2012 EWL Field Masters Kory Blose, Adam Vassallo, Brad Lentz, and Anthony Morrison
Two Fish Sticks, a Caucasian, and a member of Downtown Bobby Brown have been voted Field Masters for 2012 as the best defensive players in the EWL. Three of the four field masters from 2012 have been selected for a second consecutive year as Morrison, Blose, and Vassallo repeat as award winners. Brad, of Downtown Bobby Brown, replaces his former teammate Luke as Fielder Master in 2012. Three of the four Field Masters are left fielders (Brad, Vassallo, and Morrison) and Blose plays center field.
Brad, the left fielder for Downtown Bobby Brown, was the top vote getter among Field Masters for 2012. He made an incredible leap in his defensive ability from 2011 and was the widely looked upon as the best defensive player during the 2012 season. His defense carried Downtown Bobby Brown as he often had to cover the entire outfield. His range and ball skills were unsurpassed as he tracked down flies, scooped up grounders, and played the ball off the fence better than anyone in the league. Brad also showcased his arm in 2012, as he likely retired more batters by gunning the ball to the pitcher than anyone in the league. If the EWL had Web Gems, Brad would have made at least 8 or 9 of the top 10 most spectacular defensive plays of the year. Now dubbed “the Ozzie Smith game,” Brad’s midseason game against the Caucasians will go down in history as the best defensive performance in a single game to date. His outstanding defense carried Bobby Brown to an upset win in that game, and helped his squad improve on their 2011 record. Brad led the league in put-outs with 103, 24 more than any other player in the EWL.
Morrison, the left fielder for the Caucasians, was not far behind Brad in votes and repeats as a Field Master in 2012. Morrison continued to make fielding look easy by making difficult plays look routine, unlike any other player in the league. Morrison harnessed fly and ground balls with one hand and on the run and almost nothing got past him. He covered left field as well as anyone, often covered center and right, and made many plays deep in foul territory. Morrison is known best for his bat, but his defensive play makes him one of the most well-rounded players in the game. Morrison finished second in the league in put-outs with 79 and is the career leader in put-outs with 170.
Vassallo, the left fielder for the Fish Sticks, also repeats as a Field Master after a stellar 2012 campaign in the outfield. Unlike Morrison’s flashy defensive prowess, Vassallo is likely the most fundamentally sound defender in the EWL. Vassallo was always sure to get in front of the ball, usually roping it in but at worst preventing extra-base hits. His catch and charge technique routinely prevented players from extending hits, and he likely retired more batters by tag or peg out than anyone. He played the ball out of the tree better than anyone in the league, and his range extended far beyond left field as he often tracked down balls deep in foul territory. He turned multiple double plays in 2012, and his 73 put-outs were third best in the EWL.
Blose, the center fielder for the Fish Sticks, is also a back-to-back Field Master after being voted a top defensive player again in 2012. Blose is the only non-left fielder to be voted and also the only one of the four winners to routinely pitch. His great fielding was consistent no matter where he played, as he had a knack for making big plays at either position. He played deep fly balls against the fence better than anyone in the EWL, and he often robbed players of what looked to be sure hits. He is likely the only player in the league to make an over-the-shoulder catch with his back to the playing field, and he made at least 3-4 throughout the season. After leading the league in put-outs in 2011, Blose finished 4th in 2012 with 68.
The only other player to earn a considerable number of votes was Evan of the Ham Slams. Evan was Brad’s only rival for spectacular catches and had incredible range when he was manning left field for the Slams. He was a top 3 fielder at the halfway point in the season, but after missing games down the stretch his value as a defender faded. Despite missing a significant portion of the second half of the season, he finished fifth in Field Master voting and put-outs.
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