2017 White Sands Pupfish Season Recap - A Difficult Season Under Chris Stout Produces One of the Most Unusual Stories in Professional Baseball

The 2017 White Sands Pupfish season marked the beginning of a difficult final chapter for professional baseball in Alamogordo. Only two years earlier, White Sands had won 37 games under Mickey Speaks. The 2016 Pupfish had remained competitive despite finishing below .500, producing several outstanding players and beating some of the strongest clubs in the Pecos League.

But the stability of the Mickey Speaks era ended after 2016. For 2017, Chris Stout took over as field manager. Stout had previously played for White Sands and was beginning his coaching career. He inherited a difficult assignment.

The Pecos League had expanded into California. The strongest organizations in the league were becoming deeper. Roswell remained powerful. Alpine remained one of the league's best clubs. Tucson was defending its 2016 championship. And White Sands was attempting to rebuild much of its roster at Griggs Park.

The results were painful. White Sands finished 12-50 according to the Pecos League's official historical records. The Pupfish missed the playoffs by a wide margin, allowed runs at an extraordinary rate and began a three-year stretch in which White Sands would struggle to remain competitive.

But even during one of the most difficult seasons in franchise history, there were players worth remembering. Joe Davis had an outstanding offensive season. Brandon Torres reached base consistently. Rayshelon Carolina gave the club speed. Mark Davis hit over .400 during his time with the team.

And late in the summer, the Pupfish became part of one of the most unusual stories ever to come out of the Pecos League. A 61-year-old school administrator named Evan Katz became a professional baseball player.

View the official White Sands Pupfish year-by-year records.

Chris Stout Takes Over White Sands

Chris Stout became the field manager of the Pupfish for the 2017 season. Stout already knew Alamogordo and the White Sands organization because he had previously played for the Pupfish. He had pitched collegiately at Marshalltown Community College and Ashford University before beginning his coaching career.

His opportunity with White Sands became his first professional managerial job. After the season, Stout continued advancing through coaching, eventually working in college baseball at North Carolina Wesleyan and later joining the staff at Marietta College.

View Chris Stout's coaching biography, including his 2017 season managing White Sands.

Stout's challenge in Alamogordo was considerable. White Sands had just lost the continuity created by Mickey Speaks. Much of the roster had changed. The Pupfish needed pitching and depth, and they needed to compete in a league featuring several clubs with championship-level talent.

It became clear almost immediately that 2017 would be difficult.

A Tough Beginning

White Sands opened the season in Santa Fe. The Fuego defeated the Pupfish 9-1 on May 24 at Fort Marcy Park. Jordan Cummings gave White Sands five innings and struck out five, but the Pupfish committed three errors that extended Santa Fe innings.

The losses continued. White Sands dropped its first four games before finally breaking through on May 28. And when the first victory came, the Pupfish did it with offense.

White Sands defeated Santa Fe 15-10. Christopher Luciano hit two home runs. Darrell Render Jr. earned the victory. The Pupfish were finally in the win column at 1-4.

View the official 2017 Pecos League game archive.

The Losses Begin Piling Up

Unfortunately, the victory did not lead to sustained improvement. White Sands struggled badly through May and June. By June 6, the Pupfish were only 2-12. By June 14, they were 5-17. By June 19, White Sands sat at 6-21. Two days later, the Pupfish were 6-24.

The season had quickly moved away from playoff contention. The issue was not simply offense. White Sands could score runs. The bigger problem was preventing them.

Independent baseball can become extremely difficult when a team cannot establish reliable starting pitching. That became the story of the 2017 Pupfish.

Joe Davis Has an Outstanding Season

Despite the team's struggles, Joe Davis became one of the best hitters on the White Sands roster. Davis appeared in 43 games and collected 60 hits in 152 at-bats. He hit .395, scored 37 runs, hit 12 doubles and nine home runs and drove in 32 runs.

