COTUIT — Former Cotuit Kettleer Garrett Stubbs, who played for the coach Mike Roberts’ Lowell Avenue boys during the team’s 2013 Cape Cod Baseball League title run, was named the recipient of the prestigious Johnny Bench Award given annually to the top collegiate catcher in the country.
He joins several former Cape League catchers who have won this prestigious award (see list below).
Former Cotuit Kettleer Garrett Stubbs was named the 2015 National Collegiate Catcher of the Year as the recipient of the Johnny Bench Award, seen here with Hall of Famer Johnny Bench.
Stubbs, a senior at the University of Southern California who was drafted earlier this month by the Houston Astros, was ranked in the Pac 12 top-10 in batting average (.346) this year, as well as on-base percentage (.435), runs scored (51) and hits (79). Defensively, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year was just as impressive catching 52.8% of attempted base stealers, and picked off seven base-runners.
Stubbs was taken with the 266th overall pick in the Major League Baseball First-Year Amateur Player Draft and was also a First-Team All-American and one of six former Cape Leaguers who received the NCAA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award this spring. He went 5-11 with three RBI for the Kettleers in 2013.
The Johnny Bench Award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate catcher as voted on by Division I coaches.
A watch list is compiled from nominations received from the universities and released in March.
A selection committee will then narrow the list down to the semifinalists. Statistical information on each semifinalist is then compiled and sent to the national selection committee by the end of May. A vote by the national selection committee narrows the list to three finalists.
Another vote during the College World Series will determine who will be named the Johnny Bench National Collegiate Catcher of the Year. The three finalists will be brought to Wichita, KS for the awards banquet at the end of June.
Past Winners
2014 – Max Pentecost, Kennesaw State (Bourne Braves)
2013 – Stuart Turner, Ole Miss
2012 – Mike Zunino, Florida (Y-D Red Sox)
2011 – Jake Lowery, James Madison
2010 – Bryan Holaday, Texas Christian (Brewster Whitecaps)
2009 – J.T. Wise, Oklahoma (Harwich Mariners)
2008 – Buster Posey, Florida State (Y-D Red Sox)
2007 – Ed Easley, Mississippi State (Chatham A’s)
2006 – Jake Smith, East Carolina
2005 – Jeff Clement, USC
2004 – Kurt Suzuki, Cal State Fullerton
2003 – Ryan Garko, Stanford (Hyannis Mets)
2002 – Jeremy Brown, Alabama
2001 – Kelly Shoppach, Baylor (Harwich Mariners)
2000 – Brad Cresse, LSU (Chatham A’s)
– Written by Sean Walsh, Sports Editor, Capecod.com
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