Owen Diodati appears to be getting back on track this summer. 

After an uneven second year at Alabama, Diodati is off to a great start with Wareham. On Friday, he hit his third home run in four games to lead the Gatemen over Orleans 4-2. 

Highly touted out of high school in Canada, Diodati was in line for a huge freshman season when the 2020 college baseball season was cut short. He hit five home runs in just 17 games. 

This year ended up being a bit of a detour. Diodati hit 11 home runs but encountered some rough patches and finished with a .230 batting average. He finished the season in an 11-game homerless drought. 

In his first Cape League at-bat, Diodati reached on an error but hasn’t needed much help since. He homered in his second at-bat, a two-run shot against Cotuit. On Wednesday, he went 3-for-4 with a three-run bomb. And on Friday, he went 2-for-4 again, with his solo shot in the first inning help stake the Gatemen to the lead. 

Diodati is hitting .375 with a league-best three home runs. He’s tied for the league lead in RBI with eight, having driven in almost half of Wareham’s total runs on the season. 

Friday’s win was the second straight for the Gatemen, putting them at 2-2. Cade Fergus (George Washington) and Jimmy Crooks (Oklahoma) also went deep in the win. Kade Kern (Ohio State) went 2-for-4 and stole two bases. 

Wareham’s pitching was solid as well. Jonathan Brand (Miami Ohio) didn’t allow a hit in four innings of work. Matt Svanson (Lehigh) struck out six in four scoreless innings and Devereaux Harrison (Long Beach) worked out of trouble in the ninth for the save. 

Orleans is also 2-2 after the loss. Jordan Sprinkle stole two bases, but the Firebirds were held to just four hits. 

Bourne 4, Harwich 1

The Braves stayed unbeaten with a 4-1 victory over Hawich, moving to 4-0 on the season. Hunter Omlid (Central Arizona) allowed one run in three innings, while three relievers combined for six shutout innings. Mike Sansone (Fairfield), who had a big hand in Fairfield’s historic spring, got the win with three Ks in four scoreless innings. Eric Adler (Wake Forest) recorded his second save. Joe Lampe (Arizona State) and Christian Knapczyk (Louisville) both went 2-for-4 to lead the Bourne offense. Harwich fell to 1-3 with the loss. 

Cotuit 16, Y-D 5

Cotuit scored more runs Friday than it had scored all season in a blowout of Y-D. Luke Gold (Boston College) led the onslaught, hitting his second and third home runs as part of a 3-for-5, six RBI night. Brett Roberts (Florida State) wasn’t far behind Gold’s pace, going 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI. Dylan Beavers (Cal), who has hit safely in every game this summer, had two htis and three RBI. Cole Cummings (UC Santa Barbara) chipped in three hits. Jake Brooks (UCLA) was the recipient of all the offense, earning the win with 3.2 scoreless innings of relief. 

Brewster 5, Chatham 2

The Whitecaps are in the win column after a victory over Chatham. Brain Fitzpatrick (Rutgers) struck out seven and allowed two runs in 3.1 innings, before giving way to a dominant bullpen effort. Ryan Cardona (Marist), Dale Stanavich (Rutgers) and Hunter Patteson (Central Florida) combined on 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. Nick Biddison (Virginia Tech) had two hits and an RBI. Jake Thompson (OKklahoma State) and Zach Neto (Campbell) knocked in one run each. The Whitecaps stole four bases, led as always by Colin Davis (Wofford), who stole his fourth and fifth bases of the season. For Chatham, which fell to 2-2-1, Caden Grice (Clemson) stayed hot with two hits. 

Falmouth 4, Hyannis 3

Falmouth broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the eighth and held off Hyannis in the ninth. Brayden Taylor (TCU) scored the go-ahead run before Alec Sayre (Wright State) drove in what proved to be a crucial insurance run. Taylor went 3-for-5 for his third multi-hit game of the summer.  Jake Dukart (Oregon State) added three hits and Jonathan French (Clemson) homered in a two-hit night. Anthony DeFabbia (Stetson) struck out four in four scoreless innings. Michael Esposito (South Carolina) issued three walks in the ninth but escaped with Hyannis putting just one run on the board. 

WHAT TO WATCH

The two hottest teams in the league square off at Doran Park. Bourne is unbeaten at 4-0 and Wareham has won two straight.  

Twelve different pitchers have taken the mound for Orleans in three games this season. It was another team effort Thursday and it worked. Six pitchers combined to hold down Orleans in a 6-4 victory at Eldredge Park, the only game of the day. 

Chase DeLauter (James Madison), who had made a bigger impact so far with his bat, flashed the other side of his two-way skill set by drawing the start and tossing a scoreless inning. Conner Thurman (San Diego), off a season in which he led San Diego in strikeouts, had the best showing on the staff with three innings of one-hit, shutout baseball. He struck out four. 

