Author: Will Geoghegan

Here’s a look at the leaders in strikeouts per walk. First, the starters.

PLAYER	TEAM	K/BB
Eddie Burns	Y-D	6.00
Tom Milone	Chatham	5.86
Aaron Crow	Falmouth	5.33
Kyle Gibson	Falmouth	4.78
Michael Cisco	Cotuit	4.00
Bryce Stowell	Hyannis	3.86
Jeremy Bleich	Wareham	3.72
Alex White	Chatham	3.57
Dallas Keuchel	Wareham	3.50
Josh Zeid	Harwich	3.20
Pat McAnaney	Orleans	3.10
Scott Green	Y-D	3.00
Kendal Volz	Wareham	2.85
Mike Colla	Brewster	2.82
Rick Zagone	Bourne	2.72
Ryan Hinson	Chatham	2.60
Dan Hudson	Harwich	2.56
Matt Couch	Brewster	2.53
Austin Hudson	Hyannis	2.46
Corey Young	Harwich	2.44

Aaron Crow was leading in the first installment but gets vaulted by Burns and Milone.

Here are some of the top relievers, with IP in parentheses:

PLAYER	TEAM	K/BB
Erik Bird (18.1)	Falmouth	12.00
Nick Cassavechia (21.2)	Y-D	7.67
Stephen Penney (20.2)	Hyannis	7.00
Keith Shinaberry (14.0)	Brewster	6.00
Rob Catapano (15.1)	Orleans	5.33
Luke Burnett (19.2)	Falmouth	5.00
Garrett Sherrill (22.2)	Hyannis	4.60
Trevor Holder (23.1)	Y-D	4.33
Bryan Shaw (17.0)	Chatham	4.17
Rob Wooten (15.1)	Chatham	3.86
Ryan Perry (18.2)	Orleans	3.83

The opponents batting average leaders among starting pitchers.

PLAYER	TEAM	Opp. Avg.
Andy Oliver	Wareham	.129
Aaron Crow	Falmouth	.151
Brad Boxberger	Orleans	.154
T.J. Hose	Bourne	.167
Alex White	Chatham	.188
Craig Bennigson	Orleans	.200
D.J. Mitchell	Bourne	.203
Kyle Gibson	Falmouth	.207
Wade Miley	Wareham	.208
Christian Friedrich	Falmouth	.211
Pat McAnaney	Orleans	.215
Eddie Burns	Y-D	.215
Tom Milone	Chatham	.218
Mike Colla	Brewster	.221
Terry Doyle	Y-D	.222
Jason Franzblau	Hyannis	.224
Scott Green	Y-D	.226
Ryan Cook	Brewster	.227
Charles Brewer	Chatham	.228
Matt Daly	Hyannis	.230

Interestingly, guys like Miley, Friedrcih and Doyle are way up on this list, but some of their other numbers are hurting because they walk so many guys.

WHIP leaders with stats up to the all-star break. This is only for starting pitchers.

PLAYER	TEAM	WHIP
Aaron Crow	Falmouth	.70
Brad Boxberger	Orleans	.90
Eddie Burns	Y-D	.91
Joe Kent	Bourne	.94
Andy Oliver	Wareham	.97
Kyle Gibson	Falmouth	.98
Tom Milone	Chatham	.98
Mitch Harris	Bourne	1.00
T.J. Hose	Bourne	1.03
Alex White	Chatham	1.04
Charles Brewer	Chatham	1.08
Rick Zagone	Harwich	1.08

Crow was on top in the first round of WHIP leaders with a .81 mark. Exactly two weeks later, he’s lowered it to .70. Burns has lowered his from 1.06 to .91.

New faces on the list are Kent, Milone, White and Zagone.

OPS leaders with stats up to the all-star break. This is the second round of OPS leaders I’ve done (here’s the first round, from July 13).

PLAYER	TEAM	OPS
Conor Gillaspie	Falmouth	1.209
Aaron Luna	Y-D	1.009
Yonder Alonso	Brewster	.978
Jason Castro	Y-D	.975
Gordon Beckham	Y-D	.965
Dennis Raben	Orleans	.952
Sean Ochinko	Y-D	.933
Jermaine Curtis	Chatham	.928
Allan Dykstra	Chatham	.903
Reese Havens	Cotuit	.889
Shane Peterson	Hyannis	.881
Dan Brewer	Hyannis	.876
J.T. Wise	Harwich	.849
Grant Green	Y-D	.846
Collin Cowgill	Y-D	.844
Matt Hague	Falmouth	.831
David Adams	Falmouth	.809
Kevin Hoef	Bourne	.799
Mitch Moreland	Bourne	.784
Josh Satin	Bourne	.782

Only twelve players stayed in the top 20 from the last time, and of those, only six had their numbers increase. Gillaspie made the biggest jump, going from 1.029 to 1.209 (+.18). The other five who improved: Raben (+.004), Curtis (+.064), Brewer (+.048), Wise (+.034), and Cowgill (+.003).

