Obviously, the answer to the headline’s question is “really good.” He made history after all, becoming the first player to ever win two Cape Cod Baseball League batting titles.

But I wondered – how much better was he?

To delve into that question, I decided to look at batting average for two-year Cape Leaguers. There are probably about 20 players every year that are on their second tour of the Cape, and many have gone on to great things (Buster Posey being Exhibit A). I figured there’d be a fair amount of guys who batted over. 300 for two years.

There were not.

Since 2000, Newman is one of just three players who have hit above .300 (with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title) in two consecutive years.

The other two are Alex Blandino of Yarmouth-Dennis and Warner Jones of Wareham. Blandino hit .308 in 2013 and .312 in 2012. Jones – who played a remarkable 87 regular-season games – hit .303 for the Gatemen in 2004 and .344 in 2003.

Posey? Try .281 and .289.

Richard Martin Jr, the guy who was second to Newman this year? He was at .364 – and .193.

Colin Moran? Nope – .314 and .289.

Grant Green, the one I was expecting off the top of my head? A great .348 year but it was after he hit .291.

Matt Murton, a Cape League great? He did hit those numbers, but his .400 batting average in 2002 came in just 16 games.

The list goes on, but I think you get the point. Newman did something remarkable. And if you want to compare him to Blandino and Jones – the only guys in this class with him – then they probably shouldn’t be in the same class. Newman is the only player since 2000 to hit higher than .312 in two consecutive years. And he was way higher.

 

Notes

A leftover thought from the championship series: the buzz in the crowd when Phil Bickford came into the game was reminiscent of a Saean Manaea or Andrew Miller appearance. Everybody I was sitting near in the stands – even the most casual fans – knew who Bickford was. They’d turn to the person next to them and say, ‘Watch this guy.’

It also struck me that Bickford has the profile of a guy who is becoming an endangered species on Cape Cod: the highly-drafted power arm with little left to prove. From Gerrit Cole to Tyler Beede, the trend has been for those types of players to go with Team USA or take summers off. You can’t blame them. But it’s sure nice to see a blazing fastball from a former first-round pick on a Cape League mound.

Iowa catches up with Blake Hickman after his summer on the Cape, where the two-way player focused exclusively on pitching.

Arizona Desert Swarm gives some love to Kevin Newman.

The YES Network aired a terrific little piece on the Cape League. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth a watch.

Baseball America wraps up All-Star games across the minor leagues, with plenty of familiar names. Among the best performances, former Hyannis Harbor Hawk Adam Brett Walker was the MVP of the Florida State League All-Star Game. Walker has 24 home runs this season.