Cotuit did some damage off Jeffrey Praml (Southern New Hampshire), scoring three runs, but managed just one more run off the next three arms. Carter Smith (BYU) pitched his second scoreless outing of the young season, Nick Hull (Grand Canyon) allowed one run in 1.1 innings. 

Jake Saum (UCLA) struck out three and didn’t allow a hit in finishing off the win. 

The pitchers were backed by a four-run third inning and key insurance in the late innings. DeLauter finished with two RBI, giving him five on the season. Rhylan Thomas (USC), Tyler Locklear (VCU) and Connor Kokx (Long Beach) went 2-for-4 with one RBI. 

The win puts Orleans at 2-1, while Cotuit drops to 1-2. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Back to a full slate Friday night. Interesting story to watch for Cotuit. Ryan Long gets the start. He pitches at D-III Pomona-Pitzer, which did not have a 2021 season. Long had a solid showing in the West Coast League two summers ago. 

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Two of the hottest starts in the league have been delivered by Harwich players, and their Mariners finally had something to show for it on Wednesday. 

Brock Wilken (Wake Forest) and Cade Beloso (LSU) had two hits each as Harwich picked up its first win of the season 5-2 over Hyannis. 

Wilken is a coming off a slugging season with the Demon Deacons. He smacked 17 home runs to go with a .279 batting average. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder started the summer with two hits in the season opener. He followed it up with a 1-for-3 day on Monday. In powering Wednesday’s win, he went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. 

Beloso had less success to build on, having hit .226 for the Tigers in the spring. Just like his teammate Wilken, Beloso had two hits in the opener and one in game two. Last night, he went 2-for-3 with a double. 

Beloso has the top batting average in the league at .556. Wilken is at .500, one of several players tied with that mark. 

Harwich also got two RBI from Josh Hood (Penn). 

Harwich had lost two straight to open the season. The five runs are a season-high, but pitching also had a lot to do with the win. Billy Seidl (Duke) struck out five and didn’t allow an earned run in four innings of work. Trey Dombroski (Monmouth), Carson Seymour (Kansas State) and Aaron Holiday (Old Dominion) combined for five scoreless innings out of the bullpen. 

Bourne 13, Falmouth 8

Central Michigan standout Andrew Taylor was fantastic in his Cape League debut and his offense was pretty good, too as Bourne outlasted Falmouth. Coming off an All-American campaign, Taylor struck out eight and allowed just two hits in four scoreless innings. He left with a 6-0 lead that almost completely disappeared when the bullpen took over. But Bourne’s offense kept rolling throughout and continued adding to the lead, finishing with 16 hits. Nick Goodwin (Kansas State) went 4-for-5 with a homer two RBI, while Christian Knapczyk (Louisville) went 3-for-5 and drove in two. Six different Braves had at least two hits. Reggie Crawford (Uconn) and Zach Agnos (East Carolina) also went deep. Michael Curialle (UCLA) continued a hot start for Falmouth with a grand slam. Bourne is now 3-0. 

Chatham 4, Brewster 2

Chatham built an early 4-0 lead and held on down the stretch for a win over Brewster. Caden Grice (Clemson) hit his second home run and leadoff man Cameron Chick (Nebraska) also went deep. Matthew Garcia (Chipola) drove in the other run for the Anglers. On the mound, Sebastian Keane (Northeastern) and Alexander McFarlane (Miami) went three scoreless innings each. Zachary Maxwell (Georgia Tech) allowed one run in two innings but eventually stopped Brewster’s comeback efforts for the save. Angler pitchers racked up 12 Ks. Chatham is 2-1 while Brewster is still seeking its first win. 

Wareham 7, Y-D 1

Owen Diodati (Alabama) homered for the second time in three games to lead Wareham’s best offensive night of the season and its first win. Kade Kern (Ohio State) drove in three runs. Ian Villers (California) tossed four scoreless innings and the Gatemen took a shutout into the ninth, when Y-D finally got on the board. The Gatemen improved to 1-2 while Y-D went to 2-1. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Just one game on the schedule Thursday as Cotuit makes the trip to Orleans. Harrison Cohen starts for Cotuit following a strong season with George Washington. Conner Thurman, who led San Diego in strikeouts, gets the ball for the Firebirds. 

Rain made for a quiet third day of the season in the Cape League, with one game canceled and three others getting underway but falling short of being official. They won’t be completed or rescheduled. 

In the one game that did go final, it was a pitcher keeping things quiet. 

