There will be many, many roster additions in the coming weeks, but I don’t know how many will be as big as a couple that stand out on the Cape League’s latest updated roster list.
The three that caught my eye the most are Austin Wilson in Harwich, Jared King in Falmouth and Dominic Ficociello in Orleans.
Wilson played for Harwich last year, and though he didn’t have a great summer statistically (.204 AVG, 1 HR), he was still one of the top prospects in the league. Perfect Game had him ranked No. 3 overall. Wilson wasn’t on early Harwich rosters but is there now. He’s hitting .308 with eight home runs for Stanford this spring.
Another guy who wasn’t on an early roster but is set to return is King, a standout at Kansas State. He also had his struggles on the Cape last summer in Falmouth, but he has been one of the top hitters in the Big 12 this spring. He’s hitting .376 with five home runs, 12 doubles and 40 RBI.
Ficociello was a 23rd-round pick out of high school and had a huge freshman season at Arkansas last year. He then played with Team USA. Now, Ficociello has popped up on the Orleans roster. He’s hitting .323 with four home runs and 32 RBI.
A good read on former Harwich closer Blake Hauser, who’s having a terrific season as VCU’s closer. Hauser had never been a closer before the Mariners tried him there last summer. He has continued in that role this spring and has been brilliant, striking out 54 in 28.1 innings.
I posted a note about LSU’s Raph Rhymes a while ago. The junior, who’s ticketed for Cotuit, was hitting almost .500 at the time. You’d think, more than a month later, that he would not be hitting close to .500 anymore. You’d be right — because he is not hitting an even .500. His average has gone up. It’s pretty ridiculous. Rhymes has been one of the great stories in college baseball this year.
Baseball America’s Jim Callis has come out with his first mock draft of the year. He has former Cape Leaguer Mark Appel going No. 1 overall to the Astros. The first round includes 10 total Cape Leaguers, and the first six college players off the board all played on the Cape.
I can’t remember the last time we got a player from Arkansas. How did Y-D miss out on Dominic Ficociello?
I saw both games in which Mark Appel pitched on the Cape in 2011. He was brilliant against Bourne, and very good against Orleans in the playoffs. No question, he’s a great talent, and worthy of Number 1 overall MLB draft consideration. But how many great pitching prospects wash out, and never make it to the Bigs? If I were a MLB GM with the Number 1 pick, I’d think seriously about catcher Mike Zunino out of Florida (Y-D, 2011). I think most would agree that MLB caliber catchers are hard to find, and this kid is an absolute monster. Offensively, and defensively, the kid looks like a sure-fire bet to be a great MLB player. I think he’s the best Cape League prospect since Buster Posey.
Orville – Good point about Y-D. They almost always have the Arkansas guys. Maybe because he was a late addition?
Joe – It probably comes down to upside, and to some extent, the sexiness of a first pick. All I know is I would be happy to end up with Zunino if I got him.