catchers catching up, etc.

For the most part, Cape League catchers had a rough go of it in the early going. Many of the starters had batting averages hovering in the low .200’s.

Things looked similar to last year. There was serious catching talent — Buster Posey and Jason Castro were top 10 picks — but the depth wasn’t quite there. At least, not at the level of the year before, when five Cape League catchers went in the first round and compensation round.

But with the late arrival of several top players and the emergence of several who have been on the Cape from the beginning, the catching crop suddenly looks a lot deeper.

The depth is most pronounced on the Y-D roster. The Red Sox have three sophomore catchers who have all made big headlines at various points in their careers. LSU’s Sean Ochinko, in his second year on the Cape, has caught off and on, and he’s been behind the plate only twice this summer. After hitting over .300 with eight home runs last summer, Ochinko is stuck at .179. The other two guys are off to better starts. Tony Sanchez, a Boston College sophomore, is hitting .292 with two home runs and 13 RBI. Ryan Ortiz, who had a breakout year at Oregon State, was a Team USA invitee but came to the Cape instead. He’s hitting .370 with eight RBI.

Another Team USA invitee, Tommy Medica, found his way to Harwich. The Santa Clara sophomore has hit .304 in his first 10 games and he may leave the Cape as the league’s top catching prospect.

Robert Stock will be in that conversation as well. The USC sophomore, who skipped his senior year of high school to enroll at USC, was a Cape League all-star last season. His numbers haven’t been quite as good this year — he’s hitting .227 — but he’s still a player to watch.

One of the more steady catchers iin the league is Falmouth’s Trevor Coleman. The Missouri sophomore played for Team USA last summer, so he’s highly-thought of. This summer, he’s hitting .278 with 10 RBI.

The final standout is Central Michigan’s Dale Cornstubble. In his second year with Hyannis, Cornstubble has taken his reputation as a defensive star and added offense to the mix. He missed some time with injury but is hitting .275.

Then there are a few guys who haven’t had much of a chance yet, but who could make a splash. Stanford’s Brent Milleville will be at DH most of the time this summer in Brewster, but he may project as a catcher. In nine games since arriving from the College World Series, Milleville has 13 hits.

Milleville’s Brewster teammate Yasmani Grandal, another CWS participant, may have the most upside of any catcher in the league. A freshman from Miami, Grandal was a mainstay in the Hurricanes’ lineup by the end of the season. He has only played in three games so far, but he has three hits.

Random Notes

• Russell Brewer finally allowed a run . . . but he still got a save. The Hyannis closer came on in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game with the Mets leading 4-2. He worked out of a jam in the eighth before his offense gave him some insurance heading to the ninth. Brewer then allowed the first two runs he’s allowed all year but, thanks to that insurance, he held on to pick up the save. He now has 10 of them and a 1.50 ERA.

• Wareham’s Blake Dean broke out of a slump with a 3-for-3 performance last night. Dean, who was one of the top players in the country for LSU this year, is a guy who could carry the Gatemen. He arrived late, though, and is still trying to find his way. His average currently sits at .222.

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