The New Hampshire Wild compete in a modest six-team independent league, play 50 games a year and call Concord’s Memorial Field their home during the summer.
It’s a far cry from the bright lights of the big leagues, but the talent on the local club out of the recently established Empire Professional Baseball League is no joke.
The Wild, which entered Saturday atop the EPBL standings at 12-5, consists mostly of recent college graduates looking for an opportunity to improve and advance to the upper levels. Not even halfway through the season, two players from the Wild have already proved that the low-budget league can help launch – or relaunch – careers.
Matthew Vogel, a 6-foot-1, right-handed pitcher out of Medford, N.Y., was a top prospect coming out high school and went on to play for the University of South Carolina before being drafted twice – the first time by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 36th round of the 2013 MLB Draft and again in 2016 as a 25th-round selection by the Tampa Bay Rays.
After a few stops in the Florida State League and the New York-Pennsylvania League upon his release from Tampa’s organization, Vogel found himself in New Hampshire this season and struck out a near league-best 43 batters in 22 innings for the Wild. The performance earned him a promotion to the York Revolution of the Atlantic League last month.
It was a similar story for infielder Steven Figueroa.
A former standout at the State University of New York College at Cortland – where he hit .406 with 38 RBI and nine doubles during his senior season last year – Figueroa torched the EPBL to begin the season before getting a call-up in June to the Quebec Capitales of the CanAm League.
Both players were eventually returned to the Wild, but the path from the EPBL to the higher ranks is clear: If you play well, someone is going to take notice.
And the Wild is certainly drawing a lot of attention these days.
Entering Saturday, New Hampshire was tied for second in the league in runs scored (126), had allowed a league-low 92 runs and held a one-game lead over the Puerto Rico Islanders for first place.
The Wild, which is managed by Scott Nathanson, relies heavily on its pitching staff headlined by Vogel, Benny Collesano, Cristian Telemaco, Justin Lemanski and Mitchell Hillert.
Collesano, who spent time in the Frontier League last season, has produced like an ace for the Wild to this point. In 21⅓ innings, Collesano has a 2-0 record with a 2.95 ERA. He’s surrendered 22 hits, seven earned runs and has 12 strikeouts to just six walks. Hillert, another Wild starter, is in his second year in the EPBL and has a 3.15 ERA through three starts, including one complete game.
Lemanski, a native of New Britain, Conn., has emerged as the top bullpen arm for Nathanson. The right-hander has allowed only two earned runs over 13⅔ innings, going 1-for-1 in save opportunities to go along with 16 strikeouts.
Offensively, the Wild receives production from all over the diamond.
Outfielder Sean Washington out of Houston, Texas, leads all New Hampshire hitters with a .370 average in 72 plate appearances. He’s drawn 15 walks, driven in 10 runs and ranks second in the EPBL in on-base percentage at .528.
Behind Washington are shortstop Justin Cassinelli and third baseman Josh Lavender. Cassinelli is batting .333 with 16 RBI, six steals and 10 runs scored, while Lavender, who spent time in Japan in the Shikoku Island League Plus and Route Inn Baseball Challenge League, has 11 RBI, seven doubles and eight steals while batting .345.
Center fielder Cody Den Beste has also made a name for himself with 10 steals, nine RBI and five extra-base hits in 64 at-bats for the Wild.
The EPBL regular season ends Aug. 10 and the top-four teams in the league advance to the postseason, which features two rounds of a best-of-three series to decide a champion.
The Wild returns to action against the New York Bucks for a doubleheader at Memorial Field on Sunday at 1 p.m.
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3371, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)