Report from the Game: Captains Claim Midwest League Title, by M. Mahoney

Special correspondent Michael Mahoney reports

(The following article was submitted by guest writer and friend of the site, Michael Mahoney. Follow him on Twitter @mmahoney157)

EASTLAKE - The Lake County Captains concluded a historic season tonight, beating the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the rubber match of the best-of-3 Midwest League Championship Series. In doing so, the Captains earned their second Midwest League title in team history, and its first since the league became a High-A affiliate of Major League Baseball in 2021.

Starter Dylan DeLucia (ND) twirled 4⅔ innings of scoreless baseball on 84 pitches, often struggling to put away pesky Wisconsin hitters. DeLucia walked one, hit two batters (including Luke Adams, who was hit 43 times in total this season), struck out five, and allowed 3 hits.

DeLucia gave way to Jay Driver, who allowed a hit, also hit a batter, and allowed an unearned run courtesy of an errant throw by Angel Genao that Ralphy Velazquez could not corral at first base. Driver escaped the 5th despite a similar throw from Travis Bazzana, as Velazquez scooped the next low dart successfully.

The Captains were subdued by Wisconsin hurler Will Rudy (ND) until the 5th inning. Then, a recent draft pick from the PAC-12 stepped up. The red-hot first year player had already made his mark on this series, and tonight he would play hero again, catalyzing the offense with a solo home run. This is exactly the script Guardians fans were dreaming of when this player was drafted … 248th? In the … 2023 MLB Draft?

That’s right, folks, Jonah Advincula of Washington State took Rudy deep to tie the affair 1-1, and Rudy then worked hard to get out of the inning, leaving the game with only 72 pitches thrown after 5 innings. Rudy was otherwise stellar, confounding the Captains to the tune of 3 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts.

After a quiet top half of the inning, Mason Molina (L, 0-1) would open the 6th inning for Wisconsin and fail to record an out. Angel Genao and Wuilfredo Antunez doubled back-to-back, and Alex Mooney walked. Molina was pulled for Dikember Sanchez, who allowed Jake Fox to sting a ground rule double under the bullpen benches in right field. Enter Ralphy Velazquez:

This moonshot created a seemingly insurmountable advantage. However, Wisconsin put together a string of solid at-bats against Steven Perez (W, 1-0) and Zach Jacobs to narrow Lake County’s advantage to 6-4. Jesus Chirinos almost broke the game open with a pinch-hit extra base hit, but Advincula made a tremendous read on a ball slicing away from him in right field to preserve Lake County’s advantage.

The Captains restored their 5-run lead in the bottom of the 8th off Tyler Bryant, as Fox homered, Bazzana singled home Advincula, and Genao drove in Esteban Gonzalez. The Timber Rattlers, sufficiently defanged, could muster nothing against Shawn Rapp in the top of the 9th. As Fox caught the final fly out, confetti streamed down, and the Captains stormed the field to celebrate a well-earned Midwest League championship.

Series MVP: Jonah Advincula (.313AVG/1.138 OPS, 2 HR). Advincula swung both game 2 and game 3 of this series with crucial, timely homers. He took authoritative passes at the ball and demonstrated a strong eye at the plate. This offensive breakout complimented his smooth defense in the outfield, where Advincula made a number of important and difficult plays. Advincula is not likely to be considered for many top prospect lists, but for one series, it was clear: This player was the difference.

Honorable Mentions: Angel Genao (.429/1.466). Genao, 20, has been the best player on the Captains for his entire stint, which almost totally overlaps with 2024’s number 1 overall draftee (see below). His 41 doubles in the regular season and postseason are third-most in MiLB, and despite two errors, he showed hands and range that should allow him to stick at shortstop. It almost seemed like Genao decided to show off his plate discipline in this series to beat the free-swinger allegations. Genao may not have the power potential of Chase Delauter or Bazzana, but he should absolutely be considered in that tier of prospects when outlining the Guardians’ farm system.

Travis Bazzana (.316/.961). Bazzana played with his hair on fire, lashing base hits and taking quality at-bats. He made a few tremendous plays on defense, took walks when Wisonsin would not throw him strikes, and routinely hit the ball where it was pitched. The first overall pick has put us on notice: he has settled into pro ball.

Jake Fox (.364/1.046). Fox made an outstanding catch in game 2 on a sharply hit fly ball off the bat of Cooper Pratt. His home run in game 3 helped the Captains regain control of the game after a Wisconsin rally.

Matt Wilkinson (6.2IP, 2ER, 7H, 2BB, 2 HBP, 5K). Wilkinson threw 96 pitches in the most important start of the season, giving the Captains length while working his way around multiple difficult situations. He carried his stuff throughout his start, topping out at 90 (his usual top-end velocity) in the 7th inning on pitch 94. Wilkinson may need to have an increase in velocity or develop another pitch to stick as a starter, but he is crafty, and it would not surprise me if he reached the majors and had a similar career to someone like Andrew Chafin.

On a personal note, this season was very special. The Captains have allowed me to work as the GameDay data caster/stringer for the past three seasons. I love the game, but the people in game ops and the media booth made the ballpark feel like a second home. Thank you to those who were there almost every day, to everyone who took some time to stop by and cut it up, to those who only got out once or twice this season. Thank you to the people who allowed me to do this at all. And thank you to every fan that came to see this team play ball.

Until next season, Caps.