In the second week of voting to fill out the New York Boulders’ All-Decade team, Richard Salazar and Bo Budkevics finished atop the balloting for starting pitchers and earned spots on the roster.
As part of the New York Boulders’ Bould Decade celebrating the franchise’s first 10 years of play, fans have been voting to fill one position on our All-Decade team each week for eight successive weeks.
Voting for starting pitchers, which concluded on Thursday, April 23, was sponsored by Clarkstown Collision of Nanuet and offered fans the opportunity to select one nominee from a group of nine hurlers that toed the rubber in Rockland County and excelled for the Boulders. The top two finishers landed on the All-Decade team.
Salazar, a lefthander, came to the Boulders in 2014 after seven seasons in the Baltimore Orioles’ organization. In four years (2014-2017) with the Boulders where he also saw time as the pitching coach, Salazar went 36-18 with a 3.40 ERA, notching double digit wins in three years, including a high of 11 in 2015 (11-4). A member of the 2014 Can-Am League championship team, he split two decisions in the championship series – losing game one and winning game five.
“(The spot on the All-Decade team) means a lot to me,” Salazar said. “Rockland County was a great place for me to go to – from the guys to the staff, everything was great.”
Meanwhile, the righthander Budkevics toiled for the Boulders from 2013-2018 and is best remembered for his three-hit, nine strikeout, eight scoreless inning performance against the New Jersey Jackals that earned him the win in the sixth game of the 2014 Can-Am League Championship Series that clinched the
pennant for the Boulders and earned him the nickname “Big Game Bo.” In portions of six seasons with the Boulders, Budkevics went 22-19 with a 4.86 ERA.
“Rockland has a special place in my heart,” Budkevics said. “To be able to play there for six years and to build the relationships with these guys – it was something. Being named (to this team) is something special.”
Other starting pitcher candidates included Sean Bierman (2014), Bobby Blevins (2011-2013), David Fischer (2016-2017), Pat Moran (2012-2013), Markus Solbach (2016-2017), Justin Topa (2017-2018) and Jon Velasquez (2011-2012, 2017).
Voting for the All-Decade team is continuing this week as fans have the opportunity to select a closer from a group of five shutdown relievers who excelled for the Boulders. The voting to select a closer is sponsored by Clarkstown Coin and Jewelry of Nanuet.
Fans can cast their vote for their top pitcher through Thursday, April 30, by sliding to www.NYBoulders.com. The closer receiving the most votes will land a spot on the All-Decade team.
The final results will be announced during a Podcast on the Boulders’ Facebook page on Friday, May 1, at 9:30 a.m., hosted by Seth Cantor, the voice of the Boulders and the Vice-President of Business Development.
Altice cable television in Rockland County will also rebroadcast each week’s All-Decade team announcement every Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. on channel 76, except for channel 77 in Ramapo and channel 15 in North Rockland.
Debuting in 1993, the Frontier League is the largest and longest-running of the modern independent leagues and features teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway. More information and the complete 2020 schedule can be found at www.frontierleague.com.