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Day One

Former Orleans Firebird Marcus Stroman is the Opening Day starter in Toronto.

 
Former Orleans Firebird Marcus Stroman is the Opening Day starter in Toronto.
Past and future Cape Leaguers in the college baseball ranks have been playing meaningful games for more than month. Their Big League counterparts are finally back to action today with MLB’s opening day. Some notes on the proceedings and what’s to come:

  • Five former Cape Leaguers will be Opening Day starters for their clubs, headed by reigning American League Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel for the Astros and Matt Harvey for the Mets in a World Series rematch with the Royals. Keuchel, a former Wareham standout, is coming off a fantastic season and will be looking to cement his place as one of the game’s best pitcher. As for Harvey, with the Opening Day nod, he officially leads the Mets’ stable of talented young arms. The other Cape Leaguers who will start things off for their teams are former Y-D star Chris Sale for the White Sox, Cotuit’s Garrett Richards with the Angels and Orleans’ Marcus Stroman with the Jays. Last season was supposed to be the fulfillment of the prospect hype for Stroman, but an injury derailed most of the year. When he came back for a brief stint at the end of the regular season, he was dominant, and it looks like the Jays have tabbed him as their ace for this season.

  • One of the Cape League’s newest alumni stars will have to wait a while to pick up where he left off. Arizona’s A.J. Pollock, who hit .315 with 20 home runs and 39 stolen bases last season, broke his elbow Friday in a headfirst slide during an exhibition game against the Royals. Surgery will keep him out for several months and potentially for the entire season.

  • Pollock’s Arizona teammate Nick Ahmed had a huge spring. The former Bourne Brave hit .419 and continues to fight for a playing time in a middle infield rotation for the Diamondbacks.

  • If you’re looking for the next Cape League breakout candidate, former Cotuit Kettleer C.J. Cron is being counted as a big part of the Angels’ plans. Cron is expected to be the everyday first baseman.

  • Cron and Nick Tropeano played on the same Cotuit team in the summer of 2010 and may both be in Anaheim this summer. While Cron spent limited time in Cotuit thanks to Team USA, Tropeano had a huge summer and credits it with being a turning point in his career. He will open the 2016 season in Triple A.

  • Matt Duffy made an Opening Day roster for the first time in his career, getting the nod from the Astros and, in the process, securing another season with two Matt Duffys in the majors. Both are Cape League alumni, too. Houston’s Matt Duffy played for Chatham in 2009 and was a 20th round pick out of Tennessee. He played in eight games for the Astros last year. San Francisco’s Matt Duffy, a former Orleans Firebird, is looking for a big season after hitting .295 with 12 homers last season.

  • Former Bourne Brave and Cape League MVP Travis Jankowski has made the Padres’ Opening Day roster. The speedy Jankowski was rated San Diego’s seventh-best prospect this offseason.

  • David Ross had a fun spring embracing his status as the Cubs’ resident old man in what he has announced as his final season. He’ll also be happy to know that he’s one of the Cape League’s resident old-timers in the bigs. Ross played for Wareham in 1996, and is one of only two Cape Leaguers from that year – of any year before – on a MLB roster at this point. The other is Atlanta reliever Jason Grilli, who played for Brewster in ’96.

  • As for the other end of the spectrum, here are some prospects with Cape League ties who could make a splash this year, pending promotions to the bigs or opportunities if they’re already there: A.J. Reed (Houston), Brandon Finnegan (Cincinnati), Bradley Zimmer (Indians), Aaron Judge (Yankees) and Sean Manaea (Athletics).

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    Six With a Flourish

    Chatham's Joshua Eldridge leads off in a game earlier this year. The Anglers are a perfect 6-0 thus far.

     
    It would have been impressive enough for the Chatham Anglers to run their record to 6-0. No Cape League team has started that hot since the 2007 Y-D Red Sox, and they were Cape League royalty.

    But to do it like the Anglers did – just go ahead and tip your hat at this point.

    Chatham went on the road Tuesday to take on the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, the league’s only other unbeaten team, and dispatched them with ease, winning 10-0. It’s the most lopsided victory of the season for any team in the league. Chatham smacked 15 hits, and Andrew McGee (Monmouth) delivered his second straight dominant start.

    Chatham now leads the league in average, on-base percentage, slugging, runs, hits, doubles, total bases and walks. On the pitching side, they lead the league in ERA.

    Add all that up, and this is what you get.

    On Tuesday, they immediately went to work, scoring four runs in the first four innings. They blew it open with one in the eighth and four more in the ninth.

    The first five hitters in the Chatham lineup all had two hits, while No. 8 hitter Kenny Koplove (Duke) went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI. The two-hit parade was manned by Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga), Connor Joe (San Diego) and Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State), who also had two RBI each. Brandon Sedell (Nova Southeastern) and Erich Weiss (Texas) had two hits as well.

