Pete Stonard
Cotuit 2002
Infielder
Alabama/San Diego State
As I’ve noted in some earlier posts, the first few years of the decade were dominated by pitching — sub-one ERA’s and not many guys hitting over .300.
In that era, Pete Stonard stood out. It’s not a stretch to call him the best all-around offensive player of those first few years.
Because Stonard could do almost everything.
He came to the Cape after a huge sophomore season at Alabama, where he batted .411, setting a new school record for batting average by a sophomore. He didn’t have a roster spot on the Cape until late in the spring, but the Kettleers had to be thrilled that they got him.
Stonard was named the league’s Player of the Week for the first week of the season and he continued to scorch for most of the summer. A line-drive hitter who batted leadoff, Stonard was the catalyst for Cotuit’s run to the regular-season division title. He ended up with a .348 average, a .419 on-base percentage, a league-best 56 hits, six extra-base hits, 27 RBI and 18 stolen bases.
Stonard won the batting title by a wide margin and his all-around numbers garnered him the league’s MVP award.
Baseball America picked him as the league’s ninth-best prospect.
After the Cape
Stonard transferred to San Diego State for his junior season and hit .368 for the Aztecs. He was taken in the fourth round of the 2003 draft by the Padres but only played one season of minor league ball before retiring.
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