2012 Early Look: Cotuit Kettleers

Cotuit Kettleers
Manager: Mike Roberts
2012 Record: 16-25-3

Last year wasn’t just the first losing season for Cotuit in three years, it was also the first time in three years that the Kettleers didn’t make the Cape Cod Baseball League championship series.

That’s not an indictment of last year’s team. It’s more of a testament to just how remarkable it was for Cotuit to have so much success for three years in a row. In any summer league, that’s hard to do.

And that’s why it’s easy to envision more success for the Kettleers this summer. They may only end up with one returning player, but they’ve got plenty of talent coming in and a proven winner at the helm in Mike Roberts.

They may just start a new streak.

Roster Rundown
Returning Players: 2
Juniors: 1
Sophomores: 17
Freshmen: 5

Notable

I’ve made note of him before, but Raph Rhymes is quite a story. He flirted with a .500 batting average this year for LSU — after he had to leave the school two years ago because there wasn’t room on the roster. Rhymes is a junior and is likely to get drafted, so his Cape status may be up in the air. I’ve heard him mentioned as a fifth to sixth round kind of guy, so it’s still possible that he’ll make his way to Cotuit.

If Dylan Covey pitches in Orleans as expected, Tyler Beede won’t be the highest draft pick playing on the Cape. But he’ll be close. Covey was the 14th overall pick in 2010, while Beede was drafted 21st overall in 2011. Beede has had some ups and downs with Vanderbilt this spring, but I would expect a break out this summer.

Kevin Ziomek and Bobby Wahl are the only returning players on the roster, but Wahl has been invited to Team USA, so Ziomek may be the only one. Wahl had a tremendous summer last year and has followed it up with an awesome spring. Ziomek had somewhat high ERA’s with Cotuit last year and Vandy this spring, but he has posted great strikeout numbers. He’s another guy who could have a coming-out party this summer.

Wahl was Cotuit’s closer last year. He moved into the rotation this spring, and that coupled with the Team USA invite, means he may not be the closer again for the Kettleers. It looks like they’ve got a ready-made replacement though. Notre Dame’s Dan Slania was one of the top closers in the nation this spring.

It’s not secret that Cotuit manager Mike Roberts likes his teams to run, and he’s got a good stable of horses coming in again. Tony Kemp and Jacob May look like the top speedsters.

Cotuit has two freshmen catchers on the roster who will probably garner a lot of attention. Hunter Lockwood was a 17th-round pick out of high school last year, while Aramis Garcia was drafted in the 20th round.

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Tyler Beede
2. Raph Rhymes
3. Bobby Wahl
4. Dan Slania
5. Tony Kemp

Pitchers

Tyler Beede – RHP – 6’4 205 – Vanderbilt – Freshman
Joe Broussard – RHP – 6’0 200 – LSU – Sophomore
Kyle Finnegan – RHP – 6’2 175 – Texas State – Sophomore
Mike Ford – RHP/1B – 6’0 210 – Princeton – Sophomore
Cameron Griffin – LHP – 6’1 205 – Stetson – Sophomore
Dusty Isaacs – RHP – 6’1 190 – Georgia Tech – Sophomore
Jordan Ramsey – RHP – 6’4 195 – UNC Wilmington – Freshman
Dan Slania – RHP – 6’5 265 – Notre Dame – Sophomore
Jordan Smith – RHP – 6’1 210 – Western Carolina – Sophomore
*Bobby Wahl – RHP – 6’3 200 – Ole Miss – Sophomore
*Kevin Ziomek – LHP – 6’3 200 – Vanderbilt – Sophomore

Tyler Beede – RHP – 6’4 205
Vanderbilt
Freshman

A native of Auburn, Mass., Beede is the latest in a line of top-flight pitchers who went to college despite getting drafted in the first round. He was picked 21st by the Blue Jays but didn’t sign and headed to Vanderbilt. His first season hasn’t been everything the hype machine expected, but he’s still shown flashes while going 1-4 with a 4.29 ERA.

Joe Broussard – RHP – 6’0 200
LSU
Sophomore

Broussard had an ERA over five as a freshman reliever last year, but has made himself into a reliable arm this spring. Broussard has made 11 appearances out of the bullpen and six starts. He’s 4-1 with a 3.43 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 39.1 innings of work.

Kyle Finnegan – RHP – 6’2 175
Texas State
Sophomore

Finnegan pitched only briefly as a freshman with Texas State but he emerged as a reliable starter with solid numbers this year. Finnegan finished with a 5-6 record, a 3.28 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 93.1 innings.

Mike Ford – RHP/1B – 6’0 210
Princeton
Sophomore

Ford was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 2011 after shining as both a pitcher and a first baseman. It was more of the same this year, as Ford hit .272 with 31 RBI and went 4-4 with a 3.60 ERA on the mound.

Cameron Griffin – LHP – 6’1 205
Stetson
Sophomore

Griffin has been busy in his two years at Stetson, making 30 appearances last year and 35 this year. He posted a 4.88 ERA this season while striking out better than a batter an inning.

Dusty Isaacs – RHP – 6’1 190
Georgia Tech
Sophomore

Isaacs was a standout reliever last year, posting a 2.72 ERA and striking out more than a batter an inning in 25 appearances. This year has been more of a struggle. Isaacs has an ERA over seven.