Y-D’s Nick Dombkowski (Hartford) was terrific in a 3-2 win over Chatham, allowing just an unearned run in six innings. Chatham had three pitchers deliver strong performances but ended up on the wrong end of the pitchers’ duel. 

Dombkowski was in the news about a month ago when he threw a no-hitter amid the controversy around Hartford’s decision to drop from Division I to Division III. It was part of a great season for Dombkowski, who had a 3.13 ERA and 72 Ks in 60.1 innings on his way to all-conference honors.

Two summers ago, Dombkowski played in the Cape League for Bourne and was solid, putting up a 2.47 ERA. He’s eligible for this year’s draft but is on the Cape for now with Y-D and delivering. He scattered six hits on Tuesday while striking out five and allowing no earned runs. 

Jaret Godman (Oklahoma) finished off the win with 2.1 good innings of relief. 

The Y-D offense was led by Briley Knight (Portland), who drove in all three Y-D runs with one swing of the bat, a bases-loaded double in the second inning. 

Chatham’s Aaron Davenport (Hawaii) allowed those three runs and nothing else. Adam Tulloch (West Virginia) and Cade Winquest (Texas-Arlington) didn’t allow a run out of the bullpen. Jake DeLeo (Georgia Tech) went 3-for-4 to lead the Chatham offense and is now hitting .500 through three games. 

Y-D is now 2-0-1, while Chatham drops to 1-1-1. 

WHAT TO WATCH

All-American pitcher Andrew Taylor (Central Michigan) is due to make his first CCBL start for Bourne as the Braves visit Falmouth. Taylor struck out a school record 125 in the spring. 

Reggie Crawford did a little bit of everything for the Bourne Braves on Monday night.

Just like his team has done. 

A young two-way standout at UConn, Crawford went 3-for-5 at the plate and pitched a scoreless inning of relief in a 9-1 win over Brewster. Bourne’s nine runs and 14 hits are both league highs in the early going. The Braves have also allowed just one run on the year en route to a 2-0 start.  

Crawford has been heralded as the next big star at a UConn program that has produced more than its fair share in recent years. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound first baseman and left-handed pitcher batted .291 and had a 2.35 ERA this season en route to second-team all-conference honors. He’ll spend part of the summer with Team USA but is with the Braves now and getting a chance to show what he can do. His 3-for-5 day at the plate included two doubles. He also had a hit in Sunday’s opener. On the mound, Crawford struck out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect inning. 

Though they weren’t as busy as he was, Crawford wasn’t the only Brave delivering a big performance. 

Braylen Wimmer (South Carolina) has been at the front of the line through two games. He homered for the second straight day on Monday, blasting a three-run shot in the third inning to break a scoreless tie. He hit it off Bryce Hubbart (Florida State), who has the potential to be one of the top arms in the league. 

Tanner Schobel (Virginia Tech) also went deep as part of a huge night. Off a solid freshman season with the Hokies, Schobel made his debut and went 4-for-5 with the homer, four RBI and three runs scored.

In addition to Crawford, two other pitchers had scoreless outings. Jake Bennett (Oklahoma) struck out three in four scoreless frames. Austin Parsley (UNC Greensboro) was terrific across three innings, striking out six. 

Chatham 6, Orleans 3

After a tie in the season opener, Chatham made its debut at Veterans Field and broke out with a rivalry win over Orleans. A four-run fifth inning put the Anglers in front, and they held off a late push by the Firebirds, who dropped to 1-1. Star freshman Caden Grice (Clemson) hit his first summer home run in the early going. The big inning featured a three-run double by Lyle Miller-Green (Chipola) and a run-scoring double by Jake DeLeo (Georgia Tech). Miller-Green, who will transfer from the JUCO ranks to Oklahoma State, is 4-for-8 with two extra-base hits through his first two games. The Anglers also got a home run from Johnny Castagnozzi (North Carolina). Five pitchers took the hill for Chatham, with the first and last pitching the best. Austin Vernon (NC Central) struck out four and didn’t allow a hit in three innings. Trevor Martin (Oklahoma State) struck out four of the sixt batters he faced en route to a save. For Orleans, Jace Jung (Texax Tech) had two hits and two RBI. 

Yarmouth-Dennis 3, Harwich 0 

Locked in a scoreless game for six innings, the Red Sox broke through with two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth, while keeping their own shutout going. Briley Knight (Portland) broke the seal with an RBI single in the seventh and Wyatt Hoffman (Pacific) added a sacrifice fly. An RBI single by Peyton Graham (Oklahoma) provided the final run. Both Knight and Graham finished the day with two hits. Drew Thorpe (Cal Poly), who fanned 104 in a great spring, struck out four and scattered six hits in five scoreless innings. Zach Franklin (Western Carolina), Reid McLaughlin (BYU) and Brandon Dufault (Northeastern) finished off the shutout. Harwich starter Evan Shawver (Cincinnati) delivered the best start of any pitcher in the league so far, striking out 10 in six shutout innings. 

