all-star game viewer’s guide, part one

(Consider this the All-Star Game overview. Part two will offer a detailed look at all the players.)

Chatham will be hopping on Saturday.

Fans, scouts and the best college baseball players in the country will converge on Veterans Field for the Cape Cod League All-Star Game. It’s a game that’s always the greatest spectacle of a Cape League summer, and, really, it goes beyond that. Essentially, it’s the only time in the year that this much amateur baseball talent will play on one field.

So you don’t want to miss it.

How much talent is there? It varies from year to year. I get the feeling that the league isn’t quite as top heavy this year as it was last year, when five Cape League all-stars went on to become top 10 picks in the June draft.

But players still have time to emerge, and the All-Star game may be their best opportunity yet to turn some heads. Remember last year? Aaron Crow was absolutely dominant when he struck out the side in the first inning, so dominant that he earned MVP honors despite pitching just that one inning. Crow had a great summer all around, but that one performance made believers out of dozens of scouts and baseball higher-ups. Crow was the ninth pick in this year’s draft.

Plenty of players are candidates to leave that kind of impression this year, and they’ll all be trying to do it. But they’ll be having fun, too. The Cape League sometimes seems like just a stop on the journey, but it’s a journey in and of itself, too.

For the players in the All-Star game, this is one part of the journey they’re sure to remember.

The Nitty-Gritty

Get there early . . .
2 p.m. – Gates open to public
2:45 – East Batting Practice / West Autograph / Media
3:30 – West Batting Practice / East Autographs / Media
4:30 – East Infield
4:45 – West Infield
5:00 – Baseball Factory Home Run Hitting Contest
6:15 – All Star Player Introductions / Lineup
6:30 – Presentation of colors and National Anthem
6:50 – First Pitch Ceremony
7:00 – 46th CCBL All-Star Game

Ten to Watch

Here’s a quick rundown of the top players you’ll see in Chatham on Saturday.
1. Grant Green, Chatham – The East’s starting shortstop is one of the favorites to win the league’s MVP award at the end of the season. He’s also a likely first-round pick next June.
2. Bryce Stowell, Bourne – A 22nd-round pick this year, the UC-Irvine righthander has been completely dominant this summer. He’ll start for the West.
3. Brandon Workman, Wareham – Probably the top freshman on the Cape, the Texas flamethrower leads the league in strikeouts.
4. Marc Krauss, Bourne – Right on Green’s heels in the MVP race, Krauss has burst onto the scene with huge numbers.
5. Chris Dominguez, Hyannis – Home run king is a threat to launch one 400 feet every time he’s in the batter’s box.
6. Ben Tootle, Falmouth – Small school, big arm. Tootle, from Jacksonville State in Alabama, throws harder than anyone on the Cape. He’s liable to hit 96 or 97 on radar guns.
7. A.J. Pollock, Falmouth – Maybe the best pure hitter in the league, Pollock stands a good chance of winning the batting title.
8. Andrew Carraway, Hyannis – A junior who went undrafted, Carraway is making teams look foolish for not picking him. He’s second in the league in strikeouts.
9. Nick McCully, Bourne – Righty from Coastal Carolina has been one of the league’s most consistent starting pitchers.
10. Nick Liles, Y-D – One of the most exciting players to watch on the Cape. Liles leads the league with 14 stolen bases.

Starter Kit

If the West coaching staff decides to use starting pitchers one inning after another, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them get to the sixth with a shutout intact. Bryce Stowell, Brandon Workman, Andrew Carraway, Nick McCully, Dallas Keuchel and Seth Blair are probably the top six starting pitchers in the league. Only Matt Thomson and Sammy Solis from the East could come close to cracking that list.

And the Bullpen . . .

So maybe we could go ahead and make it nine shutout innings. Reliever Ben Tootle will blow people away while closers Eric Pettis and Russell Brewer are two of the three best in the league.

Look, Real Second Basemen!

Because of a lack of second-base talent last year, the All-Star starters at second were a shortstop and a third baseman. But Nick Liles and Jimmy Cesario get the call this year. Both have actually seen significant time at second.

Youth is Served

Eight freshmen will be on the field, and some of them may be serious prospects come 2010. After all, if you’re a Cape League All-Star after your freshmen year, you’re doing something right. The list: LHP Brian Dupra, SS D.J. LeMahieu, LHP Sammy Solis and RHP Martin Viramontes in the East; RHP Seth Blair, RHP Russell Brewer, DH Kevin Patterson and RHP Brandon Workman in the West.

Back for More . . . Sort Of

Chatham closer Brad Boxberger is the only player who earned a trip to the All-Star game for the second year in a row. But last year, Boxberger was injured and didn’t even play.

The Lone Tar Heel

North Carolina annually sends more players to the Cape than any other school. It’s a shoo-in that a few will make the All-Star game, but this year, only one got the nod — and it’s not the one you’d think. Dustin Ackley, Kyle Seager and Matt Harvey may have the hype, but it’s catcher Mark Fleury who will be on the field Saturday. Fleury didn’t have an everyday job this spring, but he’s hitting .302 this summer.

Southpaw Central

The West has one lefthanded pitcher, Dallas Keuchel. The East? How about five? Sammy Solis and Chris Manno are the best of the bunch.

Derby Wagering?

If I were a betting man, I would pick Chris Dominguez to win the home run derby. I know, I’m really going out on a limb. He only has eight home runs this year.

Eastern Division, Western Flavor

Eleven of the Eastern Division’s 21 All-Stars play at California colleges.

Infield Pop

The West’s starting infield of Ben Paulsen, Jimmy Cesario, Chris Dominguez and Dusty Coleman has combined for 15 home runs and 87 RBI. The East? Nine home runs and 52 RBI.

The Bright Lights

NESN will broadcast the game live for the first time ever. In years past, it’s been broadcast on tape delay.

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