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Midseason Awards

The halfway point of the season always sneaks up on me. We’re roughly there now, with a couple of teams just past it and a few more right on the number.

It’s been an interesting year – not quite as eye-popping as last summer, but with some good storylines. Stars are starting to emerge, and these guys are the best of the best with 22 games in the books.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Kevin Cron, Falmouth

Cron’s teammate Rhys Hoskins has been the front-runner all season in my book, but in a 22-game sample size, one hot streak can mean a lot.

And Cron is on one.

He’s been steady all summer, with a nine-game hitting streak at one point, and in the last week, he’s been on fire.

At the halfway mark, Cron ranked fourth in the league in hitting at .367. He sat second in home runs with four. He led in RBI with 20. Cron’s triple-slash line was .367/.444/.620.

A former third-round pick, Cron had a great freshman season at TCU in 2012 but followed with a shaky sophomore year. It’s safe to say he’s back on track.

IN THE RUNNING

Rhys Hoskins, Falmouth
Dante Flores, Chatham
Mike Ford, Cotuit
Ian Happ, Harwich
Jose Brizuela, Brewster
Skyler Ewing, Hyannis
Jimmy Pickens, Chatham
Chris Marconcini, Orleans
D.J. Stewart, Y-D
Max Pentecost, Bourne

 

OUTSTANDING PITCHER

Erick Fedde, Y-D

This was the toughest of the three awards to pick. Nobody has run through the league with dominant outing after dominant outing. Fedde gets the nod with a blend of dominance, steadiness and durability.

The rising junior at UNLV delivered the best start of opening night and has kept doing it pretty much every step of the way.

In five starts, he leads the league in innings pitched with 30.2. He owns a 2.35 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, a league-high 26 strikeouts and just eight walks. Opponents are hitting just .204 against him.

IN THE RUNNING

Aaron Bummer, Harwich
Jaron Long, Bourne
Andrew McGee, Chatham
Bobby Poyner, Orleans
Ryan Kellogg, Bourne
Justin Kamplain, Brewster
Andrew Thome, Hyannis
Chandler Shepherd, Harwich
Lukas Schiraldi, Chatham

 

OUTSTANDING RELIEF PITCHER

Matt Troupe, Orleans

Troupe is one off the league-leading saves pace of Hyannis’ Eric Eck, but Troupe has been as dominant as any pitcher in the league.

The Arizona junior has five saves to go with a 0.00 ERA. He has struck out 16 and walked four in just 8.1 innings, giving him an eye-popping K/9 ratio of 17.3.

It’s still early, so that K/9 number will probably go down. But in the last four years, among pitchers with a good amount of innings, the highest number was around 15.

However it shakes out, it’s a safe bet Troupe will continue to dominate.

IN THE RUNNING

Eric Eck, Hyannis
Trace Dempsey, Bourne
Jacob Dorris, Chatham
Darrell Hunter, Y-D
Brian Miller, Cotuit
Sarkis Ohanian, Hyannis
Joel Seddon, Cotuit
Bradley Roney, Wareham
Patrick Corbett, Cotuit
Chad Sobotka, Chatham
Ryan Riga, Wareham
 

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Midseason Report: Summer Stories

Bear with me for a moment, Cape League fans.

My friend Matt and I decided several years ago that we don’t love the National Football League. Since we’re probably the only people in America who feel this way, we’ve crafted a pretty good argument over the years to make ourselves feel better about being so positively un-American.

The gist of said argument is that the NFL’s oft-praised parity has actually robbed the league of its story and its drama. If you’re a fan of one team, you love parity. Your team might be really bad one year but it won’t take much to turn it around. But if you’re trying to be a fan of the NFL in general, good luck.

Stories and drama are the lifeblood of that kind of fandom, and there just isn’t any in the NFL. The Titans beat the Texans? Is that an upset? I have no idea. The Raiders and Chiefs combined for nine field goals? Awesome. What a game. There are no dominant teams, no terrible teams. Classic games are few and far between because there are so few favorite-and-underdog story lines, so few heroes and villains. We’re just watching 22 guys hit each other.

Stories make sports go for me, and the games of the NFL are often story-less.

Which brings me back to the Cape Cod Baseball League. It’s probably no secret that I love it. I’m obsessed with it. But sometimes parity reigns too supreme and the league veers into that no story lines, every-team-is-the-same territory.

In 2012, the league is nowhere near that place.

The Harwich Mariners are the most powerful team the league has seen in years. Cast them as the favorites.

But there’s a foil. The pesky Orleans Firebirds don’t seem like they’re as good, but they just might be. And Yarmouth-Dennis? That team can hit. Plus, you’ve got Falmouth, quietly minding its own business as the West leader, knowing that Harwich and Orleans can’t play each other for the championship.

The rest of the teams in the league fit in with the parity of years’ past, but because so many teams have stood out, the rest have a role, too. They’re the challengers.

I love these stories, and they don’t end with the teams. The characters are pretty good too.

The home run hitters are like the superheroes of the Cape League season, or the villains if you like pitching. On the other side, there’s a small crew of starting pitchers who are dominating in between the home runs. The top four or five pitchers in the league are as good as we’ve seen in years.

Story lines abound. Will the favorites stay strong? Will Harwich break into the record books? Will Phillip Ervin keep hitting home runs? Will Dylan Clark ever walk anybody?

I could go on and on. The point is that, in my book, the really fun 2012 Cape League season has been really fun because of its stories. The summer so far has a strong narrative, and the drama is on display every night.

The best news? It’s only half over.

I can’t wait for the rest of the chapters.