Rockland Boulders Baseball
2011 Inaugural Season
The Rockland Boulders are a brand new, minor league professional baseball team located in Ramapo, NY. The Boulders play in the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball (Can-Am League), which stretches across the Northeast United States and Quebec, Canada.
The Can-Am League originated in the 1930s, but had to shut down operations for World War II. After a high demand for baseball teams in the 1980s and 1990s, independent leagues began to form. The Can-Am League formed in 2004 and is still going strong today.
The Boulders join the Rockland County community to provide family and sports entertainment to the Lower Hudson Valley and Northern New Jersey. Rockland’s inaugural season began with a victory (11-5) against the Newark Bears on May 26.
The Boulders will open up their brand new, state-of-the-art stadium on June 16 at 7:30 pm against the Brockton Rox. Provident Bank Park, America’s best new ballpark, located in Pomona, NY, is where all Boulders home games will take place.
Provident Bank Park will not only provide a home field for the Boulders, it will also be used for community events such as concerts, local baseball games and other activities throughout the year.
The ballpark, located conveniently off exit 12 on the Palisades Parkway, seats about 5,000 fans. It features a large Daktronics high-definition screen in left field, one of the largest in minor league baseball. Fans can also check out the Food Court and BoulderBerg kids zone or have a party in the short porch in right field.
Rockland’s only professional sports team plans to be an active member of the community. Players and staff will make appearances at local events as well as invite groups to come out to join the Boulders for their home games. The team hopes that going to their home games will become a regular activity in Rockland, just like going to the Palisades Center.
View the Provident Bank Park Stadium > >
For more information regarding the Rockland Boulders, log on to www.rocklandboulders.com or call 845-364-0009.
Rockland Boulders Roster:
Manager Dave LaPoint
Number: 39
Hometown: Tampa, Fla.
Etc.: Won a World Series with the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals (playing alongside Ozzie Smith, father of current Boulder Dustin Smith) and pitched for the Yankees from 1988-91. Comes to the Boulders from the independent Atlantic League, where he worked for nine years as manager and pitching coach for the Long Island Ducks and Bridgeport Bluefish.
Hitting Coach Damien Rolls
Number: 33
Hometown: Manhattan, Kan.
Etc.: Played nearly five seasons with the Rays, finishing with a .248 career average, nine home runs and 73 RBI. Comes to Rockland after spending 2010 as hitting coach for Kansas City T-Bones of the Northern League.
Pitchers Bobby Blevins
Position: RHP
Number: 16
Hometown: Briarcliff
Etc.: Starred at Briarcliff, where he made the varsity team as an eighth-grader, then at Le Moyne College before being drafted by Dodgers in 2007. Went as high as Triple-A and was 20-30 with a 4.32 ERA in 364 2/3 innings for Dodgers affiliates.
Brett Carroll
Position: LHP
Number: 28
Hometown: River Edge, N.J. Etc.: Pitched at Oral Roberts, Temple and William Patterson University before being drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2010. Struck out 29 batters in 18 games between rookie ball and High-A.
Justin Fry
Position: RHP
Number: 35
Hometown: Augusta, Ga.
Etc.: One of only six players selected from the original Boulders tryout camp, and one of only two to make the Opening Day roster. Pitched last season with Montigny, a team in the France Elite League.
Michael Gardner
Position: RHP
Number: 30
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
Etc.: Was selected by the Yankees in the 13th round of the 2003 draft and spent six years in their organization. Was 16-20 with a 3.36 ERA in 213 minor-league games for the Yankees. Pitched for independent Sioux City and Somerset in 2010.
Casey Hodges
Position: RHP
Number: 24
Hometown: Rocky Mount, Va.
Etc.: Played under current Boulders hitting coach Damien Rolls last season with the independent Kansas City T-Bones. Drafted by the Braves in the 23rd round in 2003 and went 8-7 with a 3.93 ERA in 61 games for their affiliates.
Roger Lincoln
Position: LHP
Number: 20
Hometown: Riverview, Fla.
Etc.: Won a Can-Am League championship with the now-defunct Sussex Skyhawks in 2008, appearing in 10 games. Spent last season with Rockford of the Northern League after spending six years in the minors playing for affiliates of the Indians and Red Sox.
Adrian Martin
Position: RHP
Number: 15
Hometown: Stuart, Fla.
Etc.: Brought a 36-17 career record over 203 games to the Boulders after beginning his pro career at age 19. Was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2003 and reached Triple-A in 2009. Played for the independent Long Island Ducks last season after beginning the year in the Eastern League.
John Muller
Position: RHP
Number: 26
Hometown: Mount Kisco
Etc.: Spent the last two seasons playing in independent leagues, including pitching for four teams in 2010. Can hit and pitch, as he currently holds the St. Thomas Aquinas record for hits (218) while also serving as the team’s closer.