Falmouth 8, Wareham 4

Falmouth has scored 15 runs in two games and – after a tie on opening night – has a win to show for it thanks to an 8-4 triumph over Wareham. Michael Curriale (UCLA) continued a spectacular start to the season with a 3-for-3 night. He’s now 5-for-7 with three extra base hits in two games. Alec Sayre (Wright State) added two hits and two RBI. Jace Bohrofen (Oklahoma) had two hits and one RBI. Anthony DeFabbia (Stetson) was credited with the win in relief. For Wareham, which fell to 0-2, Jim Jarvis (Alabama) had two hits and an RBI. 

Hyannis 7, Cotuit 4

Cotuit’s Blake Klassen (UC Santa Barbara) homered on the second pitch of the game, but Hyannis had the last laugh, taking the lead in the middle innings and holding on for its first win of the season. Dominic Johnson (Oklahoma State) went deep for the Harbor Hawks. Zane Harris (Wright State) chipped in two hits. Cotuit managed just one run against the Hyannis bullpen. Tommy McCollum (Wingate) got the win in relief. Trey Braithwaite (Navy) earned the save. For the Kettleers, Klassen went 3-for-5. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Two standout pitchers from mid-major programs on opposite ends of the country square off as Chatham visits Y-D. Hawaii’s Aaron Davenport starts for the Anglers against Hartford’s Nick Dombkowski.  

Six-hundred eighty-one days later, the Cotuit Kettleers returned to Lowell Park on Sunday. 

And they won again.

It was Aug. 9, 2019 when the Kettleers won the Cape Cod Baseball League championship. On that picture perfect summer evening, no one had any idea that the title clincher would be the last Cape League game for nearly two years. 

With the 2020 season canceled due to the pandemic, Cape League diamonds were oddly quiet last summer. It was especially jarring at Lowell Park, considering the cheers that had gone up in the 2019 title series. Kettleers volunteers opened the merchandise stand on a few Saturdays. People came just to reconnect with their home field. I did a book a signing for Summer Baseball Nation on one of those Saturdays. It was fun but it was hard to escape the weirdness of it all. 

The new contrast on Sunday was much more welcome. The fans were back, and the Kettleers were, too, picking up where they left off as the rare two-year reigning champions. 

Cotuit scored three runs in the second inning and stayed in front of Wareham throughout in an 8-5 win. Eric Brown (Coastal Carolina), coming off a spring in which he hit nine home runs, delivered the biggest blow with a three-run blast. Last year’s Futures League MVP Ben Rice (Dartmouth) went 2-for-3 with two RBI. 

Six different pitchers took the mound for the Kettleers. Andre Granillo (UC Riverside) had the best showing, with five strikeouts across three scoreless innings. 

Wareham was led by Alabama slugger Owen Diodati, who went 2-for-4 with a home run. 

But this day belonged to the Kettleers and the fans at Lowell Park. 

It was good to be back. 

Bourne 3, Hyannis 0 

Bourne had the best pitching performance of opening day with a shutout of Hyannis. Three pitchers combined on the shutout. Gordon Graceffo (Villanova) struck out five in four innings. Nick Zwack (Xavier) fanned six and allowed just one hit in his four innings. Eric Adler (Wake Forest) allowed two hits in the ninth but struck out three to finish it off. The Braves also hit two home runs, Braylen Wimmer (South Carolina) and Dalton Rushing (Louisville) doing the honors. 

Orleans 8, Harwich 1

It feels like the Firebirds are loaded this summer, especially in terms of who is already in town, and they cruised to a win over Harwich at a packed Eldredge Park. Chase DeLauter, who hit .386 for James Madison this spring, went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Baylor star Jared McKenzie was 2-for-4, and Texas Tech All-American Jace Jung had an RBI. Coming off a solid season with Georgia, 6-foot-6 righty Jonathan Cannon struck out two in four scoreless innings. College teammate Michael Polk kept it going with two scoreless innings and Carter Smith (BYU) did the same. Nick Wallerstedt (Arizona State) allowed one run in the ninth but finished off the win. Harwich had Nick Sinacola (Maine) – one of the nation’s strikeout leaders – on the hill to start. He fanned four and allowed two runs. 

