Early Look: Falmouth

FALMOUTH COMMODORES
Manager: Jeff Trundy
2008 Record: 23-20-1

The past two seasons, the Falmouth Commodores have hovered around .500. On the surface, that doesn’t seem like a spectacular standard to live up to.

But a deeper look reveals that the last two seasons in Falmouth have been more than a little special. For one thing, the Commodores have parlayed those .500 records into back-to-back playoff appearances, the first time that’s happened for the franchise this decade.

Then there’s the talent.

The last two MVP’s — A.J. Pollock and Conor Gillaspie — wore a Falmouth uniform. Two years ago, the pitching staff was historically good, with four players who got picked in the first or second round of last year’s draft, and another — Kyle Gibson — who will be a first-round pick this year. Last year, the pitching staff was anchored by Ben Tootle, who lit up radar guns more often than anybody else in the league.

So there is, in fact, quite a bit to live up to. In terms of getting there, I’ll say this: there are a large number of possibilities.

And I mean that literally.

As of this writing, the Commodores have 39 players on their roster. They’ve got guys who will get drafted in the first three rounds. They’ve got juniors who might want another summer to prove themselves. They’ve got junior college stars itching for a chance to showcase themselves against tougher competition. They’ve got sophomores ready for their big summer. They’ve got hyped freshmen.

In short, they have everything.

Eventually, they won’t. You can’t have 39 players on a roster. But for now, you can get excited about the possibilities.

By my count, 10 players currently on the roster could get drafted this June. Some could end up in Falmouth anyway. Kentrail Davis would become perhaps the top position player prospect in the league if he comes. Trevor Coleman would be the most veteran of presences behind the plate. Mitch Mormann would assume Tootle’s spot as resident flamethrower.

The draft isn’t the only if. Hunter Morris has been invited to Team USA for a second straight year. If he comes to Falmouth, he’ll be a potential home run champion.

With all those players, things will be up in the air for awhile. Even if they don’t make it to Falmouth, though, the cupboard won’t be bare.

The pitching staff looks particularly strong, with a mix of potential and production. The offense shouldn’t be any slouch, either, with Chad Mozingo, Brian Fletcher and Todd Cunningham looking like guys who can lead the way.

The way things look right now, it’ll be awhile before we see how this Falmouth team shapes up. But whichever combination of possibilities you throw out there, it’s looking pretty good.

Roster Rundown
Returning Players: 7
Juniors: 6
Sophomores: 16
Freshmen: 17

Notable

• I can’t get over how many players are on this roster. In writing the stuff up above, I found myself forgetting about the players whose bios I wrote before the roster update. It’s almost like Falmouth has two teams.
• It will be very interesting to see how it shakes out, but having 10 draft-eligible players will take care of a lot of it.
• I saw Team USA play the Newport Gulls last year and Kentrail Davis was the player I was most impressed with. He’s short and squat, so he doesn’t have the kind of build that makes you take notice. But he absolutely crushes the ball. They say the ball sounds different off a great hitter’s bat, and that’s the way it was with Davis. Falmouth may just be a backup plan for him since he’s a draft-eligbile sophomore, but I’d love to see him.
• Hunter Morris is another “maybe,” who would be a huge addition if he makes it to the Cape. He was on Team USA last year and has been invited again. Though the slugging first baseman hasn’t hit for a high average this year with Auburn, he’s still the same guy who got picked in the second round in 2007.
• The freshman pitchers on the Falmouth roster look really good. Jordan Cooper, Charlie Lowell, Cecil Tanner, Taylor Wall, Scott Weissman and Tommy Collier have all had great seasons. Some of the other guys are long on potential, without the production to match yet.
• Of the 17 freshmen on the roster, 13 got drafted last year.
• One of the things that stands out about Falmouth’s roster is the number of junior-college players. And they’re all good ones. LSU commit Mitch Mormann throws in the mid-90s and might go in the first 10 rounds. His JUCO teammate Patrick Cooper could also get a call, while Tommy Collier has had the most impressive season of the three. In recent years, we haven’t seen many JUCO stars on the Cape, so I’m hoping a few of these guys end up in Falmouth. It’ll be fun to see what they can do.
• Patrick Cooper and Wichita State’s Jordan Cooper do not appear to be related.
• Jordan Cooper should be a shoo-in for a Freshman All-America nod, and he looks like a future ace for Wichita State. Last year, Cooper got drafted in the 17th round out of high school. Baseball America’s scouting report for the draft noted that he isn’t very big, but that he’s a great athlete who repeats his delivery and throw four pitches for strikes. Sounds a little bit like Mike Leake.
• Rice’s Chad Mozingo hit two home runs as a freshman and zero in the California Collegiate League last summer, when he set a league record for batting average. This spring, Mozingo has hit eight home runs. That’s dome nice development.
• Tulane pitcher Shane Farrell is the son of Boston Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell. Shane’s brother, Jeremy, played for Falmouth in 2007.
• Missouri’s Trevor Coleman, who played for Falmouth in 2008, will probably get picked in the first five or six rounds, but after what has to be considered a disappointing junior season, he might be looking for more.
• Coleman is one of three junior returnees, along with Joey Wong and Kevin Nolan. If those two make it to Falmouth, the Commodores will have one heck of a veteran infield. And Wong will be the best defensive shortstop in the league, again.
• Jason Esposito and Josh Adams look like cornerstones of a really good infield. Esposito was a seventh-round pick last year, while Adams is hitting .340 this year.
• TCU’s Walker Kelly has been on a bigger stage than most of his teammates. Pitching for Fort Worth West Side, he was one of the stars of the 2002 Little League World Series. I actually remember him very clearly. A team from my hometown of Louisville, Ky., ended up winning the whole thing and I watched most of their games. They had to go through Kelly to get there. Unlike the Little League stars who are good because they grew faster, Kelly was a pitcher through and through. Interestingly, one of the players from that Louisville team is Zach Osborne, who is currently Tennessee’s starting shortstop.
• There are a lot more notables, but I can’t mention all of them. This is what happens when you have 39 players. Just read the bios, and you should get the picture.