Justin Ottman
Position: LHP
Number: 36
Hometown: Nyack
Etc.: The former North Rockland standout was drafted by the Mariners in 2000, did not sign and was then taken by the Marlins in the 2001 draft. Brought a career record of 8-11 with a 5.55 ERA to the bullpen.
Jonathan Velasquez
Position: RHP
Number: 45
Hometown: Bronx
Etc.: Pitched last season for the Phillies’ High-A affiliate in Clearwater, Fla., where he struck out 77 batters in 87 1/3 innings. He had his best year in 2009, going 9-2 with a 4.26 ERA for the Single-A Lakewood Blue Claws.
Kyle Wilson
Position: RHP
Number: 21
Hometown: Santa Monica, Calif.
Etc.: Drafted by the Dodgers in 2004, he played with current Boulders teammate Bridger Hunt for High-A Inland Empire in 2007. He made it as high as Double-A with the Dodgers after playing in college at UCLA, where the Bruins made the College World Series regionals during his final year.
Catcher Todd Jennings
Number: 5
Hometown: Orangevale, Calif.
Etc.: Drafted by the Giants in 2003, he played as high as Triple-A Fresno in 2007. Has battled injuries the past few years, missing most of 2007 and 2008 with an ankle injury and most of 2010 after Tommy John surgery. Played part of last season with the Long Island Ducks under Boulders manager Dave LaPoint.
Infielders John Fitzpatrick
Position: 1B/C
Number: 31
Hometown: White Plains
Etc.: Starred for Iona Prep and Manhattan but went undrafted after college in 2006. Signed with the Pirates in 2007 and played in the Gulf Coast League and short-season Single-A, finishing with a career average of .250, nine home runs and 33 RBI.
Bridger Hunt
Position: SS
Number: 3
Hometown: Belleville, Mich.
Etc.: Drafted by the Dodgers out of Central Missouri in 2006 and reached High-A before ending up with the Long Island Ducks in 2010. Has a career batting average of .284, with six home runs and 126 RBI.
Norm Hutchins
Position: 1B
Number: 29
Hometown: Sleepy Hollow
Etc.: Veteran starred at Lincoln, was drafted by the Angels in 1994 and has played at all levels of pro ball all over the country in the years since. Was the Angels’ minor-league MVP in 1997 and reached Triple-A four times. Entered this season with a career average of .265, with 122 home runs and 684 RBI in 1,520 professional games.
Jermel Lomack
Position: 2B
Number: 1
Hometown: Los Angeles
Etc.: Speedy leadoff hitter led the New York-Penn league with 29 stolen bases in his rookie year of 2004. Drafted by the Pirates earlier that year, he reached Single-A Hickory (N.C.) in 2005, when he hit .243 with 12 RBI in 59 games. Won a United League Baseball championship with Amarillo in 2010, hitting .300 in 71 games.
Ryan Mollica
Position: 3B
Number: 7
Hometown: Suffern
Etc.: One of the first three players to sign with the Boulders, he was drafted in 2009 by the Mets and reached the Double-A level. Best season was 2009 with Single-A Kingsport, where he hit .287 in 30 games.
Dustin Smith
Position: IF/OF
Number: 4
Hometown: St. Louis
Etc.: Son of Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, he had 38 RBI in 87 games with the Coastal Bend Thunder of the United League last year. Spent 2009 with Newark (then in the Atlantic League) and the Thunder.
Outfielders Vic Buttler
Position: LF
Number: 22
Hometown: Los Angeles
Etc.: Drafted by the Pirates in 2000, he was a minor-league All-Star in 2002 and 2006. Made it to Triple-A in 2006 with the Indianapolis Indians. Entering play this season, he had a career average of .283 with 446 runs scored.
Eric Flynn
Position: OF
Number: 32
Hometown: Niagara Falls
Etc.: Comes to Rockland after playing a winter season with the Beenleigh Hawks of the Greater Brisbane Baseball League in Australia. Played in the New York State League in 2010, when he set a league record for most stolen bases in one game (five).
Tommy Giles
Position: RF
Number: 8
Hometown: Vero Beach, Fla.
Etc.: Played five years in the Dodgers‘ organization after being drafted in 2006. His best season was 2008, when he had 22 home runs and 100 RBI for Single-A Inland Empire. Entering play this season, he had a career batting average of .270.
Sean Smith
Position: CF
Number: 40
Hometown: Joliet, Ill.
Etc.: Drafted by the Pirates in 2000, he signed with the Nationals in 2010 and attended spring training before playing the season with two independent clubs. Entering play this season, he had a career batting average of .257 with 66 home runs and 334 RBI.
Disabled List Mark Hill
Position: 3B
Number: 25
Hometown: Media, Pa.
Etc.: Played college baseball for George Mason and was one of only two players to make the Boulders’ roster out of the team’s original tryout camp. Finished the 2010 season with a .406 average, four home runs and 29 RBI in 34 games.
Sam Borden
