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Vasquez Named Summer All-American by Perfect Game

By Eric DeSalvo on August 23, 2012 10:00 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
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There was no shortage of power in the Cal Ripken League this summer when UCF first baseman James Vasquez came up to the plate. The sweet-swinging lefty was named to the Perfect Game Summer Collegiate All-America Team recently and he had the numbers to back up the high praise.

Complete Team by Perfect Game USA

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In just 32 games in the wood-bat league, here is the damage Vasquez did: .418 batting average, 33 runs, 46 hits, 11 doubles, 12 home runs, 42 RBIs, 30 walks, two stolen bases and just 26 strikeouts.

When you take a look deeper into the numbers Vasquez put up this summer, they would make Jonah Hill's character in "Moneyball" skip a heartbeat.  The league batting champ was on base in over half of his plate appearances (.552), slugged .845 and registered an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging) of 1.397.

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"It felt good to get on the field and do what I know I can do," Vasquez said after being asked about hitting his first homers of 2012. "At the plate, it just slowed down for me. I was able to see more pitches and have more at-bats. I was really relaxed up there."

Vasquez's homers weren't cheap by any means. Batting from the left side, it was about 320 feet to the left-field poll and 390 to dead center. The Palm City native admitted he wasn't pulling his homers either, showing off some opposite-field power.

With classes just beginning and fall workouts on the horizon, Vasquez took away a few lessons from his breakout summer that he hopes to utilize before heading into the 2013 season.

"One thing I learned this summer is that if you have a bad at-bat, don't carry it over," Vasquez noted. "Just take it one at-bat at a time. That's how I became more successful this summer."



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