Y-D 5, Brewster 5

One of the rule changes for this summer is no extra innings, and opening day gave us not one, but two ties. In this one, the Whitecaps led 4-1 in the eighth and 5-3 in the ninth, but the Red Sox rallied twice. Andrew Compton (Georgia Tech) led the first rally with a two-run single in the eighth. Pascanel Ferreras (Western Carolina) delivered a game-tying two-run base hit in the ninth. In addition to the heroics, Y-D got a big day from highly touted shortstop Brooks Lee (Cal Poly), who went 4-for-5. Cooper Weiss (Coastal Carolina) homered for Brewster and Will Simpson (Washington) went 3-for-4. 

Chatham 7, Falmouth 7

It was Chatham delivering a ninth-inning rally to force the other tie. The Anglers trailed by one in the top half when the latest Georgia Tech catching star, Kevin Parada, delivered an RBI single that tied the game. In his third inning of work, Andrew Yancik of D-2 McKendree University in Illinois kept Falmouth off the board in the bottom half to preserve the draw. Chatham’s offense was led by Michael Curialle (UCLA) with two hits and two RBI. For Falmouth, Lyle Miller-Green (George Mason) homered and drove in two as part of a 3-for-4 night. 

WHAT TO WATCH

Day two brings a few rivalry matchups with Cotuit visiting Hyannis and Orleans heading to Chatham. 

The Cape League is back in 2021. All of it will be a welcome sight, but these players should bring a little extra excitement.

Kevin Parada – C – Georgia Tech – Chatham

Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters, Joey Bart. Georgia Tech has a terrific tradition behind the plate and Kevin Parada is the latest to take the torch. Pegged as one of the nation’s top prospects for the 2022 draft, Parada didn’t disappoint in his first season with the Yellow Jackets, slashing .318/.379/.550 with nine homers and 42 RBI. He was a third-team all-conference selection.

Nate Savino – P – Virginia – Cotuit

In high school, the 6-foot-3 lefty was rated as one of the top prospects in the nation for the 2020 draft, but he eventually opted out of the draft to enroll early at Virginia for the 2020 season. This was his first full season with the Cavaliers, and he posted a 3.75 ERA while pitching as both a starter and reliever.

Bryce Osmond – P – Oklahoma State – Chatham

Osmond was ranked 53rd among high school prospects for the 2019 draft, and was selected in th 35th round by the Nationals. He opted for Oklahoma State. This season, a few rough outings inflated his ERA but his strikeout numbers stood out, as he fanned 67 in 57 innings.

Chris Newell – OF – Virginia – Harwich

Newell was a 37th round pick out of high school. He was tearing it up at Virginia when the 2020 season ended, hitting .407 with four home runs. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper tabbed him as its National Freshman of the Year. His 2021 wasn’t as good, with Newell hitting .234 with three homers.

Enrique Bradfield, Jr. – OF – Vanderbilt – Cotuit

The nation’s leader in stolen bases playing for Mike Roberts in Cotuit? Sign me up. Bradfield has been a game-changing player for the Commodores in his first season in Nashville, slashing .359/.475/.435 with 35 RBI. As for the steals, he’s up to 46 in 52 attempts. Bradfield, Jr., was named SEC Freshman of the Year.

Cayden Wallace – IF – Arkansas – Bourne

The top prospect in Arkansas out of high school, Wallace has been great for the top-ranked Razorbacks, slashing .280/.373/.496 with 13 homers and 43 RBI. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team.

Victor Mederos – P – Miami – Chatham

Mederos was the MVP of the Under Armour All-American Game as a high schooler and was rated in the top 100 draft prospects for 2020. In his first season with Miami, he put up a 5.11 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 44 innings.

Hayden Dunhurst – C – Ole Miss – Wareham

Dunhurst was ranked as the nation’s top high school catcher in 2019 and was drafted in the 37th round by the Rockies. He was off to a strong start in 2020 at Ole Miss when the season was cut short. This season, Dunhurst has slashed .271/.378/.431 with seven homers and 41 RBI.

Hunter Barco – P – Florida – Orleans

Barco is the top player from Perfect Game’s ranking of the class of 2019 to make it to a college campus. He grabbed a spot in the weekend rotation this year and racked up 94 strikeouts in 83 innings pitched, to go with a 10-3 record and a 4.01 ERA.

Cade Doughty – INF – LSU – Falmouth

Doughty was a 39th round pick out of high school. Before he even played a game in college, he was an all-star in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League as a rising freshman. After hitting .278 in the truncated 2020 season, Doughty was one of LSU’s top players in 2021, slashing .308/.368/.546 with 13 homers and 55 RBI.

Brennan Milone – SS – South Carolina – Falmouth

Milone scuffled a bit in his sophomore season, but he was fantastic last summer in an even more competitive than usual Coastal Plain League, batting .365 with nine home runs.