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Kentrail Davis
2. Jordan Cooper
3. Hunter Morris
4. Chad Mozingo
5. Josh Adams

Pitchers

*Chad Bettis – RHP – 6’0 185 – Texas Tech – Sophomore
Mickey Brodsky – LHP – 6’0 200 – Cornell – Sophomore
Tommy Collier – RHP – 6’2 195 – San Jacinto CC – Freshman
Jordan Cooper – RHP – 6’2 200 – Wichita State – Freshman
Patrick Cooper – RHP – 6’3 – Des Moines Area CC – Sophomore
*Evan Danieli – RHP – 6’7 230 – Notre Dame – Sophomore
Shane Farrell – RHP – 6’4 230 – Marshall – Sophomore
Conrad Flynn – RHP – 6’3 220 – Tulane – Sophomore
Grayson Garvin – LHP – 6’6 210 – Vanderbilt – Freshman
Walker Kelly – LHP – 5’11 185 – TCU – Freshman
Charlie Lowell – LHP – 6’4 225 – Wichita State – Freshman
Steve Mazur – RHP – 6’0 190 – Notre Dame – Junior
Mitch Mormann – RHP – 6’6 – Des Moines Area CC – Sophomore
Mark Pope – RHP – 6’2 204 – Georgia Tech – Freshman
Cecil Tanner – RHP – 6’6 223 – Georgia – Freshman
*Nick Tepesch – RHP – 6’5 219 – Missouri – Sophomore
Taylor Wall- LHP – 6’2 180 – Rice – Freshman
Scott Weismann – RHP – 6’1 180 – Clemson – Freshman
Kyle Winkler – RHP – 5’11 195 – TCU – Freshman

Chad Bettis – RHP – 6’0 185
Texas Tech
Sophomore

Though he had an ERA over six, Bettis showed a lot of promise when he worked as a weekend starter for the Red Raiders in his freshman season. Since then, he has lived up to the promise, in whatever way he’s been asked to. Bettis pitched for Falmouth last summer and quietly became the ace of the staff, making eight starts and finishing with a 3-0 record, a 2.68 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 43.2 innings. This spring, Bettis started four games, but is now Tech’s closer. He’s got seven saves, a 3.76 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 64 innings.

Mickey Brodsky – LHP – 6’0 200
Cornell
Sophomore

A southern California kid who made the trek East, Brodsky posted a 5.59 ERA for Cornell this spring. He pitched mostly in a starting role and flashed good control with 18 strikeouts and five walks in 37 innings. Though he’s just listed as a pitcher on the Falmouth roster, he’s started 40 games in the lineup, hitting .309 with three home runs.

Tommy Collier – RHP – 6’2 195
San Jacinto CC
Freshman

Collier was a 29th-round pick out of high school last year, but opted for San Jacinto, where he has posted a fantastic freshman season. He’s gone 12-1 with a 2.81 ERA and an eye-popping 115 strikeouts in 83 innings. Opponents have hit just .196 against him. I haven’t been able to find much that’s been written about Collier, but as a JUCO player, he should be eligible for the draft this year.

