Giants Emerging as Well-Rounded Contender

By Michael Stamatos

By the end of June, the Gaithersburg Giants passed last season’s win total.

In fact, they’re on pace for one of their best seasons since the team joined the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate League in 2013. The Giants are 16-9 entering their July 2 contest with the Senators, good for the best record in the North Division and the second-best record in the league.

So how does a team go from the league’s worst record in 2023 to one of the league’s best? 

Let’s take a look into the Giants’ surprising success so far this summer.

When I talked to coach TJ Brockway before the season, he stated that he and his staff put a lot of emphasis into finding good bullpen arms.

“We didn't have one of those one or two guys that you could just come in and just give the ball to and you knew it was kind of game over at that point,” Brockway said.

They’ve found some of those arms. As a staff, the Giants have put together an excellent season so far, with the lowest staff ERA (4.69), the second-most strikeouts (246), fewest hits allowed (193), and second-lowest opponent average (.238). 

The whole Giants’ pen has been solid, but Ayden Gonzalez (UMBC) has stood out, establishing himself as one of the league’s best arms.

No pitcher in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate League with a qualifying amount of innings has been better than Gonzalez. The sidearmer has been a dominant presence in Gaithersburg’s bullpen, leading the league with four wins and a 1.00 ERA. In 18 innings of action, he’s only given up seven hits and two runs, along with an impressive strikeout to walk ratio of 19/8.

“Just being consistent with both my pitches and filling up the zone. Since it’s unorthodox and hitters don’t see it very often, that gives me an upper hand and advantage,” Gonzalez said when asked about the keys to his success. “Really trying to get ahead in counts, trying to get that first pitch strike so batters really have to be on time for what I’m about to throw, and just be ready to get them off-balance.”

Offensively, they profile as one of the league’s deepest lineups. Despite not having a single player on the leaderboard in any major offensive category, the Giants are top three in team batting average, OBP, hits, and walks.

AJ Martin (Undecided) and Aiden Robbins (Seton Hall) have led the way at the plate. Martin has been an absolute machine, with hits in 15 straight games for the Giants - the league’s longest active hitting streak. Along with that, he’s showcased excellent plate discipline, ranking third on Gaithersburg in walks.

Robbins is a force at the plate. He’s showcased serious power to all parts of the field - wherever the pitch is, he will go with it and drive it. The rising sophomore leads the Giants in home runs, extra base hits, RBIs, and hits - exactly the “huge factor” Brockway thought he would be before the season.

“Just swinging early and often. I think I’ve taken about five pitches this entire season, so I’ve just been trying to get my swing off and just hitting it hard,” Robbins said. “Sometimes they (coaches at Seton Hall) teach us to be patient, but if you’re on you’re on, and they tell you to just do your thing.”

With 11 games left in the regular season and a three-game lead in the North, the Giants are in good shape to pick up their first division title in team history. They have a three game lead in the North, with the closest team to them being the Bethesda Big Train, who they play two more times before the playoffs.

“We’re definitely one of the teams up there competing right now - I look at it one game at a time,” Brockway said following a back-and-forth battle against the Alexandria Aces, the South Division’s top team. “We take care of those mistakes we’re making - we’re gonna be a tough challenge.”