Still the Next Star

Kris Bryant was named USA Today's Minor League Player of the Year. — Kris Bryant was named USA Today’s Minor League Player of the Year.

This time last year, with only a little bit of professional baseball under his belt, it was already looking like former Chatham Angler Kris Bryant would be the next Major League star with Cape League roots.

With a full year in the books, Bryant did nothing to change that belief – in fact, he only enhanced it.

The Cubs prospect was named USA Today’s Minor League Player of the Year after he dominated at Double A Tennessee and Triple A Iowa this season. Bryant slashed .325/.438/.661 and hit a minors-best 43 home runs.

Cape League fans will recall that Bryant didn’t set the world on fire in Chatham, hitting .223 with three homers in the summer after his freshman year at San Diego. From there, though, he pretty much did set the world fire at every stop, whether at San Diego or in the Cubs system that he rocketed through.

Bryant is expected to make his Chicago debut next year.

Cranston, R.I., native John Razzino had a cup of coffee with the Cape League champion Y-D Red Sox at the beginning of the summer, and though he wasn’t around for the championship, he got one of his own. Playing in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, the Franklin Pierce standout helped lead the Amsterdam Mohawks to the league title. Razzino hit .370 with five home runs and stole 23 bases. He was named a second-team Summer All-American by Perfect Game.

Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline checks in with a look at the Cape’s top pitching prospects from this summer. As he did on Baseball America’s list, Walker Buehler leads the way.

Prospect Insider offers up its rankings, as well, with Wareham’s Kyle Cody at the top.

Kudos to the Cape League’s video squad for a fun year and, especially, for a very fun moment after the Cape League championship. Y-D’s Josh Lester once won the Little League World Series and was the subject of a tearful post-game interview. Gabby Lucivero and Lester recreated it after Y-D won the Cape League title.

The Salisbury Post caught up with Catawba’s T.J. Wharton after he helped Y-D to the title.

Wesleyan’s student paper chatted with Nick Cooney and Gavin Pittore after their summers on the Cape.

Stadium Journey, which grades and reviews stadiums across the country, put together a ranking of Cape League fields. Hyannis’ McKeon Park holds the top spot, followed by Chatham’s Veterans Field.

October 24, 2013October 24, 2013

Minor League All-Stars

Every year, hundreds of Cape Cod Baseball League alumni criss-cross the country, one minor league ballpark at a time. These 16 did it best in 2013 and are Right Field Fog’s CCBL Minor League All-Stars. Selections are based largely on performance in the 2013 season, not prospect rankings. This is the first in a series of alumni reports that will include a roundup of each Cape League team’s top performers.

C – CALEB JOSEPH

Baltimore – Double A

The former Cotuit Kettleer was an eighth-round pick of the Orioles in the 2008 draft. He’s moved methodically through the Baltimore system since then, but 2013 might represent his breakout season. In 135 games for Double A Bowie, Joseph batted .299 with 22 home runs and 97 RBI. He earned Eastern League Post-Season All-Star honors. While the season was Joseph’s fourth at Double A, he may have earned himself a promotion this time around.

IN THE RUNNING: Kevin Plawecki, Rob Kral, Andrew Knapp

1B – BEN PAULSEN

Colorado – Triple A

A former Hyannis Met and a third-round pick out of Clemson, Paulsen is another minor league vet, but after a big year in the Pacific Coast League, he finds himself knocking on the door of the big leagues. Paulsen hit .292 for Colorado Springs and belted 18 home runs and 32 doubles. He drove in 79 and racked up an .867 OPS. With longtime Rockies first baseman Todd Helton retiring, Paulsen has put himself into the heir apparent conversation.

IN THE RUNNING: Jayce Boyd, Trey Mancini, Daniel Palka, William Carmona, Max Muncy, Hunter Morris

2B – MICAH JOHNSON

Chicago White Sox – Class A, Double A

The former Cotuit Kettleer and Indiana Hoosier is quite literally speeding his way through the Chicago White Sox system. A ninth-round pick in the 2012 draft, Johnson’s trademark speed carried him all the way to Double A in his first season as a pro. He made three stops in 2013, and his speed played at every one of them. For the year, Johnson stole a minors-best 84 bases. He also hit .312 with seven homers and reached base at a .373 clip. Johnson has his best success in the South Atlantic League, where he hit .342 and stole 61 bags.