Jordan Cooper – RHP – 6’2 200
Wichita State
Freshman

Cooper was a highly-sought after recruit, and he has shown why in his first season. After a grabbing a starting role for a young Shockers club, Cooper has gone 8-5 with a 2.73 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 89 innings. He has two complete games to his credit. Cooper was picked in the 17th round of last year’s draft, though he was projected as a fourth or fifth rounder.

Patrick Cooper – RHP – 6’3
Des Moines Area CC
Sophomore

Cooper is another junior-college pitcher who’s a big fan of the strikeouts. He tallied 100 of them this spring in just 68 innings. He also only walked 20, while posting a 3.04 ERA. Cooper started his career at Eastern Kentucky. He was then tabbed as the top prospect in the Jayhawk League last summer, before heading off to Des Moines, a well-known baseball junior college. He has signed with Bradley for next year, but he’s also likely to get drafted somewhere in June.

Evan Danieli – RHP – 6’7 230
Notre Dame
Sophomore

Danieli came into Notre Dame with a fair amount of hype, but he hasn’t yet had a great college season. His freshman year, he finished with a 5.00 ERA, and this year, he’s had his season derailed by an injury and has made just two appearances. In between, though, Danieli did have a pretty good summer with the Commodores last year, posting a 2.95 ERA in 12 relief appearances.

Shane Farrell – RHP – 6’4 230
Marshall
Sophomore

Farrell has somehow gone 1-6 this year for Marshall despite putting up good peripheral numbers. He’s got a 3.91 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 53 innings.

Conrad Flynn – RHP – 6’3 220
Tulane
Sophomore

Flynn’s ERA is a little higher than you would like at 4.15, but he’s been the Green Wave’s best starting pitcher this season. He’s also got a statistic that really stands out: He has struck out 55 and walked just five in 80.1 innings. That’s the best walks allowed per nine innings ratio in the country. Flynn was the Outstanding Pitcher at the JUCO World Series last year, when he led Grayson CC to the title. He was a 25th-round pick out of high school.

Grayson Garvin – LHP – 6’6 210
Vanderbilt
Freshman

Coming out of high school in Georgia, Garvin was an intriguing prospect, but with more potential than production and a strong commitment to Vanderbilt, he didn’t get picked until the 45th round in last year’s draft. This spring, he hasn’t seen a ton of action with Vandy, just eight appearances. He’s got a 6.57 ERA but some good strikeout numbers, with 18 in 12.1 innings.

Walker Kelly – LHP – 5’11 185
TCU
Freshman

Kelly played in the Little League World Series and after a great high school career, was a 50th-round pick last June. At TCU, Kelly has pitched mostly out of the bullpen, compiling a 7.71 ERA in 11 appearances. He has an impressive 18 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.

Charlie Lowell – LHP – 6’4 225
Wichita State
Freshman

Another Shocker freshman with a lot of upside, Lowell has been just as good ad Cooper in his first year on campus. He’s gone 6-2 with a 2.97 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 60.2 innings of work. Lowell was a 27th-round pick out of high school last year.

Steve Mazur – RHP – 6’0 190
Notre Dame
Junior

Mazur was named the Jayhawk League’s fifth-best prospect last summer, but it’s been a struggle in his junior season. He’s made 18 appearances and he has struck out 22 in 22 innings, but he has an ERA of 10.07.

Mitch Mormann – RHP – 6’6
Des Moines Area CC
Sophomore

Though he hasn’t posted as many strikeouts as his teammate Cooper (66 in 70.2 innings), Mormann has the bigger arm, and it’ll be taking him places. He has committed to LSU, but the draft could come calling as well. With a fastball that has touched the mid-90’s, Mormann got some attention last year and ultimately went in the 17th round of the draft. In the preseason, Mormann was ranked as the 14th best JUCO prospect by PG Crosschecker.

Mark Pope – RHP – 6’2 204
Georgia Tech
Freshman

Pope was a 17th-round pick out of high school, and he has seen a lot of action out of the bullpen for Tech this spring. The results have mixed. Pope has a 7.36 ERA.

Cecil Tanner – RHP – 6’6 223
Georgia
Freshman

A late-round pick out of high school, Tanner has been very good in his first season in Athens. In 22 appearances — five starts — he’s put up a 3.97 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 34 innings of work. That’s the best K/9 ratio on Georgia’s staff.