His .651 slugging percentage and 1.082 OPS made him the most dangerous power hitter among the Pupfish regulars. On June 11 against Santa Fe, Davis went 4-for-6 as White Sands scored 17 runs. Even as the team struggled in the standings, Davis continued producing at an elite level.

View Joe Davis and the complete 2017 Pecos League statistics.

Mark Davis Hits .442

Mark Davis played only 29 games, but when he was in the lineup he was extremely productive. He collected 42 hits in only 95 at-bats, producing a .442 batting average.

Davis scored 17 runs, hit seven doubles and two home runs and drove in 22. He struck out only four times. On June 14 against Santa Fe, Davis went 3-for-4 and homered as White Sands won 6-5. It was another example of the offensive talent the Pupfish had despite their poor overall record.

Brandon Torres Gets On Base

Brandon Torres became one of the most dependable everyday players on the roster. Torres appeared in 56 games, collected 61 hits and hit .303. He scored 37 runs and drove in 25.

But his most impressive number was his walk total. Torres drew 46 walks, helping produce a .435 on-base percentage. He also stole eight bases. The 46 walks became one of the best single-season totals in White Sands history.

View Brandon Torres' 2017 statistics.

Rayshelon Carolina Adds Speed

Rayshelon Carolina gave the Pupfish another productive everyday player. Carolina played 46 games and collected 50 hits. He hit .314 and posted a .429 on-base percentage while scoring 36 runs.

But Carolina's biggest weapon was his speed. He stole 20 bases. On June 19 in Garden City, Carolina collected two hits as White Sands defeated the Wind 3-2. His speed and on-base ability gave the Pupfish a legitimate threat at the top of the lineup.

Cameron Haskins Plays Every Day

Cameron Haskins became the most durable position player on the team. Haskins appeared in 60 games and collected 68 hits in 243 at-bats. He scored 36 runs and drove in 34 while hitting eight doubles and five home runs.

His 68 hits led the White Sands regulars. That kind of availability mattered on a team that experienced constant roster challenges throughout the summer.

Aaron Sheaks Adds Another Productive Bat

Aaron Sheaks appeared in 32 games and hit .331. He collected 39 hits, including nine doubles and two home runs. Sheaks drove in 31 runs and posted a .400 on-base percentage.

Dynas Doud was even hotter during his shorter stay, hitting .400 with 32 hits in 80 at-bats. Malachi Hanes hit .337. Troy Paris hit .436 in ten games.

Again and again, the statistics demonstrate something important about the 2017 Pupfish. The lineup was not completely devoid of talent. White Sands had hitters. The pitching staff simply could not prevent enough runs.

The Pitching Becomes the Defining Problem

The team pitching numbers explain the 12-win season better than anything else. The statistical archive credits White Sands with a team ERA of 9.78. The Pupfish allowed 659 runs in the available 60-game statistical record. Opponents collected 828 hits, and White Sands pitchers issued 398 walks.

That combination made it almost impossible for the offense to keep pace consistently. A lineup can overcome a bad pitching night. It cannot overcome bad pitching night after night for an entire summer.

Logan Escudero Becomes the Staff Workhorse

Logan Escudero gave Stout the most consistent workload on the pitching staff. Escudero went 3-4 with a 6.31 ERA. In the high-offense environment surrounding White Sands, that actually made him one of the more effective regular starters.

He threw a team-high 67 innings and walked only 12 hitters while striking out 42. On June 19 at Garden City, Escudero led White Sands to a 3-2 victory. Garrett McKenzie closed the game.

It was exactly the type of game White Sands rarely received in 2017 - a low-scoring contest controlled by its pitching staff.

Jordan Cummings Provides the Best Starting Numbers

Jordan Cummings went 2-3 with a 5.62 ERA. He made nine starts and threw 48 innings. Cummings struck out 52 hitters while walking 19. He also threw a complete game and a shutout.

