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Walk This Way

Brandon Sedell and the Chatham Anglers have been the league's most patient team - and it's working for them.

 
The Chatham Anglers have been a good hitting team this summer, but not the Cape’s best. What they do have going for them is the opportunity to hit with more men on base than any team in the league.

Because the Anglers can work a walk.

Chatham drew a season-high 10 walks on Sunday in a 7-3 victory over Brewster. That gives them a league-high 86 for the season, 23 more than second-place Cotuit. Not surprisingly, the Anglers also lead the league in on-base percentage with a .361 mark.

In some cases, you can chalk walks up to the luck of the draw and the fact that you might just be facing pitchers who are wild. But when the numbers are this high, it’s clearly part of an approach. Chatham also led the league in walks last year.

This year, the patient approach has been a key cog in the team’s successful start. The Anglers had a brief hiccup after their hot start but have won two in a row since.

The walks piled up against Brewster, with Richard Prigatano (Long Beach State) drawing three and league-leader Mitchell Gonsolus (Gonzaga) working two. Four of Chatham’s seven runs were scored by batters who got on base with a walk.

Dante Flores (USC) had two hits and an RBI while Jimmy Pickens (Michigan State) went 1-for-4 with two runs driven in. Sheehan Planas-Arteaga (Barry) also drove in a run.

Tommy Lawrence (Maine) got the win in relief, striking out four in 3.1 hitless innings.

The Anglers improved to 9-5-1, which puts them back atop the East Division standings.

 

Y-D 4, Harwich 0

The Red Sox (7-7-1) are suddenly the hottest team in the league. They beat Harwich (9-6) by a 4-0 score yesterday for their third straight win. Clay Smith (St. Louis), whose last appearance came in a 17-12 loss to Orleans, was dominant this time, striking out three and scattering five hits in seven shutout innings for the win. Kody Kerski (Sacred Heart) and Sam Coonrod (Southern Illinois) pitched an inning each to finish the shutout. Auston Bousfield (Ole Miss) went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while D.J. Stewart (Florida State) and Taylor Gushue (Florida) also knocked in a run each. Andrew Daniel (San Diego) went 1-for-4 to stretch his hitting streak to 11 games. He now leads the league with a .421 batting average. The Red Sox did most of their damage off Harwich starter Aaron Bummer (Nebraska), who hadn’t given up a run in his first two starts.

 

Cotuit 6, Bourne 1

A night after falling in a walk-off to Bourne, the Kettleers (10-5) won the rematch and became the first team in the league to 10 wins. Bourne fell to 7-8. Christian Cecilio (San Francisco), who had given up seven runs in a loss to Bourne on June 22, got the start and allowed just an unearned run in 7.1 innings. He only struck out two but induced an amazing 15 ground-ball outs. The Cotuit offense also stepped up, scoring two runs off Bourne starter Austin Gomber (Florida Atlantic), who was part of a combined no-hitter the last time he faced the Kettleers. Newcomer Logan Ratledge (NC State) hit a solo home run while Kevin Bradley (Clemson) went 1-for-4 with two RBI. Jake Fincher (NC State) and Nolan Clark (Concordia) drove in one run apiece.

 

Hyannis 6, Falmouth 3

The Harbor Hawks (9-4) were the only team to beat Falmouth (9-6) in a stretch of seven games, and they did it again Sunday, ending a three-game winning streak for the Commodores. Andrew Thome (North Dakota) picked up his league-leading third win with five strong innings. Tyler Spoon (Arkansas) and Skyler Ewing (Rice) both hit home runs to lead the Hyannis offense. Austin Slater (Stanford) added two hits. Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State) hit his second home run of the year for the Commodores.

 

Orleans 2, Wareham 0

The Firebirds (7-7) handed the Gatemen (2-13) their fifth straight loss with the shutout. Bobby Poyner (Florida) struck out five in five innings to get the ball rolling. Four relievers went one inning each to keep it going, with Matt Troupe (Arizona) working the ninth for his third save, which ties him for the league lead. The Orleans offense got two hits and an RBI from Collin Slaybaugh (Washington State), plus an RBI from Jordan Luplow (Fresno State). Trevor Podratz (Hawaii) had two hits to lead Wareham.

 

What to Watch

It’s a league-wide off-day as the teams head to Fenway Park for a work-out in front of scouts.

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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.