In any sport, you try to build a good team and hope for the best.

In the Cape Cod Baseball League – with a short season and dozens of factors at play – that approach takes hold even more. You can assemble the best collection of talent in the history of the league when you sign players in the fall, but Team USA might take half of them. You can put together a tremendous season, but you might run out of pitchers in the playoffs when kids have to get back to school.

In that landscape, it’s about putting your team in position to win – and then hoping it works out.

Over the past decade, no one has done that better than the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Every year, almost without fail, the Red Sox contend. Even in 2011, when they went 19-21-4 in the regular season, they won a playoff series. They won titles in 2006 and 2007 and have had the best record in the league in two of the last four years.

Last season was more of the same. The Red Sox lost some of their top prospects to Team USA, but they stayed neck-and-neck with a very talented Harwich team all season and surged to the Cape League championship series, where they lost a heartbreaker to Wareham.

With the 2013 season approaching, it looks like the Red Sox have again put themselves in a good position. Robert Pehl, Alex Blandino, Justin Shafer and Sam Travis – all standouts last summer – are set to return, giving the Red Sox a great nucleus to build around. Some standout sophomore hitters like Matt Chapman, Andrew Daniel and Brandon Downes are also on board.

If it all works out, Y-D could be right back at the top of the standings. At this point, I wouldn’t bet against them.

 

THE SKINNY

Manager: Scott Pickler
Last Year: 25-19; Lost in CCBL championship series
Returning Players: 5
Juniors: 1
Sophomores: 20
Freshmen: 3

 

NOTABLE

Offense looks like it could be a strength again for the Red Sox, who were the best hitting team in the league a year ago. Of the 17 position players on the roster, at least a dozen have proven track records as legitimate hitters and many are veterans.

Robert Pehl was one of the Cape League’s best players in 2012 and would have been a shoo-in for playoff MVP honors if the Red Sox had held on to win the title in game three of the championship series. Pehl hasn’t had a great sophomore season at Washington, so you can bet he’ll be excited to return to Yarmouth.

Y-D is a little light in the pitching department, with only nine arms on the roster right now. Expect some reinforcements to be in place by the time the season rolls around.

Y-D hit the jackpot with a player from Mercyhurst last year, as Zak Blair hit .338 and earned an all-star nod. They’ll be trying again with pitcher Dan Altavilla.

UNLV pitcher Erick Fedde might be under the radar, but he has the profile of a very solid Cape League starting pitcher. He’s been steady in each of his first two years and has struck out 74 this season.

UCLA freshman pitcher James Kaprielian was slated to be one half of a dynamic freshman duo for the Bruins that was also bound for Y-D. But Hunter Virant has missed most of the college season and has been removed from the Y-D roster. Kaprielian is having a great year as a reliever, though, so he’ll be able to pull his weight.

The Bryant Bulldogs have been one of the best stories of the 2013 college baseball season. In their first season of Division I postseason eligibility, they’re in position to make the most of it and are primed to contend for an NCAA regional spot. Sophomore pitcher Kevin McAvoy has been a big part of it and he’s bound for Y-D this summer.

Neither is having a great sophomore season, but Alex Blandino and Matt Chapman profile as two of the best incoming middle infield prospects. Blandino starred on the Cape last year, while Chapman was tabbed by Baseball America as the second-best prospect in the Northwoods League.

Trea Turner has been invited to Team USA. He still appears on the Y-D roster, but it’s probably a long-shot. If by chance he does make it to the Cape, it’ll be a treat – he’s probably the nation’s most exciting player.

Quite a few future Red Sox are in the midst of sophomore slumps, including the aforementioned Blandino and Chapman, as well as San Diego’s Andrew Daniel. If those guys put it together in the summer, this roster looks a lot better than it does if you’re just considering 2013 college stats.

Virginia’s Brandon Downes is not in a sophomore slump. He leads the Cavaliers in home runs and RBI, and he slots in as Y-D’s top incoming hitter.

Indiana’s Sam Travis was Y-D’s best player not named Robert Pehl last summer. The only bad part of his summer was the way it ended – Travis suffered an injury in the first game of the championship series and couldn’t play again. The title series certainly could have been different with him in there.

 

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Trea Turner
2. Sam Travis
3. Robert Pehl
4. Alex Blandino
5. Matt Chapman

 

PITCHERS

Dan Altavilla – RHP – 5’11 200 – Mercyhurst – Sophomore
Sam Coonrod – RHP – 6’2 190 – Southern Illinois – Sophomore
Erick Fedde – RHP – 6’4 175 – UNLV – Sophomore
Ryan Horstman – LHP – 6’2 185 – St. John’s – RS Freshman
James Kaprielian – RHP – 6’4 195 – UCLA – Freshman
Jose Lopez – RHP – 6’1 195 – Seton Hall – Sophomore
Kevin McAvoy – RHP – 6’3 210 – Bryant – Sophomore
Jordan Minch – LHP – 6’4 180 – Purdue – Freshman
Kellen Urbon – RHP – 6’0 180 – Cornell – Sophomore
 

Dan Altavilla – RHP – 5’11 200
Mercyhurst
Sophomore

Altavilla dominated as a reliever for Mercyhurst last year. In the starting rotation this year, he saw his ERA rise over five and went 5-5, but he did strike out 66 in 62.2 innings.

