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Trio works to preserve historic drawings of Northeastern Pennsylvania

<p>KINGSTON &#8212; The crack of Matt Wotherspoon&#8217;s bat rung around the Next Level complex.</p><p>The Crestwood grad, a member of the New York Yankee organization, smiled as he watched each youngster field the ground balls and short hoppers.</p><p>On the other side, Ray Black offered small pointers to each kid.</p><p>&#8220;I know that when I was younger, it wasn&#8217;t always available for us,&#8221; said Black, Coughlin grad and member of the San Francisco Giants organization. &#8220;We didn&#8217;t have all the facilities when I was younger. I don&#8217;t remember getting too many lessons growing up.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s great to take the knowledge that I&#8217;ve gain at the professional and college level and pass that along to these kids. Hopefully, they can progress with their careers with the fundamentals they learn here. These are things I didn&#8217;t learn until college. Hopefully, they can keep improving baseball in the Valley and in our area,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Both took time Friday morning to give a clinic at the Next Level facility on Eley Street in the borough.</p><p>&#8220;I was one of these kids once,&#8221; said Wotherspoon, who finished his season at Double-A Trenton last year. &#8220;Whenever I would meet a guy playing professionally, it was awesome. I remember meeting Russ Canzler when I was younger, probably when I was 12 or 13, and it was something that stuck with me. To be able to give back and see these kids have fun, that&#8217;s what it&#8217;s all about.&#8221;</p><p>Two local grads, two distinct paths through the Major League Baseball system.</p><p>Black, picked in the seventh round of the 2011 draft, has dealt with injuries throughout his short professional career.</p><p>Yet, one just needs to see footage of his fastball &#8211; one that pops the radar gun at nearly 104 &#8211; to understand why he&#8217;s one of the top prospects in the Giants minor-league system.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve increased velocity after each one of my surgeries,&#8221; said Black, who ended his 2015 season at Class A San Jose. &#8220;I gained it through the shoulder strengthening routines that I did, along with proper workouts. You just don&#8217;t go out and throw with that velocity. You need a strong core to transfer from your legs to your arms. You can lose velocity right there. It was about figuring everything out mechanically and physically. The smaller exercises seemed to help me.&#8221;</p><p>Black just finished a short stint in the Arizona Fall League where his club, Scottsdale, won the championship. Scottsdale consists of prospects from the Giants, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians.</p><p>In nine innings, Black fanned 16 and issued six walks.</p><p>&#8220;Being invited to the Arizona Fall League was a great honor. I got the chance to compete against some of the best Minor Leaguers in the country. These are the top prospects,&#8221; Black said. &#8220;We are only 85 days away reporting to camp. I would assume that I might start in Double-A Richmond. The sky is the limit. The coordinators have told me that I could reach the big leagues this year, maybe by June or July, if I stay healthy and do what I did in the fall league. I&#8217;m taking that with me in the offseason.&#8221;</p><p>For Wotherspoon, it&#8217;s a chance to grow in one of the richest franchises in the history of professional sports.</p><p>The former Comet, a 17th pick in the 2014 draft, had a successful stint at short-season Staten Island with an ERA less than 2.00.</p><p>In 2015, he was a journeyman in a sense &#8211; making his way up the ladder. He started at A clubs Charleston and Tampa before receiving the promotion call to Double-A Trenton.</p><p>He finished strong, picking up a victory and holding a 2.43 ERA in his final three games.</p><p>&#8220;Personally, I felt that last season went well. I don&#8217;t think I could have had a better season,&#8221; he said. &#8220;As the season went along, I started to throw the baseball better and better. That&#8217;s what is important. It&#8217;s how you finished, not how you start. The offseason has been great. I&#8217;ve been relaxing and working out, just kind of getting my body back in shape and getting ready for the upcoming season. I would like to break camp with our high A team, Tampa, and hopefully, work my way up to Double-A Trenton throughout the year. That&#8217;s where I would like to be.&#8221;</p><p>While playing in Yankee Stadium is the aspiration, the dream could run right near his hometown.</p><p>Should Wotherspoon stay on his fast-line toward New York, the next stop after Trenton would be in Moosic with the RailRiders.</p><p>&#8220;Playing with the RailRiders, that&#8217;s my dream. That&#8217;s the one place I haven&#8217;t played in the organization, and it&#8217;s killing me,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I know that all my family and friends would be there. They travel to see me, but people that don&#8217;t have the opportunity would be able to come and see me. That would mean the world.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Matt Wotherspoon, a Crestwood grad who is part of the Yankees organization, works with a group of young baseball players at the Next Level baseball facility in Kingston on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic2_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Matt Wotherspoon, a Crestwood grad who is part of the Yankees organization, works with a group of young baseball players at the Next Level baseball facility in Kingston on Friday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic4_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ray Black, a Coughlin graduate and part of the San Francisco Giants organization, gives some one-on-one advice to Ryan Stevens, 12, of Kingston at the Next Level facility in Kingston on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic4_faa.jpg</photo1><caption1>Ray Black, a Coughlin graduate and part of the San Francisco Giants organization, gives some one-on-one advice to Ryan Stevens, 12, of Kingston at the Next Level facility in Kingston on Friday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic6_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Coughlin grad Ray Black talks with Daniel Hughes, 8, Ashton Schiel, 12, and Nathan Tomzcak, 10, at the Next Level facility in Kingston on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic6_faa.jpg</photo2><caption2>Coughlin grad Ray Black talks with Daniel Hughes, 8, Ashton Schiel, 12, and Nathan Tomzcak, 10, at the Next Level facility in Kingston on Friday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic1_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Logan Walsh, 8, of Sweet Valley plays catch with Crestwood grad Matt Wotherspoon at the Next Level facility on Eley Street in Kingston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic1_faa.jpg</photo3><caption3>Logan Walsh, 8, of Sweet Valley plays catch with Crestwood grad Matt Wotherspoon at the Next Level facility on Eley Street in Kingston. </caption3><photoCredit3>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic5_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ray Black listens to Daniel Hughes, 8. of Wilkes-Barre as he asks a question at the Next Level facility in Kingston on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic5_faa.jpg</photo4><caption4>Ray Black listens to Daniel Hughes, 8. of Wilkes-Barre as he asks a question at the Next Level facility in Kingston on Friday. </caption4><photoCredit4>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic3_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Matt Wotherspoon leads stretching exercises with young baseball players at the Next Level facility in Kingston. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_clinic3_faa.jpg</photo5><caption5>Matt Wotherspoon leads stretching exercises with young baseball players at the Next Level facility in Kingston. </caption5><photoCredit5>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit5></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Local grads, Black, Wotherspoon share baseball tips with area youngsters</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Fox</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @tlsports</p></shirttailMeta></div>

The boys are back in town