New to the list: Luna, Castro, Dykstra, Havens, Green, Adams, Moreland and Satin.

I don’t like rankings much, but I thought doing a Top 50 players could be fun. Keep in mind, this is not a Top 50 Prospects list. I don’t really know where all these guys stand in the eyes of scouts. This is a Top 50 Players list, based on stats, impressions of guys I’ve seen and any other random pieces of information. It’s completely subjective, and it means nothing. Feel free to add your opinions in the comments section, and let me know if there are any glaring omissions. I will also note that it was difficult knowing where to put relievers, specifically set-up guys, so even the best ones are in the middle of the pack. I will do an updated list next week and every week until the end of the season. So, without further adieu:

1. Conor Gillaspie, Falmouth, 3B – Average, power, defense – the full package
2. Aaron Crow, Falmouth, RHP – Even in pitching-heavy league, numbers are eye-popping
3. Gordon Beckham, Y-D, SS – Best player on the best team
4. Kyle Gibson, Falmouth, RHP – Best freshman pitcher, and one of the best overall
5. Yonder Alonso, Brewster, 1B – OBP leader can do it all
6. Jason Castro, Y-D, C/OF – Average is sky-rocketing
7. Dan Brewer, Hyannis, OF – Showing a lot of pop
8. Jermaine Curtis, Chatham, 3B – Has been steady performer throughout
9. Reese Havens, Cotuit, SS – Big prospect is delivering
10. T.J. Hose, Bourne, RHP – Fast start and hasn’t slowed down
11. Allan Dykstra, Chatham, 1B – On fire lately
12. Shane Peterson, Hyannis, IF/OF – Leads the league in hits
13. Eddie Burns, Y-D, RHP – One of the few pitchers who’s winning consistently
14. Dennis Raben, Orleans, OF – RBI leader is fourth in home runs
15. Sean Ochinko, Y-D, 1B – Has seven HR and hits for average, too
16. Mike Colla, Brewster, RHP – Good ERA and K/BB
17. David Adams, Falmouth, 2B/SS – Extra-base hits machine
18. Nick Cassavechia, Y-D, RHP/CL – 10 saves and an ERA under 1.00
19. Brad Boxberger, Orleans, RHP – Has allowed only 15 hits in 29 IP
20. Wade Miley, Wareham, LHP – Strikeout leader
21. Collin Cowgill, Y-D, OF – Average and lots of XBH
22. Andy Oliver, Wareham, LHP – Big strikeout numbers, low ERA
23. Kevin Hoef, Bourne, 3B – Not much pop, but average is still up there
24. Scott Green, Y-D, RHP – Tall and putting up great numbers
25. D.J. Mitchell, Bourne, RHP – Good strikeout numbers
26. Matt Hague, Falmouth, OF – Consistent all year at the plate
27. Christian Friedrich, Falmouth, LHP – Good ERA, lots of strikeouts and a lefty
28. Aja Barto, Falmouth, OF – Flashing speed and power
29. Jordan Flasher, Bourne, RHP/CL – Best closer in the West
30. Tom Milone, Chatham, LHP – ERA is a little high, but five wins and great K/BB
31. Rob Catapano, Orleans, LHP – Reliever hasn’t allowed a run in 15 IP
32. Ben Guez, Bourne, OF – Average has dipped, but still third in RBI
33. Grant Green, Y-D, IF/OF – Four positions, good offense no matter which one
34. Matt Couch, Brewster, RHP – Solid No. 2 starter for Whitecaps
35. Evan Crawford, Harwich, LHP – 33 K in 22 IP in relief
36. Charlie Cutler, Brewster, OF – All-star has been steady
37. Cole Figueroa, Harwich, SS – One of the top freshmen in the league
38. Kevin Couture, Chatham, RHP – 1.04 ERA out of the pen
39. James Darnell, Hyannis, 3B – Average is low, but he’s fourth in HR
40. Stephen Penney, Hyannis, RHP – .87 ERA and 23 K out of the bullpen
41. Robert Stock, Cotuit, C – Probably the best catcher, at this point
42. Chris Hicks, Wareham, RHP/CL – Seven saves for a team that hasn’t won much
43. Lee Land, Brewster, RHP – Eight saves and 20 K in 20 IP
44. Josh Satin, Bourne, 1B – High OBP and driving in runs
45. Pat McAnaney, LHP – Solid ERA and strikeout numbers
46. Brian Pruitt, Bourne, OF – Average has fallen, but up there in RBI lead
47. Ketih Shinaberry, Brewster, LHP – Workhorse reliever still hasn’t walked anybody
48. Matt Daly, Hyannis, RHP – Inconsistent but does have the no-hitter
49. Blake Tekotte, Brewster, OF – Avg. isn’t great but leads in SB
50. Will Atwood, Orleans, LHP – Great numbers in setup role

