Right Field Fog

There will be many, many roster additions in the coming weeks, but I don’t know how many will be as big as a couple that stand out on the Cape League’s latest updated roster list.

The three that caught my eye the most are Austin Wilson in Harwich, Jared King in Falmouth and Dominic Ficociello in Orleans.

Wilson played for Harwich last year, and though he didn’t have a great summer statistically (.204 AVG, 1 HR), he was still one of the top prospects in the league. Perfect Game had him ranked No. 3 overall. Wilson wasn’t on early Harwich rosters but is there now. He’s hitting .308 with eight home runs for Stanford this spring.

Another guy who wasn’t on an early roster but is set to return is King, a standout at Kansas State. He also had his struggles on the Cape last summer in Falmouth, but he has been one of the top hitters in the Big 12 this spring. He’s hitting .376 with five home runs, 12 doubles and 40 RBI.

Ficociello was a 23rd-round pick out of high school and had a huge freshman season at Arkansas last year. He then played with Team USA. Now, Ficociello has popped up on the Orleans roster. He’s hitting .323 with four home runs and 32 RBI.

A good read on former Harwich closer Blake Hauser, who’s having a terrific season as VCU’s closer. Hauser had never been a closer before the Mariners tried him there last summer. He has continued in that role this spring and has been brilliant, striking out 54 in 28.1 innings.

I posted a note about LSU’s Raph Rhymes a while ago. The junior, who’s ticketed for Cotuit, was hitting almost .500 at the time. You’d think, more than a month later, that he would not be hitting close to .500 anymore. You’d be right — because he is not hitting an even .500. His average has gone up. It’s pretty ridiculous. Rhymes has been one of the great stories in college baseball this year.

Baseball America’s Jim Callis has come out with his first mock draft of the year. He has former Cape Leaguer Mark Appel going No. 1 overall to the Astros. The first round includes 10 total Cape Leaguers, and the first six college players off the board all played on the Cape.

Wareham Gatemen
Manager: Cooper Farris
2011 Record: 23-21

Growing up, I remember hearing that the Wareham Gatemen were kind of the New York Yankees of the Cape Cod Baseball League. They always seemed to bring in some of the best players and they always seemed to be successful.

That’s why I was surprised to learn today that last year marked Wareham’s first winning season since 2006. For whatever reason, things just hadn’t come together from 2007-2010. Team USA had a big impact some years, and others, the Gatemen just couldn’t quite find it. (It also could have been a Right Field Fog curse since 2006 was the year before RFF got its start).

Whatever the cause, the Gatemen broke out last summer with a solid campaign that included a run to the West division semifinals.

With eight players expected back from that team, Wareham should have the nucleus of a veteran team that can stay on track. Konner Wade leads the returning pitchers, while Daniel Palka paces the hitters. Both were all-stars last summer. Throw in some starting pitching with a lot of upside and a handful of other power threats, and the Gatemen have the makings of a contender.

Roster Rundown
Returning Players: 8
Sophomores: 19
Freshmen: Six

Notable

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Daniel Palka
2. Konner Wade
3. Michael Cederoth
4. Matthew Grimes
5. Tyler Horan

Pitchers

*Barret Astin – RHP – 6-1 185 – Arkansas – Sophomore
Michael Cederoth – RHP – 6-6 205 – San Diego State – Freshman
*Matthew Grimes – RHP – 6-5 208 – Georgia Tech – Sophomore
Will Kendall – LHP – 6-3 205 – Auburn – Sophomore
Brad Kuntz – LHP – 6-2 195 – Baylor – Sophomore
Kurt McCune – RHP – 6-4 180 – LSU – Sophomore
Sean Newcomb – LHP 6-5 220 – Hartford – Freshman
*Dillon Newman – RHP – 6-2 185 – Baylor – Sophomore
Nicholas Rumbelow – RHP – 6-0 190 – LSU – Sophomore
Jared Ruxer – RHP- 6-2 185 – Louisville – Freshman
Adam Schemenauer – LHP – 6-9 230 – Louisville – Freshman
Colby Suggs – RHP – 6-0 225 – Arkansas – Sophomore
Brando Tessar – RHP – 6-3 198 – Oregon – Sophomore
*Konner Wade – RHP – 6-3 180 – Arizona – Sophomore

