Nick Solak starred for Bourne last summer and was tabbed as a first-team All-American by D1Baseball.com
A breakout summer in the Cape League has served as a launching pad for many a professional baseball career. Lost in the shuffle of that trajectory is what a breakout summer on the Cape can mean for a guy before baseball becomes his full-time job.
Last season’s All-America teams were dotted with guys who followed Cape League breakouts with big springs, like Donnie Dewees, Garrett Stubbs and Andrew Stevenson.
Kyle Lewis technically had his breakout last spring, when he hit 17 homers on his way to Southern Conference Player of the Year honors. But with a strong summer in Orleans, Lewis officially put himself on the national map. D1Baseball has him as a first-team All-American outfielder.
Also on the first team are Nick Solak and Errol Robinson, two of the Cape’s best middle infielders last summer. Solak hit .329 for Bourne while Robinson hit .312 and stole 15 bases in leading the charge for West champ Hyannis.
Reigning CCBL MVP Nick Senzel is the second baseman on the second team All America squad. I had kind of forgotten how great Senzel was for Brewster last summer. He slashed .364/.410/.558 and led the league in RBI with 33.
Bryan Reynolds and Bobby Dalbec joined Lewis in making Orleans probably the most talented team in the league last year. Both are second-team honorees.
The best breakout by a pitcher on these lists probably belongs to Dakota Hudson. A key part of Hyannis’ run to the Cape League championship series, Hudson leads the third team All-America squad.
We’ll see what the season holds, but it’s a safe bet these guys will be on target this spring. That’s the other thing about a Cape League breakout — it usually isn’t followed by a slump. If you can do it on the Cape’s sandy shores, you can do it anywhere.