Just missing the cut:

Buster Posey, Y-D
Joey Gonzales, Hyannis
Ryan Perry, Orleans
Kyle Day, Brewster
J.T. Wise, Harwich
Jeremy Bleich, Wareham
Johnny Giavotella, Harwich
Josh Phegley, Wareham (injured)
Trevor Holder, Y-D
Nate Freiman, Orleans
Aaron Luna, Y-D
Jeff Dietz, Wareham
Nick Christiani, Orleans
Charles Brewer, Chatham
Garrett Sherrill, Hyannis
Kyle Kamppi, Orleans
Sam Brown, Orleans
Dan Hudson, Harwich
Brett Graffy, Falmouth
Ollie Linton, Orleans
Joey Wong, Falmouth
Addison Johnson, Chatham
Terry Doyle, Y-D

*July 29: I removed Eric Surkamp from the list because he’s now with Team USA.

(Keep in mind: I wasn’t there so, in this case, I necessarily don’t know what I’m talking about. And there are no box scores up yet. I only know what the radio said.)

There was plenty of pitching this time around, and for one inning, there was just enough offense as the East squad beat the West 3-2 in the 45th annual Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game Saturday night at Clem Spillane Field.

A year after the game featured position players on the mound because of thin pitching staffs, the league — with some prodding from Major League Baseball and its scouts — didn’t let it happen again. They made sure by requiring teams to keep their all-star pitchers rested for Saturday’s game.

The result was two-and-a-half hours of dominant pitching, even if three hits in the fourth inning stole the show.

Locked in a scoreless tie, the East got things going when Brewster’s Yonder Alonso (Miami) got a base hit off Falmouth’s Christian Friedrich (Eastern Kentucky). Y-D shortstop Gordon Beckham (Georgia) followed with a double, scoring Alonso from first. Had catcher Robert Stock been able to corral the throw home, Alonso might have been out. Instead, the East had a 1-0 lead, and another runner in scoring position. Beckham took third on the throw home.

With league RBI leader Dennis Raben (Miami) at the plate, the East scratched its second run across without Raben’s help. Beckham scored on a wild pitch.

As it turned out, he was getting home no matter what. After Beckham scored, Raben crushed a solo home run to make it a 3-0 game. If the wild pitch stole an RBI from Raben, it didn’t steal too much of his thunder. The Orleans outfielder was named the East’s MVP, largely because his blast proved to be the game-winner.

The West squad got within two in the fourth then made it a one-run game on a solo home run by Hyannis’ James Darnell (South Carolina) in the fifth.

But that was as close as the West would get. East’s pitching staff flexed its muscles in keeping the one-run lead, and Orlean’s Ryan Perry (Arizona) pitched around a single by Dan Brewer (Bradley) in the ninth to close out the victory.

Falmouth pitcher Aaron Crow (Missouri) was named the West’s MVP for his work in the first inning. Crow started the game and struck out the side in the top of the first, continuing his dominant summer and setting the tone for the entire game.

In the pre-game festivities, Wareham’s Luke Murton (Georgia Tech) captured the Home Run Derby crown.

For those who didn’t listen, the radio broadcast featured some solid in-between-innings interviews. Asked about New Bedford’s quest for a Cape League team, Commisioner Paul Galop speculated that expansion wouldn’t be on the horizon any time soon. Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt was in attendance and sounded as enamored with the Cape League as the rest of us. And Jim Collins, the author of the spectacular book, the Last Best League, did a quick interview and mentioned one of the more intriguing human elements of a Cape League summer — the fact that, for these players who have always been the best, this is a crossroads, a place where everybody has always been the best, and only a handful keep that label.

More on the all-star game a little later.

