30 July 2008

Bourne’s Krauss Makes the Most
Of Second Chance in Cape League 

BOURNE, Mass. -- After four games with the Harwich Mariners at the beginning of the season, Marc Krauss (Ohio) could easily have packed his bags and headed home to Deshler, Ohio.

     Instead, he has become a key performer for the Bourne Braves and may well be headed for the playoffs.

     In a remarkable turnaround, Krauss went from being cut by Harwich to becoming a sparkplug for the Braves and being named starting left-fielder for the West Division in last Sunday’s All-Star Game at Chatham.

     The Mariners had signed Krauss to a temporary contract and had to cut him loose when players who had signed permanent agreements finally reported. 

     Krauss was left, at least for the moment, with nowhere to play and nowhere to go. “I came up here as a temporary player and in that situation you have to expect the worst and hope for the best,” said Krauss.

     But while the worst happened when Krauss was cut, the best possible situation ensued when he got an offer the next day to join Bourne as a permanent player.

     “The guys in Bourne have been great. I couldn’t be happier. And I’ve hadn a chance to help my team,” Krauss said.

     “Harvey (Shapiro, the Bourne manager) was big on him from day one. I like him, too,” said Braves general manager Mike Carrier of his slugger. “He has good discipline, sees a lot of pitches and he has a fluid swing.”

     The tools he possesses have led to success at the plate. At this writing, Krauss was second in the league in RBI (28), first in on-base percentage (.492) and had a whopping 1.025 OPS. Krauss’ prowess at the plate has put him firmly in the three hole in the Braves’ batting order.

     He has also helped put Bourne in position for a run at the playoffs. “We can do it,” he said of the team’s postseason hopes. “We get to play all the guys in front of us (in the standings). We just need to keep winning.”

     Krauss received a second chance that not many players get. The vast majority of temporary players do not finish the season on the Cape. As the exception to the rule, this Bobcat is making some noise.
 

Jim Chandley, CCBI Intern (chandley@capecodbaseball.org)

 

Interns: Chris Blake, James Chandley, Ashley Crosby, Phil Garceau, Stefanie Marini, Laura Rasmussen