Barret Astin – RHP – 6-1 185
Arkansas
Sophomore

Astin earned Freshman All-American honors while pitching out of the Arkansas bullpen last season and then delivered a solid summer on Cape Cod with the Gatemen. Astin went 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA for Wareham. This spring, it’s been more of the same for Astin, who has saved nine games and is among the SEC leaders in ERA with a 1.80 mark. He has also struck out 51 in 45 innings.

Michael Cederoth – RHP – 6-6 205
San Diego State
Freshman

Cederoth was a 42nd-round draft pick out of high school last year and vaulted into the San Diego State rotation immediately this season. He’s has some ups and downs so far. Cederoth currently has an ERA of 4.58. He has struck out 56 in 59 innings, but the biggest problem has been his 45 walks. He’s still a power arm, though, with a fastball that can reach the mid-90′s.

Matthew Grimes – RHP – 6-5 208
Georgia Tech
Sophomore

Grimes, a fourth-round pick of the White Sox, was one of the top unsigned picks from the 2010 draft, and he had a pretty good freshman season with the Yellow Jackets, finishing with a 4.15 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 73.2 innings. Grimes was off to a good start this season, going 3-2 in five starts with a 3.38 ERA but an injury has sidelined him recently.

Will Kendall – LHP – 6-3 205
Auburn
Sophomore

Kendall was off to a fantastic start this season, posting a 4-0 record and a 1.88 ERA, but he has since suffered a season-ending injury. He is still listed on the Wareham roster, but I’m not sure of his status for the summer.

Brad Kuntz – LHP – 6-2 195
Baylor
Sophomore

Kuntz has been a solid pitcher out of the bullpen in each of his first two seasons in Waco. This year, he’s made the second-most appearances on the team and has put up a 4.46 ERA to go with about a strikeout an inning.

Kurt McCune – RHP – 6-4 180
LSU
Sophomore

McCune burst onto the scene for the Tigers last spring, grabbing a weekend rotation spot and earning Freshman All-America honors by posting a 7-3 record and a 3.38 ERA. The going has been a little tougher for McCune this spring. He’s 2-4 with a 4.21 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 36.1 innings.

Sean Newcomb – LHP 6-5 220
Hartford
Freshman

A native of Middleboro, Mass., Newcomb has measurables that jump out, and he’s been pretty good in his first year with Hartford. Newcomb is 2-4 so far with a 4.17 ERA. He has struck out 45 in 45.1 innings of work and has walked 38.

Dillon Newman – RHP – 6-2 185
Baylor
Sophomore

Like his teammate Kuntz, Newman has been a key part of the Baylor bullpen for two years running, and he’s been particularly good this season. Newman has a 2.54 ERA with 31 strikeouts and just six walks in 28.1 innings pitched.

Nicholas Rumbelow – RHP – 6-0 190
LSU
Sophomore

Rumbelow pitched well in limited innings as a freshman then was named the sixth-best prospect in the Prospect League last summer. This spring, Rumbelow has been outstanding out of the bullpen for the Tigers, putting a 3.48 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.

Jared Ruxer – RHP- 6-2 185
Louisville
Freshman

A 29th-round pick out of high school, Ruxer follows in the footsteps of Cardinal teammate and former Wareham standout Justin Amlung. Just a freshman, Ruxer has been great as a member of the weekend rotation, posting a 6-1 record and a 2.47 ERA. Ruxer was a 29th-round pick out of high school.

Adam Schemenauer – LHP – 6-9 230
Louisville
Freshman

A towering presence, Schemenauer was a 12th-round pick out of high school but opted to attend Louisville. He has not pitched this season.