Carter Young – SS – Vanderbilt – Orleans

Young was Vanderbilt’s everyday shortstop as a freshman in 2020, no easy task for a young player. He’s reprised the role this season for the Omaha-bound Commodores and has provided some pop at the dish to go with great defense. Young ranks second on the team with 15 home runs and is slashing .266/.403/.593.

Gavin Cross – OF – Virginia Tech – Brewster

Cross earned first-team all-ACC honors after a terrfic first full season with the Hokies. He hit .345 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI. He also stone nine bases.

Jace Jung – IF – Texas Tech – Orleans

The brother of former Texas Tech star and first-round pick Josh Jung, Jace is making his own mark with the Red Raiders after an All-American campaign this spring. Jung slashed .337/.462/.697 with 21 home runs and a team-best 67 RBI. He ranked fourth in the nation in home runs and RBI.

Jared McKenzie – OF – Baylor – Orleans

McKenzie was hitting .406 when the 2020 season was cut short and didn’t slow down much when he returned to the field this spring. McKenzie hit .383 and cranked 10 home runs.

Daniel Susac – C – Arizona – Falmouth

The brother of former Commodore Andrew Susac, Daniel has had a spectacular freshman season with the Wildcats, who are in Omaha. Susac is hitting .329 with 12 homers and 61 RBI.

Parker Messick – P – Florida State – Brewster

Messick was fantastic in his first full season with the Seminoles. He went 8-2 with a 3.10 ERA and struck out 126 – while walking just 23 – in 90 innings pitched.

Wil Bednar – P – Mississippi State – Bourne

Bednar is draft eligible this year and currently in Omaha, so we’ll see if he makes it to Bourne at any point. If he does, he’ll enter as one of the nation’s top pitchers. Bednar is 7-1 with a 3.53 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched.

Brooks Lee – SS – Cal Poly – Yarmouth-Dennis

Lee was a top prospect for the 2019 draft but informed teams before the draft that he would be playing college ball at Cal Poly, where his dad is the head coach. After the shortened 2020 season, Lee starred in the Northwoods League last summer and earned All-American honors with the Mustangs this year, hitting .342 with 10 home runs and 57 RBI.

Landon Sims – P – Mississippi State – Falmouth

Sims has been one of the top relievers in college baseball this season, saving 10 games for the Bulldogs. He has a 1.55 ERA and 85 Ks in 46.1 innings pitched.

Dru Baker – IF/OF – Texas Tech – Hyannis

The only Texas Tech player with a better batting average than Jung was Baker, who finished at .343. He also had four home runs and stole 18 bases.

Caden Grice – IF – Clemson – Chatham

Grice was one of the top true freshmen in the nation with the Tigers this spring. He finished with a .317 batting average and smacked 15 home runs.

Bryce Hubbart – P – Florida State – Brewster

Along with his FSU teammate Messick, Hubbart was great this season. The lefty had a 3.80 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched.

Tyler Locklear – INF – VCU – Orleans

The Atlantic 10 Player of the Year as a freshman, Locklear finished with a triple slash of .345/.515/.686 with 16 home runs and 66 RBI.

Cam Schilitter – P – Northeastern – Harwich

Northeastern had a great spring and Schlitter was in the middle of it. He posted a 1.88 ERA and struck out 85 in 76.2 innings for the Huskies.

In an effort to keep tabs on former Cape Leaguers, I present the 2012 Cape League Minor League All-Stars. The lists are divided by level. Players who spent time at two levels are listed where they spent more time. This is the sixth and last in the series.

Triple A is always an interesting mix of prospects on the way up and others who have been up and are trying to get back. The Cape League alumni list features mostly guys who are still climbing and a few who are hooking on in the majors, like former Brewster star Ryan Wheeler (pictured).

Catcher – Tim Federowicz – Albuquerque (Pacific Coast League) – Dodgers
Federowicz was a mainstay at North Carolina and a solid performer in Chatham. He was drafted by the Red Sox and was working his way through the system until he was traded last year as part of the deal for Erik Bedard. He continued to hit well this year, batting .294 with 11 homers and 76 RBI. He played briefly in 2011 and 2012 with the big club.
In the Running: Josh Phegley

First Base – David Cooper – Las Vegas (Pacific Coast League) – Mets
By the end of the season, the former Brewster Whitecap was in Toronto, where he hit .300 in 45 games. In 68 Triple A games, he batted .314 with 10 homers and 52 RBI.
In the Running: Josh Satin, Dallas McPherson, Matt LaPorta, Matt Mangini, Matt Hague, Brett Pill

Second Base: Jedd Gyorko – Tucson (Pacific Coast League) – Padres
Gyorko plays a lot of third base but may profile as a second baseman in the bigs. Wherever he is, it’s a safe bet he’ll hit. A star with Brewster in 2009 and a second-round pick in 2010, Gyorko has moved quickly through the system. In 92 games at Triple A this year, he hit .328 with 24 homers and 83 RBI.
In the Running: Cole Figueroa, Jim Negrych, Eric Farris, Johnny Giavotella, Matt Long

