It was another banner day for the Cape League in the Major League Baseball Draft, with 14 alumni going in the first round and 16 more in lottery rounds and the second round. That meant 30 of the 77 players drafted on day one played in the Cape League.
The list:
First Round
2 – Nick Senzel, Brewster ’15
5 – Corey Ray, Wareham ’14
10 – Zack Collins, Cotuit ’15
11 – Kyle Lewis, Orleans ’15
16 – Matt Thaiss, Hyannis ’15
19 – Justin Dunn, Cotuit ’15
21 – TJ Zeuch, Chatham ’15
22 – Will Craig, Chatham ’15
25 – Eric Lauer, Orleans ’15
26 – Zach Burdi, Chatham ’14 & ’15
27 – Cody Sedlock, Bourne ’15
31 – Anthony Kay, Wareham ’14 & ’15
32 – Will Smith, Brewster ’15
34 – Dakota Hudson, Hyannis ’15
Lottery Round A
36 – Jordan Sheffield, Brewster ’15
37 – Daulton Jefferies, Wareham ’15
38 – Robert Tyler, Bourne ’15
Second Round
45 – Ben Bowden, Y-D ’15
52 – C.J. Chatham, Bourne ’15
53 – Ryan Boldt, Bourne ’15
54 – Keegan Akin, Bourne ’15
57 – J.B. Woodman, Falmouth ’15
58 – Sheldon Neuse, Harwich ’15
59 – Bryan Reynolds, Orleans ’15
61 – Ronnie Dawson, Orleans ’15
62 – Nick Solak, Bourne ’15
64 – Pete Alonso, Bourne ’15
67 – AJ Puckett, Chatham ’15
Lottery Round B
72 – Logan Ice, Falmouth ’15
77 – Jake Fraley, Chatham ’14 & ’15
NOTES
Second overall pick Nick Senzel of Tennessee and Brewster is the fourth consecutive Cape League MVP to be drafted in the first round the year after winning the award, and the sixth straight drafted on the first day. He joins Kevin Newman (19th pick), Max Pentecost (11), Phil Ervin (27), Travis Jankowski (44) and Kolten Wong (22). Senzel is the highest pick for an MVP winner since Darin Erstad went first overall in 1995 after an MVP summer in 1994. Senzel is also the highest pick for the league since 2013, when Mark Appel when No. 1 and Kris Bryant went No. 2.
No. 5 pick Corey Ray has been a star since the 2015 college season and last summer with Team USA. His time on the Cape was perhaps his last moments as a somewhat anonymous player on a baseball field. Ray hit .250 with only one home run in 29 games. His last two years with Louisville? He’s at .322 with 26 home runs and 78 stolen bases.
Kyle Lewis of Mercer and Orleans was mentioned as late as yesterday afternoon as a potential first overall selection, but ended up going 11th to the Mariners.
Senzel and Lewis were clearly the star power on the Cape last summer. In draft hindsight, the rest of the league was dominated by really good depth. Beginning with 16th pick Matt Thaiss, the Cape had 10 of the final 19 picks in the first round. That group included breakout stars like Justin Dunn and Will Smith, Cape League standouts Eric Lauer and Dakota Hudson and Chatham flamethrower Zach Burdi, who could find himself in the White Sox big league bullpen by the end of this summer.
Louisville’s rise to prominence in college baseball the last few years coincided with the program becoming a fixture on the Cape, annually sending more players than any team in the country. All four of the players drafted on day one played on the Cape.
In addition to two Cape League alums, Lottery Round B included one player who’s on a 2016 Cape League roster. California’s Brett Cumberland, the Pac 12 Player of the Year, is a draft-eligible sophomore and is on the Brewster roster. We’ll see if he plays on the Cape at all this summer.
Hundreds more Cape Leaguers will get the call today and tomorrow as the draft continues. One you should be rooting for: SE Louisiana’s Jameson Fisher. The 2014 Cotuit Kettleer injured his shoulder and missed all of last season with an injury. Back to health this spring, he led the nation in hitting and added 11 home runs and 66 RBI, plus 15 stolen bases. Fisher was named the Hero Sports Fan Choice Player of the Year earlier this week. He’s also a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
So….the 2016 Cape League season starts tonight. If you want to catch a star before he’s gone, it looks like Team USA invite and North Carolina star JB Bukauskas is slated to get the start for Chatham in its home opener against Falmouth.
The last 2 previews will go up later today, plus a little announcement. Stay tuned. You could look at the eight previews that are already up here.
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