    As good as the offense was, it was largely unnecessary. McGee, the reigning NEC Pitcher of the Year, made his second start of the summer and was just as good as he was the first time. He struck out three and allowed just two hits in six shutout innings. On the year, he has struck out 12 and hasn’t allowed a run.

    The bullpen also did its part. Stephen Marino (Williams) worked out of a mini-jam in the seventh and Mitch Merten (UC Irvine) struck out three over the final two innings.

    Chatham will try to stretch the streak to seven tonight when it visits Bourne. The Anglers are slated to face Ohio State standout Jaron Long, who’s just arrive back in town for a second summer with the Braves. It’ll be a challenge, but at this point, I wouldn’t bet against the Anglers.

     

    Coutit 8, Y-D 3

    The Kettleers also stayed hot, improving to 5-1 with a lopsided win over the Red Sox (2-4). Cotuit scored seven runs in the seventh inning to bust open what had been a one-run game. Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco), Mike Ford (Princeton) and Yale Rosen (Washington State) drove in two runs each to lead the Cotuit offense. Connor Castellano (Sante Fe CC) went 1-for-2 and remained the league’s leading hitter at .462. Kevin Bradley (Clemson) added two hits. On the mound, Jared Walsh (Georgia) turned in his second impressive start of the summer, allowing three hits in six shutout innings. For Y-D, Erick Fedde (UNLV), the best starter on opening night, struck out five and gave up one earned run in six innings before the Kettleers got to the Red Sox bullpen. Fedde leads the league in strikeouts with 13. Robert Pehl (Washington) had two hits for the third straight game for Y-D.

     

    Falmouth 5, Wareham 3

    After three straight losses, Falmouth got back into the win column with a victory over the Gatemen (1-4). Every player in the Commodore lineup had at least one hit, part of a 13-hit attack. Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) extended his season-long hitting streak to six games, the longest in the league, with a 1-for-4 night. Sam Gillikin (Auburn) had three hits and three RBI, while Conner Hale (State College of Florida) and Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) had two hits apiece. Preston Morrison (TCU) got the win with 5.1 innings in relief of TCU teammate Brandon Finnegan. Nic Manuppelli (Youngstown State) picked up the save.

     

    Orleans 8, Brewster 2

    Orleans cruised past Brewster, becoming the only East team other than Chatham to own a winning record and keeping Brewster as the only winless team in the league. Colin Welmon (Loyola Marymount) tossed five shutout innings and the offense delivered 10 hits. Will Fulmer (Montevallo) and Riley Moore (Arizona) knocked in two runs each, while Collin Slaybaugh (Washington State) and Chris Marconcini (Duke) had two hits apiece.

     

    Bourne 7, Harwich 1

    After its first win on Monday, Bourne made it two in a row with a win over the Mariners (2-3). The Braves scored three runs in the sixth and three more in the ninth to take control. Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) had three hits and two RBI, while Vinny Siena (UConn) had three hits and drove in one. Eric Fisher (Arkansas Baptist) and Bobby Boyd (West Virginia) had two hits each. Kyle Kubat (Nebraska) scattered six hits in 5.1 scoreless innings. Jack English (Florida Gulf Coast) struck out the side in the ninth.

     

    What to Watch

    Chatham sends Aaron Garza (Houston) to the hill in the aforementioned match-up with Bourne, which is set for 6 p.m. at Doran Park. In Orleans, Cotuit will try to keep its streak going against Firebirds starter Kyle Twomey (USC), an unsigned third round pick from last year’s draft.
     

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    Streaking Start

    Connor Castellano is off to a great start for the 4-1 Cotuit Kettleers.

     
    The beginnings of a Cape Cod Baseball League summer are often short on clear lines. Everybody’s shuffling – and a lot of times, everybody’s 3-2 or 2-3.

    Not so in 2013.

    Chatham is 5-0, the best start for any Cape League team since the 2007 Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, a club that won the league title and featured Buster Posey and Gordon Beckham. Hyannis is 3-0, having made up for lost time after its first two games were postponed. And Cotuit has ridden a three-game winning streak to a 4-1 start.

    All three are impressive. The most interesting streak belongs to Cotuit.

    Chatham and Hyannis are succeeding in part because they have the teams they thought they’d have. For both, only six players who weren’t on initial rosters are playing now – which is among the lowest numbers in the league at this point.

    On the flip side, 33 players have taken the field for Cotuit – and 17 of them were not on the team’s roster a few weeks ago. Whether they’re temporary contracts or late pickups, it’s a juggling act for the Kettleers.

    They have made it work.

    Cotuit’s only loss was by a run in a walk-off to undefeated Chatham. The Kettleers moved to 4-1 on Monday with a 6-1 victory over Brewster.