IN THE RUNNING: Grant Green, Kolten Wong, Alex Yarbrough, Tommy LaStella, Robert Refsnyder

3B – KRIS BRYANT

Chicago Cubs – Short Season, Class A Advanced

The newest pro on this list wasted no time cementing his status as one of baseball’s best prospects. In the spring, the former Chatham Angler blasted 31 home runs for the University of San Diego. In June, the Cubs made him the second overall pick in the draft. In July, Bryant signed – and he spent the rest of the summer proving his worth. In 18 games in the Northwest League, Bryant hit .354 with four homers. He then skipped Low Class A and went right to the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, where he hit .333 with five more homers and helped Daytona win the league championship. He’s currently lighting up the prospect-heavy Arizona Fall League.

IN THE RUNNING: Cal Towey, Ryan Wheeler, Chris Dominguez, Mike Garza

SS – DARNELL SWEENEY

Los Angeles Dodgers – Class A Advanced

The former Harwich Mariner was a 13th-round pick of the Dodgers in 2012 and had a strong debut last summer. In his first full season of pro ball, Sweeney was even better. He hit .275 with 11 homers, 34 doubles and 16 triples, to go with 77 RBI. He reached base at a .348 clip and stole 48 bases. He also hit for the cycle in a game in May.

IN THE RUNNING: J.J. Altobelli, Eric Stamets, Deven Marrero

OF – GEORGE SPRINGER

Houston Astros – Double A, Triple A

Perhaps no player in minor league baseball had a more productive 2013 season than former Wareham star George Springer. The speedy outfielder hit 37 home runs and stole 45 bases, leaving him on the doorstep of becoming the first 40-40 player in the modern history of minor league baseball. Springer also hit .303 with a sparkling .411 on-base percentage. He drove in 108, and the 37 homers ranked third in all of minor league baseball.

OF – ADAM BRETT WALKER

Minnesota Twins – Class A

Walker had some struggles on the Cape in 2011, highlighting the boom-or-bust concerns that had already been attached. After his first full season as a pro, Walker is moving toward the boom side of the equation. The former Hyannis Harbor Hawk hit .278 and blasted 27 homers for Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League. He also tallied 31 doubles and 109 RBI. He earned Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star honors.

OF – ANDREW TOLES

Tampa Bay Rays – Class A

Toles starred for Brewster in 2011, though his collegiate career at Tennessee was abbreviated after he was dismissed from the team. After a season in the juco ranks, Toles was drafted in the third round of the 2012 draft and has made his presence felt. In this his first full season as a pro, Toles hit .326 with 53 extra-base hits and stole 62 bases.

IN THE RUNNING: Jeff Kobernus, John Andreoli, Tom Belza, Adam Engel, Brian Humphries, Stephen Piscotty, Preston Tucker, Josh Elander, Jeremy Baltz, Jordan Patterson, Alex Dickerson, Victor Roache, Kent Matthes, Derek Jones, Brett Eibner, Dan Paolini

DH – TOMMY MEDICA

San Diego Padres – Double A

Medica won a Cape League championship with Harwich in 2008. He was a 14th-round pick out of Santa Clara in 2010 but may prove to be a steal if this season is any indication. Playing in the Texas League, Medica batted .296 with 20 homers, 22 doubles and 65 RBI. He was a September call-up to the Padres.