Nick Tepesch – RHP – 6’5 219
Missouri
Sophomore

Missouri has been waiting for Tepesch to turn into a frontline starter, but he hasn’t figured it all out yet. This season, Tepesch has struck out 78 in 76 innings, but he’s also allowed 98 hits. The result: a 6.16 ERA. He’s still a guy with a lot of potential, though, so we’ll see what he can do this summer.

Taylor Wall- LHP – 6’2 180
Rice
Freshman

A well-though of recruit, Wall slid into Rice’s starting rotation from day one and has done pretty well for himself. The lefty has a 4.23 ERA with 66 strikeouts and 29 walks in 72.1 innings of work.

Scott Weismann – RHP – 6’1 180
Clemson
Freshman

Weismann, who hails from Boxborough, Mass., has been fantastic in his first season at Clemson. In 15 appearances mostly out of the pen, he’s got a team-best 1.29 ERA. He’s allowed just 20 hits in 28 innings, and he has struck out 24. Weismann was a big prospect out of high school, and he got picked in the 18th round last year.

Kyle Winkler – RHP – 5’11 195
TCU
Freshman

A 37th-round pick out of high school, Winkler has had a little more freshman success than his TCU teammate, Walker Kelly. Pitching mostly as a starter, Winkler has posted a 4.73 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. Last year, Baseball America said Winkler “may be the best high school pitcher in the state of Texas.” His size and a strong commitment to TCU kept him from going higher in the draft.

Position Players

*Trevor Coleman – C – 6’1 211 – Missouri – Junior
Tom Conley – C – 6’1 225 – Massachusetts – Freshman
John Nester – C/1B – 6’0 200 – Clemson – Sophomore
Chris O’Brien – C – 6’0 195 – Wichita State – Freshman
Josh Adams – INF – 5’11 205 – Florida – Sophomore
Jason Esposito – INF – 6’2 200 – Vanderbilt – Freshman
*Brian Fletcher – INF – 6’1 185 – Auburn – Sophomore
Scott Lawson – INF – 5’10 185 – Miami – Junior
Conner Mach – INF – 6’0 190 – Missouri – Freshman
Brad Miller – INF – 6’2 180 – Clemson – Freshman
Hunter Morris – INF – 6’4 205 – Auburn – Sophomore
*Kevin Nolan – INF – 6’2 196 – Winthrop – Junior
Matt Skole – INF – 6’4 246 – Georgia Tech – Freshman
Jason Stolz – INF – 6’2 197 – Clemson – Freshman
*Joey Wong – INF – 5’10 175 – Oregon State – Junior
Todd Cunningham – OF – 6’0 200 – Jacksonville State – Sophomore
Kentrail Davis – OF – 5’9 200 – Tennessee – Sophomore
Matt Grosso – OF – 5’10 – 170 – Notre Dame – Junior
Chad Mozingo – OF – 5’11 185 – Rice – Sophomore
P.J. Polk – OF – 5’10 180 – Tennessee – Sophomore

Trevor Coleman – C – 6’1 211
Missouri
Junior

Coleman was one of the more consistent catcher on the Cape last year. He started every game of Falmouth’s season — the only Commodore to do so — and finished with a .244 batting average. He was hoping for a big junior season at Missouri, but it hasn’t fully materialized. He’s hitting .250 with six home runs, and that kind of performance could hurt his draft stock. Baseball America currently has him projected as fifth or sixth rounder.

Tom Conley – C – 6’1 225
Massachusetts
Freshman

A Boston schoolboy star at BC High, Conley headed to Amherst and turned in a solid first season. Playing in 49 games, Conley hit .309 with a home run and 15 RBI.

John Nester – C/1B – 6’0 200
Clemson
Sophomore

Nester had a decent freshman season before struggling in the Coastal Plain League last summer. He’s bounced back with a good sophomore season, hitting .315 with five home runs and 31 RBI.

Chris O’Brien – C – 6’0 195
Wichita State
Freshman

O’Brien has alternated between catcher and DH in his first season in Wichita, with a decent amount of success. He’s hitting .256 with five home runs and 11 doubles.

Josh Adams – INF – 5’11 205
Florida
Sophomore

Last year, Adams became the first Florida freshman since 1991 to be named first-team all-SEC. He has followed up that campaign with another that’s worthy of a nod. Playing mostly at second base, Adams is hitting .341 with seven home runs and 46 RBI. A 30th round pick out of high school, Adams has only helped himself with his first two seasons in Gainesville.

Jason Esposito – INF – 6’2 200
Vanderbilt
Freshman

Esposito, a seventh-round pick last year, became one of the highest unsigned picks when he opted to honor his commitment to Vanderbilt. Rated in the preseason as the 39th best freshman in the nation by Baseball America, Esposito has turned in a pretty good season. He’s hitting .294 with four home runs and 38 RBI while lining up as Vandy’s starting third baseman.