I’ve often wondered just how much a Cape League season — good or bad — means to an individual player. That’s my big question. The first installment of the “my big question” series looked at the Cape league stats for some of the top draft picks in ’07. This is part two, a few words on the all-star game.

If players in the Cape Cod League are the best of the best, then the players in the Cape Cod League All-Star game could be called the best of the best of the best. Sure, not all the top prospects make the squad. And no, not all the players on all-star rosters will be high draft picks. But every single player in the all-star game deserves to be there — and that alone makes them the best of the best of the best.

For a Cape Leaguer, getting the all-star nod is a special kind of honor, one you’ve earned for yourself. It’s also a tremendous opportunity. At no other time this summer — and really, at no other time in their college careers — will so many scouts and so many scouts with so much pull be in attendance. The scouts are there, on one level, for one-stop shopping — they can see all the best players in one place on one day. They’re also on hand because the all-star game lets them see great players going against other great players. Having success in that environment can leave a lasting impression.

The good news: Cape League all-stars are no strangers to seizing opportunities. By earning an all-star selection, they’ve already seized the opportunity — they’ve taken their chance on the Cape and made the most of it.

Getting to the all-star game is their reward, the first real fruit of their labor. Judging from recent history, it won’t be the only fruit.

Fifty-two players were selected to the 2006 Cape League All-Star game. Of those players, 45 were eligible for the 2007 Major League Draft. Thirty-eight of them were drafted.

The ones who weren’t may very well be drafted next year, and the freshmen in last year’s game will almost certainly be drafted in ’08. That means that almost every player donning an all-star uniform will get drafted.

Obviously, non-all-stars get drafted, too, and go on to great careers. But the fact remains: if you’re a Cape League all-star, you’re on yor way to some big things.

A little late, but diving right in…

6:44 – It’s the bottom of the third. Nick Cassavecchia is pitching for the East. I have no idea what the score is. I’ve been listening online for three minutes and they haven’t told me.

6:49 – Reese Havens singles with two outs, putting runners on first and third. Apparently, this is the first scoring threat so it must still be 0-0.

6:51 – Shane Peterson grounds out to end the inning. After three, 0-0.

6:52 – They’re pre-empting A Prairie Home Companion for this.

6:53 – Strikeout artist Christian Friedrich is on for the West.

6:55 – Crowd estimated at 5,000.

6:57 – Brewster’s Yonder Alonso gets the first hit of the night for the East . . . then scores from first on a double by Gordon Beckham

7:00 – Beckham trots home on a wild pitch . . . he would have come home anyway as Dennis Raben cranks a solo home run, making it 3-0

7:06 – Friedrich leaves after getting the second out of the inning on a strikeout . . . still 3-0 . . . T.J. Hose into the game

7:16 – The East goes to another relief pitcher instead of a starter as Orlean’s Will Atwood comes on

7:28 – Still 3-1. Kyle Gibson into the game for the West. Also, they’re saying Buster Posey started the game at catcher. Wasn’t Jason Castro supposed to start?

7:35 – This game is moving . . . mid-fifth, still 3-1

7:36 – Hyannis’ James Darnell hits a home run off Evan Crawford, making it 3-2

8:08 – Still 3-2 . . . The only thing that’s happened is more great pitching

8:24 – Heading to the ninth . . . Luke Burnett on for the West, trying to keep it a one-run game

8:39 – One out in the bottom of the ninth . . . Ryan Perry is in to close it out for the East

8:41 – Dan Brewer keeps the West alive with a base hit . . . That brings up Ben Guez, who already has two hits

8:44 – Perry gets Guez on a check-swing third strike . . . that’s the ballgame

LAST NIGHT

• Chatham posted a 5-4 victory over Orleans and Brewster lost to Hyannis, meaning the A’s head into the all-star break with a six-point cushion for second place . . . Chatham’s Tom Milone allowed two runs in six innings and the A’s held on for the win . . . Jermaine Curtis went 2-for-5 with three RBI
• The race for second in the West is suddenly closer than it is in the East . . . Cotuit exploded for a 13-1 victory over Falmouth, and with Hyannis’ win, Falmouth has just a four-point lead . . . Cotuit’s Curtis Dupart paced the offensive attack with a 3-for-4, three RBI night . . . Two weeks ago, Dupart was hitting .196, but he’s now at .242 . . . The freshman from Georgia Tech was a 31st-round pick out of high school
• Hyannis beat Brewster 12-2 behind four RBI by Dan Brewer and eight solid innings from Austin Hudson, who allowed just one earned run
• Bourne’s Mitch Moreland geared up to defend his home run debry title as he hit a two-run home run in the Braves’ 5-3 victory over Wareham
• Jason Castro kept up his recent torrid pace with a 3-for-3 day as Y-D beat Harwich . . . Castro is now hitting .368, just behind Conor Gillaspie for the league lead . . . Gillaspie raised his average from .367 to .372 with a 2-for-4 day in Falmouth’s loss