SP – KYLE HENDRICKS

Chicago Cubs – Double A, Triple A

Hendricks doesn’t get as much love on top prospects lists as a lot of other pitchers, but the former Brewster reliever has put up impressive numbers at every stop on his pro career, culminating with a tremendous season in 2013. Hendricks spent most of the year at Double A Tennessee, where he went 10-3 with a sparkling 1.85 ERA. He made the jump to Triple A for six starts at the end of the year and continued to pitch well, posting a 2.48 ERA. He was named the Cubs’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

SP – ANTHONY RANAUDO

Boston Red Sox – Double A, Triple A

Ranaudo used the 2010 Cape League season as an opportunity to prove he was healthy to the nearby Red Sox, who had drafted him in June. After excelling with Brewster, Ranaudo inked a deal with the Red Sox and has been one of their top pitching prospects ever since. He didn’t disappoint in 2013, posting solid lines at Double A Portland and Triple A Pawtucket. Combined, Ranaudo went 11-5 with a 2.96 ERA. He struck out 127 in 140 innings.

SP – KYLE ZIMMER

Kansas City – Class A, Double A

Zimmer was a first-round pick in 2012, and the former Cotuit star shined in his pro debut. As he began his first full season on the farm, he had some struggled, but by the end of the year, was exactly where the Royals wanted him. Between two levels, he had a 4.32 ERA with 140 strikeouts in just 108 innings pitched. He topped out at Double A, and actually had more success there. In four starts, he had a 1.93 ERA and a 27-to-5 strikeout to walk ratio.

SP – EDDIE BUTLER

Colorado Rockies – Class A, Double A

Butler was part of a dynamic bullpen for the 2011 Cape League champion Harwich Mariners. After a big spring with Radford, he was drafted in the first round in 2012 and promptly led the Pioneer League in ERA. In 2013, he cruised through three levels, establishing himself as one of the Rockies top prospects at every stop. Butler finished the year with a 9-5 record and a 1.80 ERA, one of the best numbers in all of minor league baseball. He struck out 143 in 149.2 innings.

SP – NATE KARNS

Washington Nationals – Double A

A 2008 Falmouth Commodore, Karns fell behind the curve when he had shoulder surgery before he threw a professional pitch. Karns finally returned to action in 2011 and has made the most of his second chance. He was the National’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2012. This year, he went 10-6 with a 3.26 ERA in Double A, and his 155 strikeouts ranked 15th in all of minor league baseball. Karns had a cup of coffee with the Nationals early in the season as an injury fill-in.

IN THE RUNNING: Dylan Floro, Andrew Heaney, Matt Barnes, Pierce Johnson, Mario Hollands, Taylor Rogers, Tim Cooney, Deck McGuire, Jon Moscot, Andy Oliver, Eric Jokisch, Marcus Stroman, Logan Verrett, Nick Tropeano

RP – NICK WITTGREN

Miami Marlins – Class A, Double A

Wittgren saved nine games for Hyannis in 2011 and the Purdue grad continues to pick up saves at a break-neck clip in pro ball. A ninth-round pick in 2012, Wittgren saved 13 games after signing with the Marlins that year. This season, he emerged as one of the best relievers in the minors, tallying 26 saves and giving up just five earned runs the entire year for a 0.83 ERA. He struck out 63 and walked just 10.

RP – VIC BLACK

New York Mets – Triple A

The former Bourne Brave had a tough start to his professional career, but after a move to the bullpen, he took off in 2012. The rise continued this year, as Black saved 17 games in Triple A while striking out 63 in 46.2 innings. His success earned him a promotion to New York.

IN THE RUNNING: Michael Morin, Jake Barrett, Lee Hyde, Michael Nesseth, Ben Rowen, Joshua Turley

July 12, 2013July 12, 2013

The Next Big Thing

CHA11_krisbryant — Kris Bryant and the Cubs have agreed to a deal

Maybe it’s the wishful thinking of a Cubs fan, but I’ve thinking/hoping ever since the draft that Kris Bryant could be the next Cape League alum to hit it big in Major League Baseball.

There are plenty of solid Big Leaguers, of course – the alumni list hit 1,000 just this week – but I’m talking perennial all-star types, the Buster Poseys and Evan Longorias of the world. If it happens, Bryant could be the first Cape League star of the 2010’s.

And there’s reason to think it will happen. Bryant hit 31 home runs for San Diego this past spring, 10 more than anyone in college baseball and more than a lot of teams. He had a remarkable year and shot to the top of draft boards. The Cubs took him with the second overall pick and the sides have reportedly have agreed to terms this week on a record signing bonus.