Sam Coonrod – RHP – 6’2 190
Southern Illinois
Sophomore

Coonrod struck out 54 while pitching in a swing role as a freshman last year. He moved into the rotation this season and went 3-4 with a 4.06 ERA, but his strikeout numbers were good again. He fanned 56 in 64.1 innings.

Erick Fedde – RHP – 6’4 175
UNLV
Sophomore

A 24th-round pick out of high school in 2011, Fedde led UNLV in innings pitched, strikeouts and wins in his debut season last year. He’s been just as good this year as a weekend starter, going 6-2 with a 3.66 ERA and striking out 74 in 86 innings pitched.

Ryan Horstman – LHP – 6’2 185
St. John’s
RS Freshman

After redshirting last year, Horstman has worked his way into the weekend rotation this season and has been dynamite in the process. He leads the team’s starting pitchers with a 1.84 ERA and he has struck out 46 in 53.2 innings pitched.

James Kaprielian – RHP – 6’4 195
UCLA
Freshman

Kaprielian wasn’t drafted until the 40th round last year but was ranked by Baseball America as the 73rd best prospect in the country. He has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen in his first season with the Bruins and has done it well. He has a 1.48 ERA in 19 appearances with 34 strikeouts in 24.1 innings.

Jose Lopez – RHP – 6’1 195
Seton Hall
Sophomore

Lopez has been a steady contributor out of the bullpen and as a starter in his two seasons with the Pirates, posting a 3.68 ERA last season and checking in at 3.40 this year. He has struck out 37 in 39.2 innings this year in 15 appearances.

Kevin McAvoy – RHP – 6’3 210
Bryant
Sophomore

McAvoy was the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year in 2012 and has been a key part of Bryant’s success this season. The big righty owns a 3.86 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 60.2 innings pitched.

Jordan Minch – LHP – 6’4 180
Purdue
Freshman

Minch hasn’t had a fantastic year, but he’s been the best pitcher in Purdue’s weekend rotation. He’s 5-4 with a 4.98 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched.

Kellen Urbon – RHP – 6’0 180
Cornell
Sophomore

Urbon grabbed the closer’s role for the Big Red as a freshman last year and dominated, posting a 0.47 ERA on his way to Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors. He pitched only 5.1 innings this year before an injury ended his season.

 

POSITION PLAYERS

*Alex Blandino – SS/RHP – 6’0 190 – Stanford – Sophomore
Auston Bousfield – OF – 5’11 185 – Ole Miss – Sophomore
Matt Chapman – SS/3B – 6’2 210 – CS Fullerton – Sophomore
Andrew Daniel – INF – 6’1 185 – San Diego – Sophomore
Brandon Downes – C/OF – 6’3 195 – Virginia – Sophomore
Eric Filia – OF – 6’0 185 – UCLA – Sophomore
Taylor Gushue – C/1B – 6’2 200 – Florida – Sophomore
Matt Honchel – OF – 6’1 195 – Miami (OH) – Sophomore
*Robert Pehl – IF/RHP – 6’1 209 – Washington – Sophomore
Cole Peragine – SS – 6’0 180 – Stony Brook – Sophomore
*Justin Shafer – OF – 6’3 195 – Florida – Sophomore
D.J. Stewart – OF – 6’0 230 – Florida State – Freshman
*Wayne Taylor – C – 6’1 205 – Stanford – Sophomore
*Sam Travis – OF/1B – 6’0 195 – Indiana – Sophomore
Jose Trevino – INF – 5’11 195 – Oral Roberts – Junior
Trea Turner – INF – 6’2 180 – NC State – Sophomore
Kyle Wood – OF/LHP – 6’0 220 – Purdue – RS Freshman
* – returning player

 
Alex Blandino – SS/RHP – 6’0 190
Stanford
Sophomore

Blandino was a 38th-round pick out of high school in 2011 and had a great freshman season with the Cardinal in 2012. He followed that up with an all-star campaign for Y-D last summer and finished with a .312 batting average. Baseball America had him as the league’s 21st-best prospect, third among freshmen. This year, he’s hit a bit of a sophomore slump. Blandino is batting .243 with four home runs.