Third Base – Ryan Wheeler – Reno (Pacific Coast League) – Diamondbacks
A stand-out with Brewster and Loyola Marymount, Wheeler quickly became one of the top performers in the Diamondbacks’ system and even took it to a new level this year. He hit .351 in Triple A with 15 homers and 90 RBI. He earned a promotion to Arizona and played in 50 games, hitting .239.
In the Running: Jason Donald, Andy LaRoche, Brendan Harris, Conor Gillaspie, Yan Gomes, Zack Cox, Brett Wallace, Josh Donaldson

Shortstop – Ryan Jackson – Memphis (Pacific Coast League) – Cardinals
Jackson played for Hyannis in 2007 and while he didn’t hit much that summer, he was a strong defensive shortstop. While a lot of Cape League shortstops have moved off the position, Jackson is still there. He hit .272 this season with 10 homers and 47 RBI.
In the Running: Chase D’Arnaud

Outfield – Julio Borbon – Round Rock (Pacific Coast League) – Rangers
Borbon was a Cotuit Kettleer in 2005 and has been a Rangers prospect for a while now. He played a full season with Texas in 2010 and saw some time there in 2011. He spent all of this season in Round Rock, where he hit .304 with 10 homers and 56 RBI.

Outfield – Grant Green – Phoenix (Pacific Coast League) – Athletics
Green is a well-known Cape League alum, with two great seasons under his belt, 2007 in Y-D and 2008 in Chatham. He’s been a top prospect for the A’s in the first round of the 2009 draft. Though he’s no longer a shortstop, Green is still hitting. He finished at .296 with 15 homers this year.

Outfield – Corey Brown – Syracuse (International League) – Nationals
Brown played for Chatham in 2006 and has made his way steadily through the minors. This year, he .285 with 25 homers, good for second-best in the International League.
In the Running: Alex Presley, Alex Hassan, Ben Guez, Tim Wheeler, Todd Linden, Ty Wright, Brett Jackson, Chris Coghlan, A.J. Pollock

Starting Pitcher – Matt Harvey – Buffalo (International League) – Mets
Harvey pitched very well for the Mets after getting promoted late in the season. He spent most of his time at Triple A, where he had a 3.68 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 110 innings.

Starting Pitcher – Terry Doyle – Charlotte (International League) – White Sox
A Cape League mainstay, Doyle never got a ton of prospect hype and didn’t get drafted until the 37th round in 2008. But he continues to push for a chance. This year, he went 6-3 with a 2.83 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 76.1 innings pitched.

Starting Pitcher – D.J. Mitchell – Tacoma (Pacific Coast League) – Mariners
The former Bourne Brave was traded as part of the deal that brought Ichiro to New York. Between two Triple A stops, he had a 4.29 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 134.1 innings.
In the Running: Andrew Oliver, Collin McHugh, Tyler Lyons, Dallas Keuchel

Relief Pitcher – Brad Boxberger – Tucson (Pacific Coast League) – Padres
A former Orleans stand-out, Boxberger ended the year in the Padres bullpen. Before that, he had a 2.88 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 43.1 innings at Tacoma.

Relief Pitcher – Alex Wilson – Pawtucket (International League) – Red Sox
Wilson spent two years in Falmouth and was signed as an undrafted free agent by Boston in 2009. He’s rewarded them since, with solid numbers every step of the way. This year, he had 3.72 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 72.2 innings.
In the Running: Daniel Moskis, Daniel McCutchen, Nick Christiani, Chris Carpenter

In an effort to keep tabs on former Cape Leaguers, I present the 2012 Cape League Minor League All-Stars. The lists are divided by level. Players who spent time at two levels are listed where they spent more time. This is the fifth in the series.

Double A tends to be home to a lot of baseball’s best high-level prospects. Some of the top Cape League alumni prospects called Double A home in 2012, including Darin Ruf and Hunter Morris (pictured), who had two of the best seasons of anyone in minor league baseball.

