The off-season usually isn’t too eventful for Cape Cod Baseball League teams – they sign some players, maybe make some field improvements, but not a whole lot else.

It was a little different for the Falmouth Commodores. In September, longtime manager Jeff Trundy was dismissed, only to be brought back as a result of an uproar, which then prompted three team officials to resign.

So, fairly eventful.

The Commodores will be back to business this year with Trundy still at the helm and a new leadership team in place. They’ll welcome in an almost entirely new group of players – just two are back from last year – but there’s a lot of potential in a deep pitching staff and it looks like there are some hitters ready to cement themselves as stars.

Whatever happens, the folks in Falmouth will be happy to get back to baseball.

 

THE SKINNY

Manager: Jeff Trundy
Last Year: 21-23; Lost in West Division first round
Returning Players: 2
Juniors: 8
Sophomores: 19
Freshmen: 12

 

NOTABLE

Falmouth only has two returning players – Casey Turgeon and Kyle Ruchim – but both should have a big impact. Turgeon has a solid track record with the bat, while Ruchim quietly had a great season on the mound last summer. A two-way player, Ruchim also hit .365 this spring.

Oregon freshman Garrett Cleavinger has been a dominant setup man to star closer Jimm Sherfy. Cleavinger has an ERA under two and is just a hair off Sherfy’s strikeout pace. If he’s the heir apparent to Sherfy, the summer could be a perfect time for a transition to the closer role.

Then again, Falmouth has another option for closing. Rice sophomore Zech Lemond – yes, Zech – led Conference USA with 14 saves.

Falmouth got a great season in 2009 from Kyle Winkler, an undersized starter from TCU. Brandon Finnegan is cut from the same cloth and has struck out better than a batter an inning this season.

The brother of former Cotuit Kettleer C.J. Cron, Kevin was already making a name for himself around the same time his brother was. Kevin was drafted in the third round in the 2011 draft, the same year C.J. went in the first round.

Clemson sophomore Daniel Gossett just earned second-team All-ACC honors after another strong season in the weekend rotation for the Tigers. He should be one of the Cape’s top incoming pitchers.

Plenty of Cape Leaguers take circuitous routes in their baseball careers, but I don’t know if anybody’s story can match Jim Ploeger’s. He hails from the Netherlands and came to America to play baseball in the juco ranks at Laney College. He’s now at Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Ploeger’s teammate Isias Alcantar is not from the Netherlands, but he’s been on a similar journey the last few years. Alcantar also started his career at Laney College. At Arkansas Pine Bluff this year, he was named SWAC Player of the Year.

It’ll be interesting to see what Myles Smith can do. He is now at Lee University after a stop at Missouri and Miami-Dade and after a commitment to the University of Miami. He was a 16th-round pick out of the junior college ranks last year.

The Commodores have three players who are the brothers of former Cape Leaguers. Hunter Brothers and Casey Gillaspie both had brothers play in Falmouth (Rex and Conor), while Kevin Cron’s brother C.J. played briefly for Cotuit.

Gillaspie is probably the best of that bunch. His brother Conor was the Cape League MVP in 2007 and is currently in the bigs. Casey is having a huge sophomore season at Wichita State.

Sacramento State’s Rhys Hoskins was one of the top freshmen in the country last year. He’s in the midst of a little sophomore slump this season but still brings big potential with him.

 

FIVE TO WATCH

1. Casey Gillaspie
2. Daniel Gossett
3. Rhys Hoskins
4. Isias Alcantar
5. Brandon Finnegan

 

PITCHERS

Hunter Brothers – RHP – 6’1 200 – Lipscomb – RS Sophomore
Danny Brown – RHP – 5’10 165 – Flagler College – Sophomore
Garrett Cleavinger – LHP – 6’1 206 – Oregon – Freshman
Jeff Dally – LHP – 6’6 215 – State College of Florida – Sophomore
Brandon Finnegan – LHP – 5’11 184 – TCU – Sophomore
David Gates – RHP – 6’5 215 – Howard College – Sophomore
Andrew Grant – RHP – 6’4 220 – UMass – Sophomore
Daniel Gossett – RHP – 6’0 180 – Clemson – Sophomore
Daniel Koger – LHP – 6’5 181 – Auburn – Sophomore
Zech Lemond – RHP – 6’4 195 – Rice – Sophomore
Brandon Magallones – RHP – 6’3 185 – Northwestern – Sophomore
Nic Manuppelli – RHP – 6’3 225 – Youngstown State – Junior
Kevin McCanna – RHP – 6’1 185 – Rice – Freshman
Kevin Mooney – RHP – 6’1 195 – Maryland – Freshman
Preston Morrison – RHP – 6’2 185 – TCU – Sophomore
Donny Murray – RHP – 6’2 200 – Holy Cross – Sophomore
Jimmy O’Neill – RHP – 6’8 250 – State College of Florida – Sophomore
Jim Ploeger – LHP – 6’3 225 – Arkansas Pine Bluff – Junior
Jared Price – RHP – 6’2 190 – Maryland – Freshman
Alex Robinson – LHP – 6’3 220 – Maryland – Freshman
Clate Schmidt – RHP – 6’1 190 – Clemson – Freshman
John Sheehan – RHP – 5’11 190 – William & Mary – RS Junior
Myles Smith – RHP – 6’1 170 – Lee – Junior
Brent Stong – LHP – 6’1 180 – Bradley – Freshman
Josh Uhen – RHP – 6’4 205 – Wisconsin-Milwaukee – Sophomore
Jacob Waguespack – RHP – 6’6 215 – Ole Miss – Freshman

