Hyde-Out

Sources close to the team indicate that Matt Hyde left his assistant coach position with Harvard baseball several weeks ago.

Although Hyde's bio is still up on GoCrimson.com, it is no longer linked from the Harvard athletics staff directory, having been replaced by "TBA" there.

Baseball Updates in The Crimson

THC follows up on several of the stories we've posted here. First, Frank Herrmann's exit:

While playing with the Oahu Paddlers in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League, the senior pitcher drew the attention of scouts on the strength of his rejuvenated right arm. In the past, the Rutherford, N.J. native had suffered from tendinitis at the ulnar nerve, hindering both his health and velocity.

But this summer, finally “truly healthy” for the first time, Herrmann—who went 5-1 with a 3.09 ERA last year—was hitting 93 MPH on the radar gun.

After being considered by the Kansas City Royals and the Red Sox, the starter was approached by Indians scout Don Lyle, who offered him the best deal.

Herrmann, who stands 6’4, 220-lbs., calls the time he spent mulling over signing and thus leaving Harvard baseball the “toughest three weeks” of his life.

“I talked to everyone,” he said. “I talked to my family, friends. I talked to Zak, Coach Walsh, Coach Hyde.”

The notion of “What if?” ultimately proved too glaring for Herrmann to ignore. He figured that if he pitched for the Crimson in 2006 and did poorly, or got hurt once again, the prospect of another contract coming along would be slim.

So the Indians threw out a number, offered to help pay for school, and included a signing bonus. Former Boston Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette—whom Herrmann played for in the New England Collegiate Baseball League two summers ago—helped negotiate the deal for him and his family.

“I was a part of the best team ever in my opinion,” Herrmann said. “But I might never get this opportunity again.”

Today, Herrmann is back at school, living with his roommates and readying for the fall semester.

He’ll practice and work out with the team, he says, and then head to wherever the Indians send him in March. He is “99.9 percent sure” that he’ll return next fall to get his degree in government.

The same article also discusses Zak Farkes' summer:

“My main goal was to get experience this summer,” he says. “If I deliberated, waited until next year, I might’ve missed 100 or so at-bats. The wheels would’ve been going too fast. It would’ve been my first spring training—with no pro experience.”

Farkes acknowledged he “was pressing” during a short season at Class A ball this summer. His stint with Lowell—which finished just short of playoff contention in the New York-Penn League—somewhat resembled his junior season at Harvard, in which a slow start was topped with a season-ending hot streak.

Farkes hit two home runs in the season’s final week, but finished with a disappointing .174 average in 132 at-bats.

“You learn a lot about yourself,” he says of unfulfilled expectations. “But [the minors are] not really about stats. It’s more about learning to play the game.”

Despite the rough summer, the Red Sox were impressed with Farkes’ finish.

After working towards his Harvard degree this fall and living with roommate Frank Herrmann in Eliot House, he will report to spring training in March.

The article also reports that John Wolff, whose selection in the late rounds of the draft surprised many, has signed with the White Sox.

The Crimson then devotes a separate article to Schuyler Mann's signing with the Yankees:

“I hadn’t talked to any scouts in a while,” Mann says. “By that time, I’d basically given up any thought of baseball. As far as I knew, they weren’t signing people that late.”

When the Yankees came calling, Mann was at home in Corvallis, Mont., engaging in his favorite hobby, fresh-water fishing, and entertaining designs on joining the family jewelry business.

Finally, there's this on other players' summer league stints.

Breaking: Herrmann Leaves

Sources close to Harvard Baseball indicate that rising senior RHP Frank Herrmann has signed with the Cleveland Indians. His Harvard baseball career is over. The 6'4", 220 lb. Herrmann went 5-1 with a 3.09 ERA, including two shutouts, and was arguably the team's best pitcher in 2005.

With the early departures of Herrmann and Zak Farkes, this summer is proving to be the costliest in recent memory for Harvard. We'll have more on this one later.

Crimson Community Affected By Hurricane Katrina

As readers of this blog will remember, we talked previously about the variety of Crimson connections to the state of Louisiana. One of those important connections is Josh San Salvadaor ('02), who came to Cambridge from Chalmette, a city hit almost head-on by the eye of Katrina and remains swamped in water (images from Chalmette here and here).

Sanzo has alerted us that he is safe, and that he is staying with extended family in Lafayette, LA. He has indicated his sincere appreciation for the thoughts and prayers that have come from all those who have tried to contact him, and he is confident that the strength of his family will get him through this very trying situation.

If anyone has any information about the Keck family, we'd greatly appreciate it if you could let us know. According to press reports, Keck's high school, Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, may be closed until Christmas. Also, if there are others in the Crimson baseball community who have been affected by the storm, please let us know (the Crimson has reported on undergraduates who have been displaced by the storm).

And if there's any help the Harvard baseball community can provide beyond keeping the victims in our thoughts and prayers, please pass along those suggestions.

UPDATE: Auto-reply from Jason Keck's email address says the following:

Out of town on a "camping" trip until the 8th of September with no
access to email. If you are wondering about the family and new orleans,
all are safe and well.

UPDATE (2): David Forst has passed along the info he has on the Keck family
-- thanks for the update:

Jason Keck's parents, Bill and Jeanny, and the rest of Jason's extended
family are safe. I know they stayed at home for the hurricane itself,
but were forced to leave when NO began to flood. They were able to get
out of the city to get to Baton Rouge, and were then planning on going
to stay with family in Savannah. That is all the info I have.