Auston Bousfield – OF – 5’11 185
Ole Miss
Sophomore

Bousfield earned the starting center field job as a freshman last year, no easy task in Oxford. He hit .281 in his debut season and has been solid again this year, batting .291 with two homers, 18 RBI and nine stolen bases.

Matt Chapman – SS/3B – 6’2 210
CS Fullerton
Sophomore

The spring and summer of 2012 were pretty perfect for Chapman. He earned Big West Freshman of the Year honors after hitting .286 for the Titans and he shined in the Northwoods League, where Baseball America as the circuit’s second-best prospect. It’s been a little bit of tougher road this year, with Chapman hitting .252.

Andrew Daniel – INF – 6’1 185
San Diego
Sophomore

Daniel was a consensus Freshman All-American after hitting .339 with 45 RBI last season. He’s cooled off this year and is hitting .240 with two homers.

Brandon Downes – C/OF – 6’3 195
Virginia
Sophomore

A late-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2011, Downes was a contributor as a freshman. This year, he’s one of the players who has blossomed into a star as an inexperienced Cavalier squad has worked its way into the top 10. Downes is hitting .319 with a team-bests of seven home runs and 47 RBI.

Eric Filia – OF – 6’0 185
UCLA
Sophomore

Like Chapman, Filia also starred in the Northwoods League last summer, batting .383, earning all-star honors and checking in at No. 10 on Baseball America’s league prospect rankings. He’s been solid in his second year with the Bruins, hitting .265 with 17 RBI.

Taylor Gushue – C/1B – 6’2 200
Florida
Sophomore

Gushue didn’t have a lot of success in his freshman campaign, but on a young Florida team needing players to step up, he has come through in a big way this season. Gushue leads the team with a .308 batting average, five home runs and 33 RBI.

Matt Honchel – OF – 6’1 195
Miami (OH)
Sophomore

Honchel had a tremendous debut season for Miami last year. His .395 batting average ranked 14th nationally and was the best mark among all freshmen. He hasn’t hit quite as well this year, but is still checking in at .330 with 17 RBI.

Robert Pehl – IF/RHP – 6’1 209
Washington
Sophomore

Pehl was one of the bigger surprises of the 2012 Cape League season when he .329 with six homers and 38 RBI, numbers that put him in the MVP conversation. He’s hitting .261 this spring with a homer and 27 RBI.

Cole Peragine – SS – 6’0 180
Stony Brook
Sophomore

Peragine was the youngest contributor on Stony Brook’s College World Series team in 2012 and he hit .304 on his way to Freshman All-America honors. With a ton of talent gone, Peragine is a veteran now and has been one of the team’s best hitters. He’s at .293 with a homer and 17 RBI.

Justin Shafer – OF – 6’3 195
Florida
Sophomore

Shafer was a solid contributor last spring and summer, hitting .284 for the Gators and batting .315 once he arrived in Yarmouth. He’s been steady again this year, checking in just behind Gushue with a .302 average. His 17 doubles lead the team.

D.J. Stewart – OF – 6’0 230
Florida State
Freshman

A 28th-round pick of the Yankees last year, Stewart is in the midst of a terrific freshman season in Tallahassee. He ranks second on the team with a .318 batting average and he leads the club in RBI with 46. He’s hit four home runs and a team-best 18 doubles.

Wayne Taylor – C – 6’1 205
Stanford
Sophomore

Taylor was a 14th-round pick out of high school and didn’t get much of a chance to shine in his first season in Palo Alto. But last summer, he was a steady contributor for the Red Sox, hitting .292 with 13 RBI. He’s played a bigger role for the Cardinal this year and is batting .261 with a homer and 17 RBI.

Sam Travis – OF/1B – 6’0 195
Indiana
Sophomore

Travis joined Robert Pehl as a freshman star for Y-D last summer. He hit .339 with four homers and earned all-star honors. The reigning Big 10 Freshman of the Year, Travis has had another strong campaign for the Hoosiers. He’s batting .291 with six homers and 36 RBI.

Jose Trevino – INF – 5’11 195
Oral Roberts
Junior

Trevino blasted his way onto the scene as a freshman last year, hitting 13 home runs and batting .317. He also led the Golden Eagles in RBI and he spent the summer playing with Team USA. This year, Trevino is hitting .256 with eight home runs. Despite the lower average, he still leads the team in RBI.

Trea Turner – INF – 6’2 180
NC State
Sophomore

Turner has been one of the nation’s best players for two years running. After leading the country in stolen bases last year, he’s running wild again this year with 23 steals and he’s also hitting .397 with six homers.

Kyle Wood – OF/LHP – 6’0 220
Purdue
RS Freshman

After a medical redshirt in 2012, Wood has been a solid contributor in his debut this season. He’s batting .254 with four homers and 22 RBI.