Brian Fletcher – INF – 6’1 185
Auburn
Sophomore

A late-round pick out of high school two years ago, Fletcher hit .324 with 10 home runs in his freshman year, which prompted a Team USA invite. He didn’t make the final roster so he headed for Falmouth, where he struggled most of the summer. But this year, he’s having another great spring, with a .294 average and 16 home runs.

Scott Lawson – INF – 5’10 185
Miami
Junior

After leading Grayson Community College to the College World Series title last year, Lawson came to Miami and immediately made his presence felt. As the Hurricanes’ starting second baseman, Lawson has hit .340 with four home runs and a team-best 20 doubles.

Conner Mach – INF – 6’0 190
Missouri
Freshman

Mach has had a decent first season in Columbia, posting a .252 average with two home runs. Conner’s brother, Kyle, is a senior on the Missouri squad.

Brad Miller – INF – 6’2 180
Clemson
Freshman

A 39th-round pick last year who grabbed Clemson’s shortstop job, Miller has started every game of his first season, and he’s been solid. He’s currently hitting .277 with three home runs and 33 rbi.

Hunter Morris – INF – 6’4 205
Auburn
Sophomore

Morris was a second-round pick out of high school, but stick with Auburn. Obviously, he’s a guy who’s been on scouts’ radar for a long time, and he’s still very much on it. His freshman year, he hit .351 with 11 home runs, earning SEC freshman of the year honors. He then played for Team USA. His sophomore year has seen a dip in batting average (to .284), but he still has 12 home runs.

Kevin Nolan – INF – 6’2 196
Winthrop
Junior

Nolan was the star of Cape League opening night last year, going 4-for-5 with two RBI as Falmouth topped Wareham. It would have been tough to go up from there and Nolan didn’t, but he still had a good summer. He finished with a .255 average and two home runs. This spring, Nolan has hit .385 with 15 doubles.

Matt Skole – INF – 6’4 246
Georgia Tech
Freshman

His bio highlights his power potential, and he has lived up to it in his freshman season. Skole is hitting .301 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI. Roughly a fourth of his hits have been home runs.

Jason Stolz – INF – 6’2 197
Clemson
Freshman

Another late-round pick who made it to Clemson, Stolz didn’t get tabbed for a starting job from day one like Miller, but he has pushed for playing time from day one. While playing in 47 of the team’s 56 games, Stolz has hit .341.

Joey Wong – INF – 5’10 175
Oregon State
Junior

Probably the Cape’s best defensive shortstop each of the past two seasons, Wong might find himself making a third trip to Falmouth. He hit .256 last summer and made just two errors, but in the midst of his junior season, he still hasn’t seen his bat come alive. He’s currently hitting .268 for Oregon State.

Todd Cunningham – OF – 6’0 200
Jacksonville State
Sophomore

The OVC freshman of the year last season, Cunningham has picked up right where he left off as sophomore. He’s got a .343 average with seven home runs and 40 RBI. He’s also got nine triples and 14 doubles, which gives him a team-best 30 extra-base hits. Last summer, Cunningham played in the Texas Collegiate League and hit .310.

Kentrail Davis – OF – 5’9 200
Tennessee
Sophomore

Davis is one of the more intriguing high-level prospects for the upcoming draft. As a sophomore, he’ll have some leverage, but he might not need it if he goes as high as some projections, which have him in the first or second round. Davis had a big freshman campaign for Tennessee last year then flashed tons of potential for Team USA before getting hurt and missing most of the summer. This spring, he has hit .308 with nine home runs. Davis was a 14th-round pick out of high school.

Matt Grosso – OF – 5’10 – 170
Notre Dame
Junior

Grosso arrived at Notre Dame last year but had to sit out because he had transferred twice, from Connecticut to Maine and then to Notre Dame. This season, Grosso has played in only 20 games and has hit .159. He was a high school teammate of A.J. Pollock, last year’s Cape League MVP.

Chad Mozingo – OF – 5’11 185
Rice
Sophomore

After a good freshman campaign, Mozingo vaulted himself into the next level with a huge summer in the California Collegiate League. He hit .470, a new league record and finished second in league MVP voting. This spring, Mozingo is hitting .331 with seven home runs and 44 RBI.

P.J. Polk – OF – 5’10 180
Tennessee
Sophomore

Polk had a very good freshman season with the Vols and he has stayed on pace this year. He’s batting .298 with three home runs and 21 RBI.

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