Bryant’s tim on the Cape was typical of what you expect from a freshmen – some struggles, but flashes too. He hit only .223 but bombed three home runs and had more than a third of his hits go for extra bases.

Had Bryant not gone to Team USA and returned to Chatham, it’s a safe bet he would have been a star. Can you imagine him hitting the juiced balls? I’m not sure any record would have been safe.

As it is, Bryant is still a full-fledged Cape League veteran, not a cameo guy like Mark Appel or Mike Zunino.

And he may be the league’s next star. This Cubs fan hopes so.

I mentioned this on Twitter, but I’ll make note of it here too. Max Pentecost’s amazing performance Wednesday night is made all the more amazing by the fact that he was the starting catcher that night and remained behind the plate for all 12 innings. It’s been a while since the Cape had an elite catching prospect. Pentecost may fit the bill.

Derek Fisher hit eight home runs on his way to top prospect honors in the Northwoods League last summer. The Virginia slugger has yet to hit a home run on the Cape but he’s still been one of the league’s best. Fisher leads the league with a .397 batting average. He has five multi-hit games in his last eight. He has also struck out just six times in 58 at-bats and has a .500 on-base percentage.

Chatham is doing perfectly fine for itself this season, but that lineup almost had one of the best hitters in the country. Taylor Sparks of UC Irvine was a late invitee to Team USA, and he’s tearing it up for the National Team. He leads the squad with a .421 average.

Speaking of the Anglers, for a while it looked like Chatham was going to be a team of solid players, without any stars. Dante Flores has stepped into the void. After hitting just .154 for Chatham last summer, he’s one of the best hitters in the league this year. His triple-slash line is .354/.419/.576, one of the best in the league.

There is quite a battle going on for the league lead in stolen bases. Brewster’s Scott Heineman currently has it with 14 steals, but Harwich’s Aaron Barbosa is hot on his heels with 13. Orleans’ Greg Allen and Falmouth’s Kevin Newman each have 11. All of those guys are on pace to run right past the league-leading totals of the last few years. Tony Kemp led with 18 last year, Kyle Wren had 18 in 2011 and Andy Burns had 25 in 2010. The last huge total came in 2009, when Chris Bisson stole 36.

Former Chatham A Grant Green was called up to the Oakland A’s this week. He was hitting .318 with 11 homers at Triple A. If Green makes a name for himself at all in the Big Leagues, he’s got Cape League Hall of Famer written all over him. Green won a championship with Y-D then was an MVP candidate for Chatham the next year.

My most underrated players in the league so far? Connor Joe of Chatham and Conner Hale of Falmouth. Joe is hitting .282 with a homer and 10 RBI. Hale is at .278 with a home run and 11 RBI. Also, why are there so many Connors/Conners/Conors in the Cape League this year? I can’t keep the spellings straight.

Chatham has two players, Mitchell Gonsolus and Sheehan Planas-Arteaga, with on-base percentages north of .420 – and both of them have batting averages under .270. The Anglers can really work a walk.

Wareham reliever Ryan Riga has been a busy man this summer. He leads the league in appearances with 14. The Gatemen have played 24 games.

There’s always a middle reliever who doesn’t get as much but deserves as much attention as starters and closers. Cotuit’s Joel Seddon is at the top of the list so far. He’s made six appearances and hasn’t allowed an earned run in 15 innings.

Some of my favorite players on the Cape are small-school guys who make an impression and come back the next year when their teams need some help. Cotuit’s Galli Cribbs, Jr. and Wareham’s Fred Shepard are doing it this year. Cribbs, of Clarendon College, is hitting .229 and playing a solid shortstop when asked for a Cotuit team that’s been hit hard by personnel losses. Wareham has been in a similar boat and Shepard has stepped up. The left from Amherst has an ERA that’s on the high side but he’s tied for fourth in the league in strikeouts.