    Bradley Zimmer (San Francisco) led the charge in the latest win, going 3-for-5 with a home run, a double and an RBI. Hunter Cole (Georgia) continued his hot start with a 2-for-4 day, and he’s not hitting .400. Connor Castellano (Sante Fe CC), a TCU commit who’s in town on a temporary contract, had another big night, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and his fourth stolen base. He ranks second in the league in hitting, is tied for the league lead in RBI, and ranks second in stolen bases.

    Another temp, Eric Karch (Pepperdine), got the start on the mound and the victory on Monday. He struck out four and allowed one run in five innings. Joel Seddon (South Carolina) followed with two scoreless innings. And for good measure, another temp, Trevor Seidenberger (TCU) finished the job with three strikeouts over the final two frames.

    The roster juggling will continue over the next few weeks as Cotuit decides who’s staying and who’s going. But if five games are any indication, the winning will continue too.

     

    Chatham 4, Falmouth 2

    The Anglers ran their record to 5-0 with another steady performance. Andrew Chin (Boston College), who pitched out of the bullpen for a win on opening night, picked up another victory with five strong innings. He struck out two and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth. The Chatham offense – which has scored the most runs in the league and has the best batting average by more than 50 points – also kept it up and did its part. Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) hit the team’s first home run and Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) also drove in a run. Connor Joe (San Diego) and Brandon Sedell (Nova Southeastern) had one hit apiece. Jacob Dorris (Texas A&M Corpus Christi), who saved 13 games this spring, made his second appearance of the summer and worked a scoreless frame for his first save. For Falmouth, Rhys Hoskins (Sacramento State) hit a home run and Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) had a double. Richard Martin, Jr. (Florida) stole his league-leading sixth base.

     

    Hyannis 5, Wareham 4

    The Harbor Hawks moved to 3-0 with a comeback win over the Gatemen (1-3). Wareham led 3-0 into the seventh, with Andro Cutura (Southeastern Louisiana) cruising on the mound, but Hyannis scored a run there and four in the eighth to take a lead it never lost. Chase Griffin (Georgia Southern) led the charge with two hits and an RBI, while Tyler Spoon (Arkansas), Dominic Jose (Stanford) and Ryan Padilla (New Mexico) all drove in a run. Patrick Andrews (Clemson) got the win in relief and Eric Eck (Wofford) picked up the save, getting out of a two-on, two-out jam in the bottom of the ninth.

     

    Bourne 6, Orleans

    Bourne picked up its first victory of the season in dramatic fashion, walking off with a win in the bottom of the 10th inning. Michael Martin (Harvard) knocked in Max Pentecost (Kennesaw State) with a base hit to give the Braves the victory. The alternative would have made for a frustrating night – the Braves pounded out 17 hits, a league-high this season. Matt Gonzalez (Georgia Tech) and Tim Caputo (Rhode Island) led the way with three hits apiece, while Clinton Freeman (East Tennessee State) had two hits and two RBI. On the mound, the Braves used seven pitchers. Cody Livingston (Southern Mississippi) picked up the win.

     

    What to Watch

    Several pitchers who were impressive on opening night will make their second starts tonight. Erick Fedde (UNLV) goes for Y-D at Cotuit after striking out eight in his debut, while Andrew McGee (Monmouth) tries to build on a nine-strikeout debut as Chatham visits Hyannis in a battle of the only unbeaten teams in the league. In Falmouth, standout lefty Brandon Finnegan (TCU) will make his second and final start before departing for Team USA.

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    Sunshine, Please

    Cape League teams will be eager to get back on the field today.
    You can blame me for this. Mother Nature and I are in a pretty serious feud this spring. It began with the Kentucky Derby – we made the trip down and were greeted by pretty much the worst weather I’ve ever seen for a derby – and she’s been sticking it to me ever since. I feel like it rains every time I want to do something outside. Now the Cape League is an innocent victim.

    What’s the opposite of a rain dance? Let’s get on that.

  • It’s a little early to be drawing conclusions about the impact of juice-less baseballs, but it’s worth noting that zero home runs were hit on opening night, compared to three last year. If the trend continues, the baseballs may not be the only factor. Last summer’s numbers were certainly inflated but the guys hitting the home runs were going to hit some home runs regardless of which baseballs were being thrown at them. Tyler Horan, Phil Ervin, Eric Jagielo, Daniel Palka, Daniel Aldrich – there were some serious power bats on the Cape last year. I’m not sure there will be as many this year. Outside of Kyle Schwarber – who may end up with Team USA – only one Cape Leaguer was in the NCAA’s top 50 in home runs – Harwich’s A.J. Reed with 13. There were eight last year.

  • If you’re looking for names to watch this summer, Kiley McDaniel’s list of players to watch for the 2014 draft is a good place to start. Several of the pitchers are on the Cape, including Wareham’s opening night starter Sean Newcomb and Southern Illinois righty Sam Coonrod, who’s slated to start for Y-D tonight. The hitters list includes Bourne returnee Mason Robbins, who’s already on the Cape, and Derek Fisher, who’s slated to be in Harwich.