Colby Suggs – RHP – 6-0 225
Arkansas
Sophomore

Suggs was impressive in limited work last spring then came through with a big summer in the Coastal Plain League. This year, Suggs has been just as good as his teammate Astin, recording a 0.99 ERA in 24 relief appearances. He has 29 strikeouts in 27.1 innings pitched.

Brando Tessar – RHP – 6-3 198
Oregon
Sophomore

A 25th-round pick out of high school, Tessar had a solid freshman season in Eugene and then earned all-star honors in the Northwoods League last summer. This spring, Tessar has gone 4-1 with a 3.58 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 50.1 innings.

Konner Wade – RHP – 6-3 180
Arizona
Sophomore

Wade returns to Wareham after a breakout summer last season, and it looks like he’ll be coming off a breakout spring. Wade tied for the Cape League lead in saves with 12 last summer. This spring, he moved to the rotation for Arizona and has done well. He’s 6-1 with a 4.29 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched.

Position Players

Dustin DeMuth – SS – 6-3 – 198 – Indiana – Sophomore
*Johnny Field – OF – 5-10 195 – Arizona – Sophomore
Tyler Horan – 3B – 6’1 225 – Virginia Tech – RS Sophomore
*Mott Hyde – SS – 5’11 185 – Georgia Tech – Sophomore
Ty McFarland – 3B – 6-3 190 – James Madison – Sophomore
*Daniel Palka – 1B – 6-3 220 – Georgia Tech – Sophomore
*Ty Ross – C – 6-3 215 – LSU- Sophomore
Kyle Schwarber – OF – 6-0 230 – Indiana – Freshman
Cody Smith – OF – 5-10 180 – San Diego State – Sophomore
Brett Thomas – OF – 6-1 195 – Oregon – Sophomore
Matthew Walsh – C – 5-10 210 – Franklin Pierce – Freshman

Dustin DeMuth – SS – 6-3 – 198
Indiana
Sophomore

Wareham has had a few strong players from Indiana over the years, and DeMuth is the latest. He earned Freshman All-America honors when he hit .360 last year. This season hasn’t been quite as good. DeMuth is hitting .261 with 13 RBI.

Johnny Field – OF – 5-10 195
Arizona
Sophomore

After a strong freshman season at Arizona, Field made the trek to Wareham last summer and became one of the Gatemen’s top hitters, finishing with a .261 average and 10 extra-base hits. Back at Arizona this year, Field has taken a leap forward. He’s batting .364 with 18 extra-base hits.

Tyler Horan – 3B – 6’1 225
Virginia Tech
RS Sophomore

Like his future Wareham teammate Sean Newcomb, Horan hails from Middleboro, Mass., so he’ll be playing close to home this summer, and he’ll have quite a track record to show off as he returns to New England. A former star at Boston College High, Horan redshirted his first year at Virginia Tech but has hit the ground running since. After hitting .396 in a reserve role last year, Horan is batting .293 this season with 13 home runs and 38 RBI.

Mott Hyde – SS – 5’11 185
Georgia Tech
Sophomore

Hyde started from day one for Tech last season and hit .275 with 47 RBI. He struggled on the Cape, hitting .151 for the Gatemen, but he’s returned to his freshman year form back with the Yellow Jackets this spring. Hyde is hitting .272 with five home runs and 24 RBI.

Ty McFarland – 3B – 6-3 190
James Madison
Sophomore

McFarland hit .278 as a freshman before putting together a strong summer in the Valley League last year. This season, McFarland is hitting .338 with six doubles.

Daniel Palka – 1B – 6-3 220
Georgia Tech
Sophomore

Palka had an outstanding freshman season in 2011, hitting .297 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI. With Wareham, he picked up right where he left off, hitting a team-best .327 and earning all-league honors. There’s been more consistency this spring, with Palka hitting .301 and blasting a team-high 11 home runs. Palka was a 19th-round draft pick out of high school in 2010.