June 6, 2013June 6, 2013

Cape Leaguers Await Draft Calls

The Major League Baseball draft begins tonight at 7 p.m. with the first and second rounds. They’ll be televised live on MLB Network and MLB.com. The draft continues Friday at 1 p.m. with rounds three through 10, and the final 30 rounds will go off Saturday at 1 p.m. Live audio of the second and third days will air on MLB.com.

As usual, hundreds of former Cape Leaguers will hear their names called. Two-hundred twenty nine were selected last year after 258 went in 2011. Those numbers are major increases over the 148 that were selected just 11 years ago in 2002.

Baseball America’s latest mock draft has 11 CCBL alums projected to go in the first round:

2 – Cubs – Mark Appel (Y-D ’11)
3 – Rockies – Kris Bryant (Chatham ’11)
5 – Indians – Colin Moran (Bourne ’11 & ’12)
11 – Mets – Ryne Stanek (Bourne ’11)
14 – Pirates – D.J. Peterson (Hyannis ’11)
17 – White Sox – Alex Gonzalez (Y-D ’11 & ’12)
22 – Orioles – Chris Anderson (Y-D ’12)
24 – Athletics – Aaron Judge (Brewster ’12)
26 – Yankees – Eric Jagielo (Harwich ’12)
27 – Reds – Phillip Ervin (Harwich ’12)
28 – Cardinals – Marco Gonzales (Falmouth ’12)

Some of those guys will be very familiar to Cape League fans, like Moran, Jagielo and Ervin. Others made cameos, like Appel, who made only three starts for Y-D in 2011.

One name missing from the first-round list is reigning CCBL Pitcher of the Year and Top Prospect Sean Manaea, who opened the spring as a projected top-three pick. Injuries have created question marks, and those have sent him tumbling. He could still sneak into the first round – and won’t last much beyond it – but it appears he’s not enough of a sure thing to break into the top 10.

A few other notes:

Baseball America currently has Oklahoma pitcher Jonathan Gray going as the No. 1 overall pick. So does SB Nation’s Consensus Mock Draft, which combines data from five mocks. If Gray is the pick, it’ll be the seventh consecutive year without a Cape Leaguer in the top spot. The last was Luke Hochevar in 2006.

Both Mark Appel and Kris Bryant could certainly make a run at the top spot. Appel was a possible No. 1 overall pick last year, went eighth and didn’t sign. He returned to Stanford and had a dominant senior season to remain near the top of draft boards. As for Bryant, who hit .223 with three home runs for Chatham in 2011, he’s always been a big time prospect but wasn’t in top-five territory when the college season began. Thirty-one home runs later and he’s in the conversation.

If Phillip Ervin gets picked in the first round as projected, he’ll be the third straight Cape League MVP to go in the first round or the supplemental first round, joining Travis Jankowski and Kolten Wong. Six of the last seven have MVPs have gone in the first round or the supplemental first round, with eighth-round pick Kyle Roller the only exception. The other members of the group are A.J. Pollock, Conor Gillaspie, Justin Smoak and Evan Longoria.

The Cape League has had an average of about 10 players drafted in the first round over the last 10 years, with a high of 14 in 2008 and a low of six in 2010. The 2006 draft also stands out – the first six picks were all CCBL alums and the 10th pick was Tim Lincecum.

May 31, 2013May 31, 2013

Regional Watching

The Cape League season is less than two weeks away but if you need to whet your appetite, you’re in luck. The NCAA tournament begins today with 32 regional games.

Some Cape notes down below, but first, courtesy of SEBaseball.com, here’s a Friday schedule, sorted by time and with TV info included. Most games are available online at ESPN3.com. Four will be televised on ESPNU: Troy vs. Alabama at 12 p.m., Wichita State vs. Kansas State at 3 p.m., East Tennessee State vs. Vanderbilt at 5 p.m., and Columbia vs. Cal State Fullerton at 11 p.m.