For a staff that struggled badly overall, Cummings provided several of its better starts.

Jesse Remington Throws a Complete-Game Shutout

Jesse Remington finished only 1-4, but his season included one of White Sands' best pitching performances. He threw 45.2 innings and posted a 6.90 ERA. Remington also completed a game and recorded a shutout.

On June 30 against Alpine, he threw all nine innings as the Pupfish defeated the Cowboys. The win moved White Sands to 8-30. On a team that rarely received full games from starters, Remington's performance was memorable.

Garrett McKenzie Becomes the Closer

Garrett McKenzie had one of the strangest statistical seasons on the staff. He struggled with his overall ERA, but he became the pitcher Stout most often trusted to finish games.

McKenzie appeared in 21 pitching games and recorded three saves in the statistical archive. Other White Sands historical records credit him with five saves during 2017. Regardless of the archival discrepancy, he was clearly the team's primary late-inning option.

McKenzie saved White Sands' June 19 victory in Garden City and its July 17 win at Alpine.

The Pupfish Could Still Surprise Good Teams

The strange thing about White Sands was that even during a terrible season, the Pupfish could occasionally produce a very good baseball game. They beat Santa Fe 15-10. They later beat the Fuego 17-13. They beat Santa Fe 6-5. They beat Garden City 3-2. And they defeated Alpine more than once.

Those games demonstrated that the roster contained enough talent to compete on the right night. The problem was that the right nights were far too rare.

White Sands Beats Alpine at Kokernot Field

One of the best wins of the season came July 17. White Sands went into Kokernot Field and defeated the Alpine Cowboys 8-7. Edwin Covas went 3-for-4. Chip White earned the victory. Garrett McKenzie recorded the save.

The win improved White Sands to 11-40. The record was ugly, but winning at Kokernot Field was never easy. The Pupfish had demonstrated they could still ruin somebody else's night.

Read the official recap of White Sands' 8-7 victory at Alpine.

The Season Continues Sliding Away

By July, there was no realistic playoff race left for White Sands. The goal became finishing the season, developing players and finding positives wherever possible.

The Pupfish reached 10-38 after a loss to Roswell. They improved to 11-40 with the Alpine victory. Late in July, they fell to 12-49 after a 7-0 loss at Kokernot Field. The final historical record was 12-50.

Then Evan Katz Called the Pecos League

The most famous story of the White Sands season had almost nothing to do with wins and losses. Evan Katz was 61 years old. He worked in public-school administration in Massachusetts. And he had always wanted to play professional baseball.

Most people would have accepted that the opportunity had passed decades earlier. Katz didn't. He contacted the Pecos League and asked whether there was any possibility of getting an opportunity.

Eventually, White Sands called. Chris Stout told Katz he would be joining the Pupfish. Katz traveled to Alamogordo and became a professional baseball player at age 61.

Read the national feature on Evan Katz and the White Sands Pupfish.

A 61-Year-Old Professional Baseball Player

Katz's appearance became much bigger than an ordinary Pecos League transaction. His story attracted national attention because it represented something almost everyone could understand: a person chasing a childhood dream long after the conventional opportunity had disappeared.

Katz appeared in the White Sands statistical record both as a pitcher and hitter. His numbers were not important. The opportunity was. He could now say something very few people ever get to say. He had played professional baseball.

The players on the Pupfish supported him. Brandon Torres later explained that everyone in the clubhouse shared the same basic dream of playing professional baseball, so the players understood why Katz wanted the experience so badly.

The Human Side of the Pecos League

The Evan Katz story represented one of the unusual things that made the Pecos League different from almost every other professional baseball league. The league could create opportunities that would never exist elsewhere.

Some players were 22-year-old college graduates trying to get signed by a higher independent league. Some were former affiliated players trying to keep careers alive. And one was a 61-year-old school administrator who simply wanted to know what it felt like to wear a professional uniform.

