Merrimack Alum Bercume Signs with Oakland A's
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Former Merrimack College baseball
standout Jeff Bercume '09 (Leicester, MA)
signed with the Oakland Athletics earlier this week and will play
for the Class A affiliate Vancouver
Canadians beginning in June.
The all-time hits leader at Merrimack (231), Bercume is the
first Merrimack baseball player since Cory Spencer '99 to
sign with a professional team (Boston Red Sox). Garrett
Larkin '96, picked in the 19th round by the
Pittsburgh Pirates, is the last Merrimack player to be drafted by a
major league team.
Despite not being drafted in June of 2009, Bercume has since
been preparing for the opportunity to make a professional squad.
“I made the decision last June that in the event I was not
selected in the first year player draft I would do everything I
could to sign as a free agent with either an MLB affiliated team or
a Professional Independent Club,” Bercume said on Friday.
Merrimack head coach Joe Sarno shared
Bercume's irritation after he was not drafted, but believed
in his all- Conference center-fielder.
“Following the MLB draft last year we were all
disappointed that he didn't get drafted,” said
Sarno. “As a result Jeff worked as hard as he could to
land on an independently affiliated professional baseball
team. Although that didn't happen, he told me he was
going to work hard for another year because he was confident in his
ability to become a professional baseball player.”
After a summer full of tryouts in 2009, Bercume found himself in
the California Winter League, a professional development and
showcase league in Palm Springs, Florida designed to give unsigned
players 20 games in front of professional scouts.
The CWL was where Bercume caught the eye of Craig Weissmann and
the Oakland A's. Despite their interest, a hamstring
injury would put his baseball playing on hold momentarily.
Intense rehabilitation and hard work at home in Massachusetts kept
Bercume in shape and ready for the call should that day come.
“After a month of rehabbing back home I received a call
from Craig Weissmann for extended spring training in
Phoenix,” Bercume said. “They liked me enough to
keep me around for a few weeks and eventually offered me a contract
on May 12.”
On top of his good fortune of being signed while in Phoenix,
Bercume had the pleasure of playing alongside and learning from
players such as Mark Ellis, Brett Tomko and Coco Crisp.
With the chance to live his dream, Bercume added, “Being a
member of this organization and taking the field everyday with the
A's uniform on my back is an unbelievable opportunity and I am very
grateful for the chance to hopefully make a career out of playing
baseball.”
A lifetime .356-hitter at Merrimack, Bercume made 168 career
starts in 172 games played over four years. In addition to
his all-time hits mark, Bercume graduated in 2009 as the all-time
leader in triples (14), second in doubles (41), third in RBIs (118)
and sixth in stolen bases (56). As a senior, Bercume led the
Warriors to the first 20-win season in 10 years with a .385 batting
average, 23 stolen bases and 46 RBIs.
Bercume's noticeable improvement from year-to-year was
evidenced through his numbers, but his dedication and commitment
may be even more impressive.
“Jeff's determination and will to accomplish his
personal mission speaks volumes about him as a person,” said
Sarno. “I am so proud of him and I wish him nothing but
the best in his future. I know that no matter what he ends up
doing in life he will be a major success because of the
determination he possesses.”
Bercume's Career Statistics at Merrimack
College
Year avg
gp-gs ab
r
h
2b 3b hr rbi
bb so sb-att
2006 .275 40-37
142 15
39 10
1 0 12
8 25
0-6
2007 .388 42-41
165 30
64 14
4 1 38
11 10 13-17
2008 .362 43-43
163 26
59 4
4 1
22 7 4
20-23
2009 .385 47-47
179 31
69 13
5 5 46
15 8 23-30
Total .356 172-168 649
102 231 41
14 7 118 41 47
56-76