Ty Ross – C – 6-3 215
LSU
Sophomore

Ross became LSU’s starting catcher as a freshman and was one of the top young players in the SEC last season. He hit .168 over the summer for Wareham, but has been strong again this spring. He’s hitting .302, good for third on the team, and he’s also third on the team in RBI with 31. Ross was a 46th-round draft pick out of high school.

Kyle Schwarber – OF – 6-0 230
Indiana
Freshman

Schwarber will join his teammate DeMuth in Wareham this summer, and it looks like he’ll be coming off a big debut. Schwarber is hitting .298 in his first year with the Hoosiers, and he’s tied for the team lead with eight home runs.

Cody Smith – OF – 5-10 180
San Diego State
Sophomore

Smith became one of San Diego State’s best hitters last year as a freshman, batting .311 with 17 extra-base hits. His average has dipped this year, but he’s still been a solid hitter for the Aztecs. He’s at .268 with six doubles and 18 RBI.

Brett Thomas – OF – 6-1 195
Oregon
Sophomore

After hitting .291 as a freshman, Thomas has become one of the Ducks’ top offensive threats in his sophomore season. He’s currently hitting .309 with a team-best 17 extra-base hits.

Matthew Walsh – C – 5-10 210
Franklin Pierce
Freshman

A native of Plymouth, Walsh will be living a dream this summer when he plays for the Gatemen, whom he grew up watching. Walsh will be coming in off an outstanding freshman season at Franklin Pierce. He hit .339 with two home runs and 37 RBI and was named the Northeast 10 Conference Rookie of the Year.

Much like the New England weather a few weeks ago, my happy spring declaration from Feb. 24 was kind of a false spring, at least in terms of my keeping up with college baseball. It’s always tough in March. College basketball sucks me in every year, and with my Louisville Cardinals making the Final Four, I was obsessed.

I am now in mourning, but what better way to move on then to fully embrace spring? It’s really baseball season now.

In the spirit of that, let’s do a little catching up on the first month of the college baseball season. We’ll get to some 2012 spotlights in the weeks to come and team previews before we know it. For now, a quick trip around the country with an eye on the Cape:

I mentioned last week that Mark Appel could become the first Cape League alum to go No. 1 overall in the MLB draft since 2006. A week into the college season, there’s another CCBL alum who’s getting some early buzz.

According to Baseball America, San Francisco’s Kyle Zimmer, who pitched for Cotuit last summer, was as impressive as any pitcher in the country last week. His fastball topped out at 99.

Zimmer went 2-5 for the Kettleers last year, with a 3.38 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 48 innings. He was named the No. 8 prospect in the league by Baseball America, but it’s looking like that may have just been the beginning for him.

We’re still about a month away from the first official day of spring, unless you’re like me and you prefer to observe the baseball calendar.

And baseball spring starts today.

From coast to coast (mostly in southern latitudes) college baseball teams are opening their seasons today. William & Mary is the northern-most team hosting a game in the Eastern part of the country. Out West, Seattle University is actually hosting a game.

But though baseball remains far away from here, this is the beginning. It’s coming.

A couple of notes for the start of baseball spring:

The league announced yesterday that the 2012 Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game will be played at Harwich’s Whitehouse Field on Saturday, July 28. It’ll be the first All-Star Game held on the Cape since 2008. The game was held at Fenway Park each of the last three years, but the league and the Red Sox couldn’t reconcile the schedule to make it work this year. The Red Sox will, however, have a “Cape League Day,” for their July 22 game, which will include the preliminary round of the CCBL’s home run derby.

I never had a strong opinion either way about having the game at Fenway. I think it helped the game gain a little more exposure, but it also took it away from some of the diehards who watch all summer. The flip side will be true with it back on the Cape, but either way, it’ll still be a great day of baseball. It always is.

The Mariners, defending Cape League champs, were chosen as All-Star hosts by a vote of the Cape League Executive Committee. It’ll be the first All-Star game in Harwich since 2002. Former Major Leaguer and current Japanese League star Matt Murton won the home run derby that year, while the West won the game 4-1

Rosters for 2012 have been popping up on team web sites for a while now. This week, the league put out its early list of every roster. You can see the full rosters here (PDF).

