The Cape League’s best will converge on Red Wilson Field in Yarmouth today for the Friendly’s Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game. The Cape’s version of the mid-summer classic is on sandy soil for the second year in a row after a brief stint at Boston’s Fenway Park. Fifty of the league’s best are split among the East and West rosters. First pitch is slated for 4:35 p.m.
The Schedule
12:30 p.m. – Gates open to public
12:30 – East Batting practice
1:15 – West Batting practice
2:10 – East Infield / outfield warmup
2:45 – West Infield / outfield warmup
3:30 – Home run hitting contest
4:10 – Pre-game ceremony
4:15 – Player Introduction
4:22 – National Anthem
4:25 – First Pitch ceremony
4:35 – All Star Game starts
Autograph sessions
1:45 – 2:15 East and West Pitchers
2:20 – 2:50 East Position Players
2:55 – 3:25 West Position Players
Broadcast Info
The game will air live on Fox College Sports. On the radio, WCAI will have the call.
Ten to Watch
Plenty of stars will be on display. Here are 10 you may want to keep special watch on.
1. Max Pentecost, Bourne
The starting catcher for the West squad is a Triple Crown candidate and the top catching prospect the Cape League has seen in years.
2. Jaron Long, Bourne
Pentecost’s battery-mate, Long will gets the well-deserved starting nod. He leads the league with a 0.30 ERA and five wins.
3. Rhys Hoskins, Falmouth
The leader of a huge Falmouth delegation, Hoskins has been the league’s steadiest hitter. He has five home runs and a league-best 30 RBI.
4. Derek Fisher, Harwich
The top prospect in the Northwoods League a year ago, Fisher has done nothing but hit in Harwich. His average sits at .344.
5. Alex Blandino, Y-D
The only two-time CCBL all-star in the game, Blandino will represent the hometown Red Sox well. His batting average ranks third in the league.
6. Aaron Bummer, Harwich
The lefty from Nebraska has been a quality start machine since day one for the Mariners.
7. Kevin Cron, Falmouth
Right Field Fog’s Midseason MVP, Cron has slowed down a bit but is still one of the league’s premier power bats.
8. Matt Troupe, Orleans
The Firebirds closer ranks 13th in the league in strikeouts despite not starting a single game.
9. Ryan Kellogg, Bourne
The rising sophomore was terrific for Arizona State in the spring and has been very good for Bourne, as well.
10. Dante Flores, Chatham
The top hitter on the league’s top team, Flores is hitting .339 in his second summer in Chatham.
Storylines
No Ties, Please
Last year’s CCBL all-star game ended in a 1-1 tie, with the only runs scoring on a dropped third strike and an RBI single. I don’t think anybody wants a repeat.
Friendly Confines
Last summer was the year of the hitter, but the All-Star game didn’t fit in. At cozy Red Wilson Field, I would expect a lot more offense this season. The home run hitting contest could also sizzle. The last time Red Wilson Field hosted an all-star game, in 2006, current Texas Ranger Mitch Moreland launched 25 home runs to win the contest. I don’t know if anyone has that much power this year, even in the Y-D launching pad, but the stage is certainly set.
Missing Star
Radar guns will light up as always, but the Cape’s top pitching prospect, Jeff Hoffman, won’t be doing it. Hoffman’s short stint on the Cape is over. For him, though, one all-star game was enough. When he touched 96 in last year’s game, he morphed from interesting arm to big-time prospect.
It Always Counts
If you’re a pro sports fan, you’re used to all-star games that don’t matter, as much as Bud Selig tried to get you to believe otherwise. In summer leagues around the country, you don’t need added incentive. This piece at Baseball America (subscriber content) highlights the importance of summer all-star games for both players and scouts. In the Coastal Plain League All-Star Game this year, an undrafted player was offered a free-agent contract by the Royals right afterwards. And one National League scout said, “It’s huge. It does help us a ton. The time of year, it’s perfect for our (prospect) follows. And it helps us out a lot to kind of get a head start on the follows for next year.”
Division Rivals
The East won six consecutive all-star games from 2003 to 2008. The West snapped the streak in 2009 then won again in 2010. The East got back on track in 2011 before last year’s tie. The East won the 2006 game at Red Wilson Field 7-2.
Country Wide
Forty-three schools across 24 states are represented on the all-star roster. California leads the way with eight schools represented and 11 players.
Familiar Faces
Six sets of college teammates will be Cape League all-stars together. Stanford has the most with three – Wayne Taylor, Alex Blandino and Austin Slater. Virginia, Rice, San Diego, Ohio State and Arizona have two each.
Commodore Pride
Six of the nine spots in the West starting lineup will be occupied by Falmouth Commodores. Hyannis, Cotuit and Bourne just have one each.
Hawks in the Pen
If West manager Mike Roberts of Cotuit doesn’t mind handing the ball to his rivals, he might consider finishing the game with a trio of Hyannis pitchers. Eric Eck leads the league in saves, Sarkis Ohanian has been the league’s top setup man and still hasn’t allowed a run, and Kyle Freeland leads the league in strikeouts. Freeland has pitched mostly as a starter but has also come out of the bullpen twice and would be a good late-innings candidate in an all-star game.
Conference Clash
Starting pitchers Jaron Long of Ohio State and Aaron Bummer of Nebraska both hail from the Big Ten Conference. That’s the second time in three years that pitchers from the same conference have gotten the start, joining SEC arms Taylor Rogers and Ryan Eades in 2011. Before that, it had been a lot of years, at least since 2003.