Year in and year out, Vanderbilt routinely sends more players to the Cape Cod Baseball League than any program in the country. If Baseball America’s recruiting class rankings (subscriber) pan out, then the Commodores will be sending some very good players over the bridges in the coming years.
The Commodores will welcome in five players who were ranked in Baseball America’s top 500 for the 2012 draft, and a total of seven players who were drafted. Right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler, who was ranked 50th and went in the 15th round, heads the class and will likely enter the spring as the country’s top recruit. A Vanderbilt player had the same distinction last year as pitcher Tyler Beede was rated No. 1 (Beede was on Cotuit’s roster but did not pitch in the summer).
The list of standouts also includes Cambridge, Mass., outfielder Rhett Wiseman, who was selected in the 25th round by the Cubs.
Among other teams on the list, Cape League mainstays UCLA, North Carolina, Stanford, LSU and Florida also make the cut. UCLA’s class is ranked second and is headlined by pitcher Hunter Virant, who was rated 53rd in draft rankings.