We have about four months to get to know these names. For now, a few that caught my eye: reigning ACC Freshman of the Year Colin Moran and reigning CCBL Pitcher of the Year Ryan Eades returning to Bourne; Vanderbilt freshman Tyler Beede, a first-round pick in 2011, coming to Cotuit; and San Diego sophomore Dylan Covey, the 14th pick in the 2010 draft, slated for Orleans.

Major League Baseball announced its new collective bargaining agreement on Tuesday. While the addition of more playoff teams and the introduction of HGH testing are garnering the headlines, the changes to the draft and amateur signings are significant and could have a big impact on college baseball and the Cape Cod Baseball League.

In the past, signing bonuses were restricted only in theory, by MLB’s recommended slots. With no enforcement, though, teams routinely ignored the recommendations and spent what they wanted. Bonuses shot through the roof in recent years.

The new CBA doesn’t have hard slots or a hard cap, but it does have what amounts to a budget for bonus spending. Teams will be given a pool for draft bonuses in the first 10 rounds. They can budget it however they want, but their total bonus amounts for those rounds are expected to be under the overall number. If not there are penalties — 0-5 percent over and they’ll pay a 75 percent tax on the overage; 5-10 percent over and they’ll pay the same tax and lose a first-round pick the next year; 15 percent over and they’ll have to pay a 100 percent tax and give up their first-round picks in the next two drafts.

Those are steep penalties and they may be enough to keep spending in check. It remains to be seen what the numbers will be, and if they’re as high as some are reporting, then the impact may not be as drastic. But it will be a change.

College baseball and the Cape League stand to benefit.

In recent years, scouts have lamented the lack of talent on campus and in top summer leagues, citing an increase in the number of top-flight high-school players going pro as a major reason. The path isn’t likely to change for high-school players who get picked in the first round — they’ll still get their money. But for that second tier of high-schoolers and for the ones who may be considered tough signs, it looks like college will become a more likely destination. Teams have often spent a lot of money to talk players out of college, like Josh Bell and Dillon Maples from the 2011 draft. Those deals now won’t be as likely because teams just won’t be able to spend that kind of money on one player.

There’s a very good chance that, as a result, more top players will head to college and, by extension, to the Cape League. As quoted in a Baseball America article, one National League crosschecker said, “Hey, at least it will be fun again to scout Team USA and the Cape (Cod League).”

One other change doesn’t look like a positive for the Cape League. The signing deadline for drafted players had been August 15, but it will be moved up into mid-July. That means drafted players trying to raise their stock on the Cape won’t be around quite as long. Players in that category have had big impacts in recent years, and they may once again, but they won’t be around for playoff races or even the All-Star game. I also wonder if the new deadline might even keep some players away.

All in all, though, the college baseball world seems to think it had a pretty good day today. I think the Cape League feels the same way.

Baseball America has released an early top 50 (subscription) for the 2012 draft. Cape Leaguers Mark Appel, Deven Marrero and Mike Zunino head the list, which includes a total of 16 players who have been on the Cape.

Among the other notables are Chris Beck (sixth), Victor Roache (12th) and Travis Jankowski (25th).

Jankowski is a true Cape League success story — temp one year to MVP the next — so it’s great to see him getting so much buzz.

On the heels of their most successful season in a decade, the Hyannis Harbor Hawks announced last week that they’ll have a new general manager at the helm. Michael Letzeisen is taking over for Bill Bussiere.

Bussiere helped orchestrate a 29-15 season for Hyannis, which included the West Division championship. Bussiere received the Cape League’s John Wylde General Manager of the Year award. According to a Hyannis press release, Bussiere notified the Hyannis Athletic Association in July that he planned to leave, in part to spend more time with his family.

Letzeisen is the director of sports administration for the Eastern College Athletic Conference in Centerville. He has also served on the Cape League’s all-star committee and as the league’s social media director.