Jordan Ramsey – RHP – 6’4 195
UNC Wilmington
Freshman

Ramsey was a 28th-round pick out of high school and has been a solid starter in his debut season with the Colonial Athletic Association champion Seahawks. Ramsey is 4-3 with a 4.36 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 66 innings.

Dan Slania – RHP – 6’5 265
Notre Dame
Sophomore

Slania had a strong debut as Notre Dame’s top setup man last year. This year, he became the team’s primary closer and was outstanding. He finished with 13 saves, a 2.03 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 31 innings of action. Slania was named second-team all-Big East.

Jordan Smith – RHP – 6’1 210
Western Carolina
Sophomore

Smith has been a starter every step of the way for the Catamounts. After struggling a bit last year, he became the team’s top start this year, going 4-5 with a 3.48 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 95.2 innings pitcher.

Bobby Wahl – RHP – 6’3 200
Ole Miss
Sophomore

Wahl is on Team USA’s roster so he may not make it back to the Cape, but if he does, he’ll be among the league’s top returning pitchers. After excelling as a closer for Cotuit last year, Wahl moved into the Rebels’ starting rotation and has gone 6-3 with a 2.26 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 87.2 innings.

Kevin Ziomek – LHP – 6’3 200
Vanderbilt
Sophomore

Another Massachusetts native who’s at Vanderbilt, Ziomek will return to Cotuit for a second season. He had a 4.36 ERA for the Kettleers in six games last summer. This spring, Ziomek has gone 5-6 with a 4.97 ERA while striking out 75 in 76 innings.

Position Players

Cael Brockmeyer – C – 6’5 230 – CSU Bakersfield – Sophomore
Aramis Garcia – C – 6’2 200 – Florida International – Freshman
Tony Kemp – OF – 5’6 165 – Vanderbilt – Sophomore
Tim Kiene – INF – 6’4 240 – Maryland – Sophomore
Hunter Lockwood – C – 5’11 195 – Oklahoma – Freshman
Jacob May – OF – 5’10 180 – Coastal Carolina – Sophomore
Adam Nelubowich – OF – 6’2 190 – Washington State – Sophomore
Raph Rhymes – OF – 5’11 176 – LSU – Junior
James Roberts – INF – 6’2 205 – USC – Sophomore
Jacob Valdez – INF – 5’9 185 – San Jose State – Sophomore

Cael Brockmeyer – C – 6’5 230
CSU Bakersfield
Sophomore

Brockmeyer didn’t have a great freshman season at Bakersfield but went to Alaska for the summer and earned all-star honors. This spring, he hit .285 with a team-best six home runs and 31 RBI.

Aramis Garcia – C – 6’2 200
Florida International
Freshman

An athletic catcher, Garcia was a 20th-round pick in last year’s draft, but opted to head to FIU, where he had a strong freshman season. Garcia hit .271 while popping six home runs and driving in 29.

Tony Kemp – OF – 5’6 165
Vanderbilt
Sophomore

Kemp was the SEC Freshman of the Year after hitting .329 and stealing 17 bases last season. He then hit .292 in the Northwoods League to cap off his debut season. This spring, Kemp has hit .271 with 19 extra-base hits, 30 RBI and 17 steals.

Tim Kiene – INF – 6’4 240
Maryland
Sophomore

Kiene hit .279 as a freshman for the Terps. That dipped to .241 this year, but Kiene flashed some pop with six home runs and seven doubles. Kiene, a Connecticut native, was a 30th round pick out of high school.

Hunter Lockwood – C – 5’11 195
Oklahoma
Freshman

Lockwood was drafted in the 17th round out of high school in Texas but stuck with his plans to attend Oklahoma and has had a strong freshman season with the Sooners. While he’s hitting only .250, his 11 home runs lead the team. He’s also second on the squad with 39 RBI.

Jacob May – OF – 5’10 180\
Coastal Carolina
Sophomore

May had a solid freshman season then did well in the Northwoods, hitting .296 and making Baseball America’s top league prospects list at No. 26. This spring, he’s been a dynamic player for the Chants, hitting .289 with 25 stolen bases.

Adam Nelubowich – OF – 6’2 190
Washington State
Sophomore

A native of Alberta, Canada, Nelubowich was drafted in the 14th round out of high school back in 2009. Now a redshirt sophomore, Nelubowich hit .254 this spring with four homers and 36 RBI.

Raph Rhymes – OF – 5’11 176
LSU
Junior

Rhymes has had an incredible year for LSU, one of the best years by a college hitter in many a moon. Rhymes finished the year with a .469 batting average and flirted with .500 for a lot of the year. He was recently named the SEC Player of the Year.

James Roberts – INF – 6’2 205
USC
Sophomore

Roberts was a late-round draft pick in 2010 and has had two pretty good seasons in L.A. After hitting .279 last year, he batted .289 with 24 RBI this season.

Jacob Valdez – INF – 5’9 185
San Jose State
Sophomore

Valdez had a strong freshman season for the Spartans in 2011, hitting .307 with 10 doubles. This year, he hit .246 with a homer and 12 RBI.