TONIGHT

• All-Star Game, 6 p.m., Wareham
• A radio broadcast will be available on NPR’s Cape Cod stations (FM 90.1, 91.1 and 94.3) . . . It will also be available online at http://www.wgbh.org/cainan/ (click the listen button)
• NESN will broadcast the game on tape delay Monday night at 7 p.m.
• Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the all-star game. Work keeps getting in the way of blogging. The guys at Codball indicated they may be doing some live updates from the game, depending on wifi connections . . . If I get home in time, I’ll do some updates based on the radio broadcast, and I’ll also post some impressions after watching on NESN Monday night
  

As I was looking at some stats for the guys I had listed as all-star snubs, I realized something: a lot of them saw their batting averages drop over the last week. So I investigated further, and indeed, a lot of guys everywhere saw their batting averages drop this week.

Now, I haven’t done this on a week-to-week basis, so maybe it’s something that happens every week, since this is a pitchers’ league. But I don’t think so. I think there’s a downward trend, something that probably happens every year. And this is just about the right time for it. Players have been on the Cape for six weeks. They’ve played nearly every day, something they haven’t done much in their careers. They’re tired.

And the hitters are more tired. The pitchers, they may be fatigued, but starters are still just going every five days, maybe more. It’s the everyday players who are getting worn down.

Here’s a closer look at the numbers.

TEAM	PLAYERS WITH AVG. UP	PLAYERS WITH AVG. DOWN
Bourne	3	9
Brewster	4	7
Chatham	7	6
Cotuit	5	8
Falmouth	7	4
Harwich	3	9
Hyannis	6	7
Orleans	4	7
Wareham	6	7
Y-D	7	6

So, six teams have more guys with falling averages than guys with rising averages. Interestingly, the three who have things going the other way — Chatham, Falmouth, and Y-D — are near the top of the standings.

A look at team batting averages.

TEAM	JULY 21	JULY 27
Bourne	.272	.260 (-12)
Brewster	.249	.247 (-2)
Chatham	.256	.257 (+1)
Cotuit	.248	.244 (-4)
Falmouth	.247	.248 (+1)
Harwich	.232	.231 (-1)
Hyannis	.245	.243 (-2)
Orleans	.225	.220 (-5)
Wareham	.224	.214 (-10)
Y-D	.272	.272 (0)

Most teams have seen their averages drop, and the ones who haven’t are essentially holding steady. The biggest positive change is one point.

As far as players go, the guys who had higher batting averages feel the brunt of struggles a little more, or at least their averages do. Bourne’s Kevin Hoef, for instance, was hitting .350 on July 21. With a 1-for-13 stretch, he’s down to .312.

I find it very interesting that the all-star selections came right before the dog days. As a result, a lot of guys who got the nod find themselves in slumps right now. Of the 12 hitters on the West squad, 10 have had their averages take a dip this week. It’s a little better in the East where only seven of 12 have seen a drop.

The players you have to be most impressed with are the guys who are on the upswing. And while we can give some credit to guys who were struggling and are now improving, it’s the guys who were doing well and are now fighting through the dog days to keep doing well that really deserve some kudos. In some sense, the upswings for these players are perhaps just a hot streak at a time when most players aren’t on hot streaks. But the fact that these players had gotten off to fast starts and are doing even better now, is still impressive in my book.

A few players who fit that bill:

PLAYER	JULY 21	JULY 27
Jason Castro – Y-D	.333	.350 (+17)
Yonder Alonso – Brewster	.316	.342 (+26)
Jermaine Curtis – Chatham	.299	.320 (+21)
Collin Cowgill – Y-D	.301	.310 (+9)
Dennis Raben – Orleans	.272	.298 (+26)
Allan Dykstra – Chatham	.306	.322 (+16)
Conor Gillaspie – Falmouth	.356	.367 (+11)
Reese Havens – Cotuit	.299	.311 (+12)

Gillaspie is probably the most impressive of that bunch, because a .356 average is pretty difficult to raise. He did it with seven hits in 17 at-bats. Alonso had a big week with 10 hits in 22 at-bats.

So that’s about all I have. Any way you slice it, I think it’s been a pretty rough week for hitters.