Twenty-five Players to Watch

The Cape League is back in 2021. All of it will be a welcome sight, but these players should bring a little extra excitement.

Kevin Parada – C – Georgia Tech – Chatham

Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters, Joey Bart. Georgia Tech has a terrific tradition behind the plate and Kevin Parada is the latest to take the torch. Pegged as one of the nation’s top prospects for the 2022 draft, Parada didn’t disappoint in his first season with the Yellow Jackets, slashing .318/.379/.550 with nine homers and 42 RBI. He was a third-team all-conference selection.

Nate Savino – P – Virginia – Cotuit

In high school, the 6-foot-3 lefty was rated as one of the top prospects in the nation for the 2020 draft, but he eventually opted out of the draft to enroll early at Virginia for the 2020 season. This was his first full season with the Cavaliers, and he posted a 3.75 ERA while pitching as both a starter and reliever.

Bryce Osmond – P – Oklahoma State – Chatham

Osmond was ranked 53rd among high school prospects for the 2019 draft, and was selected in th 35th round by the Nationals. He opted for Oklahoma State. This season, a few rough outings inflated his ERA but his strikeout numbers stood out, as he fanned 67 in 57 innings.

Chris Newell – OF – Virginia – Harwich

Newell was a 37th round pick out of high school. He was tearing it up at Virginia when the 2020 season ended, hitting .407 with four home runs. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper tabbed him as its National Freshman of the Year. His 2021 wasn’t as good, with Newell hitting .234 with three homers.

Enrique Bradfield, Jr. – OF – Vanderbilt – Cotuit

The nation’s leader in stolen bases playing for Mike Roberts in Cotuit? Sign me up. Bradfield has been a game-changing player for the Commodores in his first season in Nashville, slashing .359/.475/.435 with 35 RBI. As for the steals, he’s up to 46 in 52 attempts. Bradfield, Jr., was named SEC Freshman of the Year.

Cayden Wallace – IF – Arkansas – Bourne

The top prospect in Arkansas out of high school, Wallace has been great for the top-ranked Razorbacks, slashing .280/.373/.496 with 13 homers and 43 RBI. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team.

Victor Mederos – P – Miami – Chatham

Mederos was the MVP of the Under Armour All-American Game as a high schooler and was rated in the top 100 draft prospects for 2020. In his first season with Miami, he put up a 5.11 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 44 innings.

Hayden Dunhurst – C – Ole Miss – Wareham

Dunhurst was ranked as the nation’s top high school catcher in 2019 and was drafted in the 37th round by the Rockies. He was off to a strong start in 2020 at Ole Miss when the season was cut short. This season, Dunhurst has slashed .271/.378/.431 with seven homers and 41 RBI.

Hunter Barco – P – Florida – Orleans

Barco is the top player from Perfect Game’s ranking of the class of 2019 to make it to a college campus. He grabbed a spot in the weekend rotation this year and racked up 94 strikeouts in 83 innings pitched, to go with a 10-3 record and a 4.01 ERA.

Cade Doughty – INF – LSU – Falmouth

Doughty was a 39th round pick out of high school. Before he even played a game in college, he was an all-star in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League as a rising freshman. After hitting .278 in the truncated 2020 season, Doughty was one of LSU’s top players in 2021, slashing .308/.368/.546 with 13 homers and 55 RBI.

Brennan Milone – SS – South Carolina – Falmouth

Milone scuffled a bit in his sophomore season, but he was fantastic last summer in an even more competitive than usual Coastal Plain League, batting .365 with nine home runs.

Carter Young – SS – Vanderbilt – Orleans

Young was Vanderbilt’s everyday shortstop as a freshman in 2020, no easy task for a young player. He’s reprised the role this season for the Omaha-bound Commodores and has provided some pop at the dish to go with great defense. Young ranks second on the team with 15 home runs and is slashing .266/.403/.593.

Gavin Cross – OF – Virginia Tech – Brewster

Cross earned first-team all-ACC honors after a terrfic first full season with the Hokies. He hit .345 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI. He also stone nine bases.

Jace Jung – IF – Texas Tech – Orleans

The brother of former Texas Tech star and first-round pick Josh Jung, Jace is making his own mark with the Red Raiders after an All-American campaign this spring. Jung slashed .337/.462/.697 with 21 home runs and a team-best 67 RBI. He ranked fourth in the nation in home runs and RBI.

Jared McKenzie – OF – Baylor – Orleans

McKenzie was hitting .406 when the 2020 season was cut short and didn’t slow down much when he returned to the field this spring. McKenzie hit .383 and cranked 10 home runs.

Daniel Susac – C – Arizona – Falmouth

The brother of former Commodore Andrew Susac, Daniel has had a spectacular freshman season with the Wildcats, who are in Omaha. Susac is hitting .329 with 12 homers and 61 RBI.

Parker Messick – P – Florida State – Brewster

Messick was fantastic in his first full season with the Seminoles. He went 8-2 with a 3.10 ERA and struck out 126 – while walking just 23 – in 90 innings pitched.

Wil Bednar – P – Mississippi State – Bourne

Bednar is draft eligible this year and currently in Omaha, so we’ll see if he makes it to Bourne at any point. If he does, he’ll enter as one of the nation’s top pitchers. Bednar is 7-1 with a 3.53 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched.

Brooks Lee – SS – Cal Poly – Yarmouth-Dennis

Lee was a top prospect for the 2019 draft but informed teams before the draft that he would be playing college ball at Cal Poly, where his dad is the head coach. After the shortened 2020 season, Lee starred in the Northwoods League last summer and earned All-American honors with the Mustangs this year, hitting .342 with 10 home runs and 57 RBI.

Landon Sims – P – Mississippi State – Falmouth

Sims has been one of the top relievers in college baseball this season, saving 10 games for the Bulldogs. He has a 1.55 ERA and 85 Ks in 46.1 innings pitched.

Dru Baker – IF/OF – Texas Tech – Hyannis

The only Texas Tech player with a better batting average than Jung was Baker, who finished at .343. He also had four home runs and stole 18 bases.

Caden Grice – IF – Clemson – Chatham

Grice was one of the top true freshmen in the nation with the Tigers this spring. He finished with a .317 batting average and smacked 15 home runs.

Bryce Hubbart – P – Florida State – Brewster

Along with his FSU teammate Messick, Hubbart was great this season. The lefty had a 3.80 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched.

Tyler Locklear – INF – VCU – Orleans

The Atlantic 10 Player of the Year as a freshman, Locklear finished with a triple slash of .345/.515/.686 with 16 home runs and 66 RBI.

Cam Schilitter – P – Northeastern – Harwich

Northeastern had a great spring and Schlitter was in the middle of it. He posted a 1.88 ERA and struck out 85 in 76.2 innings for the Huskies.

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