Cap Holroyd

(PRINCETON, NJ) – The Princeton Black Squirrels introduced Erik “Cap” Holroyd, the #3 overall pick in the 2011 CBU amateur draft, to their medical team over the last couple of days leading up to his selection as Princeton’s first pick in the draft.

While most players in the draft ballroom feared being selected by the Black Squirrels as a sign that their career would be one of unrealized potential and numerous painful injuries, the rodents thought they’d get the process started early once they realized that Carson City was going to take Mt. Verson High School’s 18-year old lefty Steve Bradley, and division rival Akron had zeroed in on the #4 overall draft prospect according to BNN, hard-throwing lefty Mike Berry out of Owasso High School.

Holroyd, the third straight high school pitcher selected at the beginning of the draft, posted a career record of 6-8 with a 4.23 ERA in 26 starts on a below-average Menchville HS team. What most piqued the interest of Princeton GM Jim Fillmore was Cap’s impressive 165 strikeouts against 29 walks in 134 innings pitched. Right now Holroyd is mostly a fastball/splitter pitcher and can hit 95-97 MPH on the radar gun according to most scouts. He’ll need to incorporate a breaking pitch into his repertoire in order to be a starter at the CBU level and he seems to have the baseball smarts to be able to do so. A naturally charismatic figure in the clubhouse, he was the first right-handed pitcher selected in the CBU draft. While some question his commitment to weight training and extra practice, with the right amount of nurturing Holroyd could be a true superstar in the making.

Dr. Fred Eaton, Director of Medical Services for the Black Squirrels, is equally happy to have Cap on board. He had a few comments after Holroyd met the medical staff:

“We noticed going through his records that Cap’s already had some back spasms back in 2009 when he was just 15 or 16 which is very rare for a young athlete,” Eaton began, “that’s usually fantastic groundwork towards developing lifelong back troubles. We could easily see more frequent and more severe spasms as he matures physically, especially if we overuse him, in addition to chronic back pain and soreness which could potentially keep him out of the rotation for months at a time. I believe this is a win-win situation for everyone.”

Holroyd, a native of Norman, Oklahoma, was a little underwhelmed with his selection:

“I mean, it’s good to come to Princeton right now because if you can play halfway decent you’ll probably become the team’s career leader,” Holroyd said after his pick became official, “but it takes a lot to change a culture of losing. I think most players were nervous about coming here but if the team can improve and build around guys like Jack Jarvis and Juan Rodríguez, and it looks like they may be able to with some of the solid young talent here, I think they’ll be okay.”