Catcher – J.T Wise – Charlotte (Southern League) – Dodgers
Wise played for Harwich in 2008 and was a fifth round pick the next year. He has risen steadily through the Dodgers organization since, with solid success at every stop. He hit .278 this year with nine homers, a league-best 41 doubles and 70 RBI.
In the Running: Caleb Joseph, Sean Ochinko, Charles Cutler, Tony Sanchez

First Base – Darin Ruf – Reading (Eastern League) – Phillies
Ruf had a solid stint with Falmouth in 2008 but didn’t get taken until the 20th round in the 2009 draft out of Creighton. He’s done nothing but hit since then, and this year, he turned in perhaps the most impressive season in all of minor league baseball. Ruf hit .317 with 38 homers and 104 RBI, to go with a .408 on-base percentage. He earned Eastern League MVP honors and was a September call-up to Philadelphia.
In the Running: Wes Hodges, Allan Dykstra, Andy Wilkins, Rich Poythress, Beau Mills, Casey Haerther, Shane Peterson, Nate Freiman, Ben Paulsen

Second Base – David Adams – Trenton (Eastern League) – Yankees
Adams, a former Falmouth stand-out, was a third round pick back in 2008 but had his rise through the minors derailed by an ankle injury that cost him the better part of two seasons. He was able to play 86 games this year and made the most of them, hitting .306 with eight homers and 48 RBI.
In the Running: Alden Carrithers

Third Base – Mike Olt – Frisco (Texas League) – Rangers
Before a call-up to the big club, Olt — a former Orleans Firebird and one of the Rangers’ top prospects — powered through the Texas League. He hit .288 with 28 homers and 82 RBI. He still won the Texas League home run title despite getting promoted on August 2.

Shortstop – Josh Rutledge – Tulsa (Texas League) – Rockies
A Y-D stand-out in 2009, Rutledge made waves at the Major League level this year when he played well as a replacement to the injured Troy Tulowitzki. Before that, Rutledge shined at Double A, hitting .306 with 13 homers and 35 RBI.
In the Running: Addison Maruszak, Joey Terdoslavich

Outfield – Gary Brown – Richmond (Eastern League) – Giants
Rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Giants system a year ago, Brown continued to hit well as he moved up the ladder to Double A. The former Orleans Firebird hit .279 with a .347 OBP and stole 87 bases.

Outfield – Todd Cunningham – Mississippi (Southern League) – Braves
The Cape League’s Top Prospect award winner in 2009, Cunningham had his best year as a pro this season, batting .309 with three homers, 23 doubles and 51 RBI.

Outfield – Austin Wates – Corpus Christi (Texas League) – Astros
A break-out star with Y-D in 2009, Wates was a third-round pick in 2010 and has hit well every step of the way so far. This year, he batted .304 with seven homers and 48 RBI.
In the Running: Jared Mitchell, Ryan Patterson, Ryan LaMarre, Jake Goebbert

Designated Hitter – Hunter Morris – Huntsville (Southern League) – Brewers
Morris was drafted in the second round of out of high school, then went to Auburn and didn’t disappoint when he hit eight homers for Falmouth in 2009. Morris was drafted in the fourth round in 2010 and he delivered a break-out campaign in his second full season. He hit .303 with 28 homers, 40 doubles and 113 RBI.

Starting Pitcher – Tyler Thornburg – Huntsville (Southern League) – Brewers
Thornburg, who was a reliever for Brewster in 2009, is a starter in the professional ranks and this year cemented his status as one of Milwaukee’s top prospects. Before a promotion to Triple A, Thornburg made 13 starts with Huntsville and had a 3.00 ERA to go with 71 strikeouts in 75 innings. Opponents hit .212 against him.

Starting Pitcher – Justin Grimm – Frisco (Texas League) – Rangers
Grimm, a former Cotuit standout, was all over the place in 2012, pitching in Double A, Triple A and making his Major League debut. He was at his best in the Texas League, where he 9-3 with a 1.72 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 83.2 innings.

Starting Pitcher – David Hale – Mississippi (Southern League) – Braves
Hale struggled with Chatham in 2008 but was drafted in the third round in 2009. He has since become a solid prospect in Atlanta’s system, and he went 8-4 this year with a 3.77 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 145.2 innings.
Also in the Running: Brandon Cumpton, Ryan Perry

Relief Pitcher – Carter Capps – Jackson (Southern League) – Mariners
Capps dominated for Harwich in 2011 after getting drafted earlier in the summer. One year later, he is rocketing through the Mariners’ system, and with good reason. In 38 games with Jackson, he struck out 72 and walked just 12 in 50 innings, while posting a 1.26 ERA.

Relief Pitcher – Vic Black – Altoona (Eastern League) – Pirates
A 2008 Bourne Brave, Black was a first round pick in 2009 and delivered on some of the promise this season. He pitched in 51 games, recorded 13 saves, had an ERA of 1.61 and and struck out 85 in 60 innings pitched.

Relief Pitcher – Josh Fields – Portland (Eastern League) – Red Sox
The closer on the 2006 Y-D championship team, Fields played all four years at Georgia before joining the professional ranks. It was a struggle early, but he delivered his best season this year, posting a 2.62 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 44 innings.