Baseball: Haslup goes pro, Reed to return
by Daniel Gallen
Terrapins baseball right-hander Charlie Haslup will not return to the team next season after he signed a contract with the New York Yankees Friday.
Alternating between middle relief and setup in 2012, Haslup went 5-5 with a 2.64 ERA in 21 games for the Terps, striking out 44 batters in 44.1 innings. The 6-foot-4 Easton native was spending the summer pitching for the Sanford Mainers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League and was 1-1 with three saves and a 1.65 ERA in 12 games this summer. On June 6, he was selected by the Yankees in the 26th round of the MLB Draft.
If he had returned to the Terps, Haslup would have been in the running for the top reliever’s spot in the bullpen or a spot in the starting rotation. He made one start in 2012, throwing seven shutout innings against Norfolk State on May 1.
Haslup spoke to William Haufe of The Star Democrat in Easton, and here are some noteworthy points from the article:
» Haslup will fly to Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday to sign his minor league contract. He’ll most likely be assigned to either the Staten Island Yankees of the New York-Penn League or the Tampa Yankees of the Florida State League.
» Haslup was initially planning on returning to College Park, but the departures of coach Erik Bakich and pitching coach Sean Kenny to Michigan helped sway his decision.
» Kenny advised Haslup on his decision, and the two determined that either decision — going pro or returning — would be a positive one.
Despite losing Haslup, the Terps will return a key piece of their pitching staff in left-hander Jimmy Reed. Like Haslup, Reed was a selection of the Yankees and had stayed in touch with the organization throughout the summer while he pitched in the Cape Cod League. A little more than an hour before the 5 p.m. signing deadline Friday, Reed, a 21st-round draft pick, posted on his Twitter account, “It was an honor being drafted by the Yankees but I’m proud to say that I’m coming back for my senior year still a Terp.”
Reed’s 2012 season was well-documented, as he started the season as the Terps’ closer before moving to the starting rotation as the team’s No. 1 starter for the final seven weeks of the season. He closed two of the Terps’ biggest wins this season, a 2-1 decision over then-No. 14 UCLA on Feb. 17 to open the season and an 8-5 win over then-No. 1 Florida State on May 7.
In his first three career starts against No. 17 N.C. State, Duke and Clemson, Reed pitched eight, 8.1 and nine innings, respectively. He allowed five runs over those three games and struck out 19 batters. With those performances, Reed could be the team’s top starter in 2013.
In addition to Reed’s passing up the Yankees, Terps signees Jake Drossner, Jared Price and Jose Cuas all passed up the opportunities to sign contracts as well. Drossner, a left-hander from Richboro, Pa., was a 23rd-round pick of the Chicago Cubs, and Price, a right-hander from Mohnton, Pa., was a 33rd-round pick of the New York Mets. Both will help boost a pitching staff that loses right-handers Brett Harman, David Carroll, Sander Beck and Michael Boyden and left-hander Korey Wacker.
Cuas, a 40th-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, said he would be attending college immediately after the draft. The Blue Jays, however, pursued him hard and had him in Toronto during the first week of July in an attempt to sway the shortstop from Grand Street Campus High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Blue Jays had initially targeted Cuas in the 10th round of the draft, but his asking price, said to be $500,000 plus money for his future education, was deemed to be too high. Still, the New York Post reported that Cuas was offered around $200,000 plus additional funds for his education.
But on July 9, the Post’s Zach Braziller tweeted, “Jose Cuas, formerly of Grand Street, will go to college. He couldn’t come to terms with Blue Jays, summer coach David Owens said.” The Terps will have an opening at shortstop with the departure of longtime starter Alfredo Rodriguez, meaning that Cuas could contend for playing time immediately in College Park.
In a non-draft note, the Post also reported that one of Cuas’ high school teammates, catcher Kevin Martir, will honor his commitment to the Terps despite Bakich’s departure to Michigan. Additionally, one of Cuas and Martir’s summer league teammates, outfielder Harrison Bader, will also come to College Park this fall. According to the article, Martir and Bader are both “pleased” with Eric Milton’s elevation to interim coach June 28.
Keep an eye out for updated coverage of Haslup’s departure, Reed’s return and everything else Terps baseball.