438.
The most recent call up to the Greys was Plattsburgh Thunderbird outfielder Marcos Estevez. With the Thunderbirds, Estevez hit .473, with 26 hits, 20 runs scored, six doubles, four triples, two home runs, 25 RBIs and three stolen bases. He also walked more than he struck out, walking 15 times and striking out only eight times. In his 74 plate appearances, Estevez slugged 1.055 and had an OBP of .568.
As the EBL season continues, more players will get their chance to prove that they have what it takes to move up the professional ladder.
SARANAC LAKE, NY – There was no shortage of offensive firepower throughout the three game set between the Saranac Lake Surge and the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds. Both teams combined to score a total of 66 runs throughout all three games.
Game one was a rout by the Thunderbirds, who put up 20 runs against Surge pitching. Surge starter, Shawn McFeggan gave up 13 runs in four innings of work on seven hits and seven walks. Ryan Evans and Mark Berryman combined to allow seven more runs in relief over two innings before handing the game to outfielder Johampher Arrendol who closed out the game for the Surge.
The pitching for Plattsburgh was not something to write home about either. Thunderbirds starter Andrew Kneussle gave up eight runs, six earned, in only two innings pitched. In those two innings, he gave up six hits and two walks. Fortunately for the Thunderbirds, the relief of Andrew Bielicky and Rancys Nunez combined for five innings of shutout baseball.
The Surge’s offensive production came off the bat of Cory Alexander who went 1-3 with two runs scored, a walk, a triple, two RBIs and a stolen base. Javon Martin also had himself a day, going 2-3 with two runs scored and two stolen bases.
Marcos Estevez had the strongest day between the two teams, going 4-4 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and five RBIs. AJ Pollack also produced for Plattsburgh, going 2-3 with two doubles, four runs scored and four RBIs in the 20-8 win.
In game two, the Surge flipped the script, holding the Plattsburgh offense to just three runs, while also scoring 13 of their own. All three pitchers that entered for Plattsburgh allowed at least three runs to score. Keyvan Grenald the starter who was credited with the loss, went four innings, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks. Relievers Kendri Salvador and Rancys Nunez allowed eight runs combined over only two innings of work.
For the Surge, starter Jay Palais had a strong quality start en route to the win. Palais went 6.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits and four walks while striking out five batters. Jordan Rhodes entered in the seventh to close out the game, and allowed two runs to score.
Once again, Marcos Estevez was a big part of Plattsburgh’s offense going 2-3 with an RBI. Saranac’s offense came from the top three spots in their batting order as each of them had two or more RBIs. Cory Alexander led off and went 2-3 with three runs and four RBIs, Ben Gravel followed him with a 1-4 day with three RBIs, and Yordi Francisco went 1-5 with two RBIs and two stolen bases.
But, in game three, the Plattsburgh offense came alive once again, demolishing the Surge 19-3, making this one of if not the only series to never have a full nine inning game. Brelin Dixon had a solid start, going five innings, allowing three runs on two hits and four walks while striking out six batters. He was relieved by catcher Jake Sisto and reliever David Ortiz who combined to give the Thunderbirds two shut out innings.
For the Surge, Mark Berryman got the start and got jumped by the Thunderbird’s offense. In four innings, Berryman allowed 10 runs, on six hits and eight walks. Infielder Yordi Francisco gave the Surge a scoreless inning before Steven Adamson allowed six runs in 0.2 innings pitched.
To go along with his masterful shut out inning on the mound, Jake Sisto also had an offensive explosion at the plate. Sisto went 2-2 with a double, two runs scored and six RBIs. Ben Gravel had a solid day for the Surge, going 1-3 with a run scored.
With the series win, the Thunderbirds stay in stride with the Tupper Lake Riverpigs as they head into a series versus them that could shake up the top of the league standings. Meanwhile, the Surge will host the Japan Islanders who are also coming off of a series loss.
Article by Ben Diamond