  • Another of the pitchers on that list is Falmouth’s Brandon Finnegan, but he’s not long for the Cape. Finnegan, a lefty from TCU, is on the Team USA roster and according to a TCU release, he’ll report to Team USA on June 20. Fellow Commodore Preston Morrison will also be leaving.

  • The top pitching performance so far belongs to Y-D’s Erick Fedde. The right-hander from UNLV struck out eight in 6.2 innings of two-hit ball in the opener. Last year, Perfect Game liked Fedde as Nevada’s top prospect for the 2014 draft.

  • Lukas Schiraldi is scheduled to start for Chatham on Saturday. He is the son of former Big Leaguer Calvin Schiraldi. He pitched in the junior college ranks this year and was drafted in the 35th round. He has a commitment to the University of Texas.

  • Princeton’s Mike Ford is back in Cotuit on a temporary contract, and he returns after a tremendous season. Ford was both the Ivy League Player of the Year and the Pitcher of the Year, the first time one player has ever won both honors in the history of the league. Ford hit .320 with six home runs at the plate and had a 0.98 ERA on the mound.

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    Baseball’s Back

    The sign pictured above greets drivers on Marion Road in Wareham. It’s a fitting image for day one of the Cape Cod Baseball League season, I think.

    Baseball’s back.

    The 2013 season got underway with four games (Brewster-Hyannis was postponed due to field conditions at McKeon Park).

    In Wareham, it was certainly a new year. The last time the Gatemen were on a baseball field, they were dog-piling in Yarmouth, celebrating the Cape League championship. On Wednesday, a patched-together roster needed some late-innings magic but couldn’t find it. Chatham scored four in the eighth and three pitchers combined on a shutout in a 4-0 victory.

    Starter Andrew McGee (Monmouth), the reigning Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Year, was tremendous for Chatham. He struck out seven in the first three innings and finished with nine in five innings. He allowed three hits. Ryan Leach (Franklin Pierce) pitched one inning and Andrew Chin (Boston College), a former fifth-round pick out of high school, finished the job with three perfect frames.

    Wareham’s Sean Newcomb (Hartford) was almost as good, striking out six in six scoreless innings, but Chatham got it done against the Gatemen bullpen. Connor Joe (San Diego) and Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) had back-to-back doubles in the eighth to start a rally. After a bases-loaded walk Wareham nearly got out of the jam with a double play, but Sheehan Planas-Arteaga (Barry) knocked a two-out single up the middle to plate two more runs.

    Joe and Pickens each had two hits for Chatham, whose 11 hits were more than any other team on opening night.

    Y-D 2, Bourne 0

    Erick Fedde (UNLV) delivered the best pitching performance of opening night as Y-D shut out Bourne. Fedde, a solid weekend starter for the Rebels, tossed 6.2 scoreless innings in his Cape debut, allowing just two hits and striking out eight. Dan Altavilla (Mercyhurst) finished off the shutout with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings. Salvatore Anunziata (Seton Hall) and Fedde’s UNLV teammate Taylor White drove in one run apiece. Bourne starter Kyle Kubat (Nebraska) also pitched well, allowing just an earned run. Returning all-star Mason Robbins (Southern Miss) had a hit for the Braves.

    Cotuit 4, Orleans 2

    In posting the best record in the league last year, Cotuit flashed a tremendous bullpen. On opening night, the Kettleers picked up where they left off. Five pitchers held down Orleans in the 4-2 win, with four relievers allowing just a run on two hits over the final 4.1 innings. Eric Karch (Pepperdine) got the win in relief, while Derrick Caypiak (Mt. Aloysius) picked up the save. Hunter Cole (Georgia) led the offense with two hits and two RBI.

    Falmouth 6, Harwich 2

    Also a strong pitching performance in Falmouth, where Brandon Finnegan (TCU) struck out eight in five innings on his way to the win. Finnegan, who’s also on the Team USA roster, allowed a run on three hits. Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton, the pitcher who’s also a basketball player for the Irish, got the start for Harwich and allowed just three unearned runs. Kevin Newman (Arizona) had a league-high three hits to lead the Commodores and also drove in a run. Conner Hale (State College of Florida) knocked in two.

    What to Watch

    If day two isn’t a wash-out, there should be a good match-up in the East, where perennial contenders Y-D and Harwich get together at Whitehouse Field. Two pitchers coming off solid springs will square off – Seton Hall’s Jose Lopez for Y-D and Nebraska’s Aaron Bummer for Harwich. Both of these teams still have some holes in the lineup, but they both also have returning stand-outs – A.J. Reed for Harwich and Robert Pehl for Y-D.