Friday:
Noon ET Troy vs Alabama (Tallahassee) ESPNU

1 ET Coastal Carolina vs Oklahoma (Blacksburg) ESPN3
1 ET Towson vs Florida Atlantic (Chapel Hill) ESPN3
1 ET Liberty vs Clemson (Columbia) ESPN3
1 ET Florida vs Austin Peay (Bloomington) ESPN3
1 ET Army vs Virginia (Charlottesville) ESPN3

2 ET William & Mary vs Ole Miss (Raleigh) ESPN3
2 ET Georgia Tech vs. Illinois (Nashville) ESPN3
2 ET Oklahoma State vs. Miami (Louisville) ESPN3

3 ET Wichita State vs Kansas State (Manhattan) ESPNU
3 ET UC Santa Barbara vs Texas A&M (Corvallis) ESPN3
3 ET Mercer vs South Alabama (Starkville) ESPN3
3 ET Jackson State vs LSU (Baton Rouge) ESPN3

5 ET San Francisco vs Rice (Eugene) ESPN3
5 ET Savannah State vs Florida State (Tallahassee) ESPN3
5 ET San Diego vs Cal Poly (Los Angeles) ESPN3

5:30 ET Connecticut vs Virginia Tech (Blacksburg) ESPN3

6 ET Canisius vs North Carolina (Chapel Hill) ESPN3
6 ET Bowling Green vs Louisville (Louisville) ESPN3
6 ET Elon vs UNC Wilmington (Charlottesville) ESPN3

7 ET Valparaiso vs Indiana (Bloomington) ESPN3
7 ET Binghamton vs NC State (Raleigh) ESPN3
7 ET East Tennessee State vs Vanderbilt (Nashville) ESPNU
7 ET Saint Louis vs South Carolina (Columbia) ESPN3
7 ET New Mexico vs Arizona State (Fullerton) ESPN3

8 ET UTSA vs Oregon State (Corvallis) ESPN3
8 ET Central Arkansas vs Mississippi State (Starkville) ESPN3
8 ET Bryant vs Arkansas (Manhattan) ESPN3
8 ET Sam Houston State vs Louisiana(Baton Rouge) ESPN3

9 ET South Dakota State vs Oregon (Eugene) ESPN3
9 ET San Diego State vs UCLA (Los Angeles) ESPN3

11 ET Columbia vs Cal State Fullerton (Fullerton) ESPNU

CAPE LEAGUE FLAVORED REGIONAL NOTES

Cape League mainstay North Carolina is your No. 1 national seed. The Heels have seven players on Cape League rosters, led by freshmen Skye Bolt (Harwich) and Landon Lassiter (Chatham). Bolt has also been invited to Team USA. Also in the Chapel Hill Regional is Florida Atlantic, who’s led by future Bourne Brave Austin Gomber, the ace of the Owls’ staff.

Wareham fans will have their pick of Gatemen champions to root for this weekend. Tyler Horan leads Virginia Tech as it hosts a regional, Daniel Palka and Mott Hyde take Georgia Tech to the Nashville regional and Kyle Schwarber will be leading Indiana as it hosts a regional for the first time.

If East Tennessee State can pull off a monumental upset of Vanderbilt, Clint Freeman will probably be at the center of it. The future Bourne Brave hit .336 with 10 homers this year.

Casey Gillaspie, future Falmouth Commodore and brother of former Commodore Conor Gillaspie, will be in action on ESPNU at 3 as Wichita State takes on Kansas State. Gillaspie had a big sophomore season.

Former Chatham Angler Kris Bryant has had an incredible season for San Diego and is likely to be drafted in the top three picks next week. He and the Toreros take on Cal Poly at 5 p.m. in the L.A. regional.

San Francisco is making just its third regional appearance. The Dons have led offensively by future Cotuit Kettleer Bradley Zimmer, who’s brother Kyle is a former Kettleer and a first-round draft pick.

Bryant University, in its first year of D-I postseason eligibility, is in Kansas and will take on Arkansas. Craig Schlitter (Falmouth ’12) has had a big hand in the team’s success this year.

Alex Bregman has been invited to Team USA, so he may not make it to Harwich this summer. But the LSU freshman is worth watching anyway. He and the Tigers play Jackson State at 3 p.m.

Louisville is sending a huge contingent to the Cape this summer and has quite a few former Cape Leaguers as well. The Cards are hosting a regional and they take on Bowling Green at 6 p.m.