White Sands gave him that opportunity. In a season where the Pupfish had very little to celebrate in the standings, Katz's story became something genuinely memorable.

2017 White Sands Pupfish - By the Numbers

Manager: Chris Stout
Official Pecos League Historical Record: 12-50
Home Ballpark: Griggs Park - Alamogordo, New Mexico
Playoffs: Did Not Qualify

Joe Davis: .395 AVG, 60 H, 37 R, 12 2B, 9 HR, 32 RBI, 1.082 OPS
Mark Davis: .442 AVG, 42 H in 29 games
Brandon Torres: .303 AVG, 61 H, 46 BB, .435 OBP
Rayshelon Carolina: .314 AVG, 50 H, 36 R, 29 BB, 20 SB
Cameron Haskins: 68 H, 5 HR, 34 RBI in 60 games
Aaron Sheaks: .331 AVG, 9 2B, 31 RBI
Dynas Doud: .400 AVG in 19 games
Malachi Hanes: .337 AVG

Logan Escudero: 3-4, 6.31 ERA, 67 IP, 42 SO, only 12 BB
Jordan Cummings: 2-3, 5.62 ERA, 52 SO in 48 IP, 1 shutout
Jesse Remington: 45.2 IP, 1 complete game, 1 shutout
Mitsuo Nakamura: 1-0, 1.42 ERA in 12.2 IP

Team Runs Scored: 376 in the available 60-game statistical record
Team Runs Allowed: 659
Team ERA: 9.78

View complete 2017 Pecos League statistics.

View the official 2017 White Sands Pupfish roster.

View the complete 2017 Pecos League game archive.

The End of the Competitive White Sands Era

The 2017 season looks even more significant when placed between the years around it. Under Mickey Speaks, White Sands had gone 37-28 in 2015. The Pupfish went 28-39 in 2016. Then came the collapse.

2017: 12-50.

And things would get even worse. White Sands went 7-51 in 2018. The Pupfish went 8-50 in 2019. The 2017 season therefore marked the beginning of a prolonged decline that eventually led to the end of the White Sands franchise.

Chris Stout's Only Season as Manager

Chris Stout would not return to manage White Sands in 2018. His professional managerial record in Alamogordo would forever be connected to one of the hardest seasons in Pupfish history.

But his career continued moving forward. He joined the coaching staff at North Carolina Wesleyan and later became an assistant coach and pitching coach at Marietta College. The 2017 Pupfish job became an early step in a much longer coaching career.

A Bad Team With Some Very Good Players

That may be the fairest description of the 2017 White Sands Pupfish. The overall team was bad. There is no way around 12-50. The pitching numbers were extremely difficult. The Pupfish gave up far too many runs to compete consistently.

But several individual players had excellent seasons. Joe Davis hit .395 with nine home runs. Mark Davis hit .442. Brandon Torres posted a .435 on-base percentage. Rayshelon Carolina stole 20 bases. Dynas Doud hit .400. Jordan Cummings provided solid innings. Logan Escudero gave the team a dependable workload.

There was talent in Alamogordo. There simply wasn't enough pitching or depth to turn that talent into victories.

A Season Remembered for Something Bigger Than the Standings

Twenty years from now, few people will remember every loss from the 2017 White Sands season. They may not remember every score. They may not remember the final standings. But the story of Evan Katz will remain.

At 61 years old, he put on a White Sands Pupfish uniform. He entered a professional baseball game. He shared a clubhouse with players less than half his age. And he fulfilled a lifelong dream.

That kind of story could only happen in independent baseball. And it could especially happen in the Pecos League.

The 2017 Pupfish lost 50 games. They finished at the bottom of the standings. The season represented the beginning of a very difficult period for professional baseball in Alamogordo. But it also produced one of the most human stories the Pecos League has ever had.

White Sands did not win much in 2017.

But for one 61-year-old rookie, the Pupfish made a baseball dream come true.