 
Hunter Brothers – RHP – 6’1 200
Lipscomb
RS Sophomore

The younger brother of former Commodore and current Colorado Rockies farmhand Rex Brothers, Hunter hasn’t had quite as much success this far in his college career. He is 3-5 this year with a 6.39 ERA.

Danny Brown – RHP – 5’10 165
Flagler College
Sophomore

Brown led the Division II Saints in ERA as a freshman last year. His ERA ballooned up over five this year, but he still led the team in strikeouts by a wide margin, with 68 in 70.2 innings.

Garrett Cleavinger – LHP – 6’1 206
Oregon
Freshman

Cleavinger headed to Oregon from Kansas and has made himself at home in the Ducks bullpen this season. He’s second on the team in appearances with 32 and he has an 8-0 record with a 1.24 ERA. He has struck out 47 in 36.1 innings.

Jeff Dally – LHP – 6’6 215
State College of Florida
Sophomore

Dally started his college career at Central Florida, redshirted and then transferred to the State College of Florida, one of the top junior college programs in the country. He hasn’t pitched much for the Manatees, but is committed to Central Arkansas for next season.

Brandon Finnegan – LHP – 5’11 184
TCU
Sophomore

Finnegan had a solid freshman season for the Horned Frogs and has followed it up with a great sophomore season as a member of the weekend rotation. Though he’s somehow 0-7, he has a 2.90 ERA with a team-best 86 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched. Finnegan has been invited to Team USA.

David Gates – RHP – 6’5 215
Howard College
Sophomore

Gates has been a standout starter for the junior college Hawks. He’s 8-5 with a 3.82 ERA this season and 62 strikeouts in 75.1 innings pitched.

Andrew Grant – RHP – 6’4 220
UMass
Sophomore

A native of Westboro, Mass., Grant will be playing relatively close to home this summer. He has struggled this spring at UMass, posting a 6.50 ERA as a starter.

Daniel Gossett – RHP – 6’0 180
Clemson
Sophomore

A 16th-round pick out of high school, Gossett led the Tigers in strikeouts as a freshman. He was on the Falmouth roster last year but didn’t play on the Cape. He’s been impressive again this spring, going 9-3 with a 2.20 ERA. He has led Clemson in strikeouts again, with 83 in 86 innings.

Daniel Koger – LHP – 6’5 181
Auburn
Sophomore

Koger got more starts than anybody in a Tiger uniform last year and finished his first season with a 3.19 ERA. He has struggled some this year, going 0-3 with a 5.01 ERA.

Zech Lemond – RHP – 6’4 195
Rice
Sophomore

Lemond had a solid freshman year for the Owls, putting up a 2.52 ERA in 35 innings out of the bullpen. He’s been even busier – and better – this season as the Rice closer. Lemond has 14 saves to go with a 1.34 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 53.2 innings. He earned first-team all-conference honors.

Brandon Magallones – RHP – 6’3 185
Northwestern
Sophomore

After leading the Wildcats in strikeouts as a freshman, Magallones saw those numbers dip from 67 to 48 this year, but he also dropped his ERA down to 3.30

Nic Manuppelli – RHP – 6’3 225
Youngstown State
Junior

Manuppelli had an ERA over five as a sophomore for the Penguins but headed to New England and earned all-star honors for Laconia in the NECBL. He’s followed that up with his best season in Youngstown. Pitching as a reliever, he has a 3.49 ERA.

Kevin McCanna – RHP – 6’1 185
Rice
Freshman

McCanna was a 22nd-round pick out of high school and was mentioned as a possible weekend starter candidate for the Owls this year. He’s pitched in a swing role instead and has a 4.54 ERA.

Kevin Mooney – RHP – 6’1 195
Maryland
Freshman

The top pitching prospect in Maryland a year ago, Mooney has been great as the closer for the Terps. He has nine saves and a 2.18 ERA while leading the team in appearances.

Preston Morrison – RHP – 6’2 185
TCU
Sophomore

Just like his teammate Finnegan, Morrison was solid in a swing role last year and has emerged as a very good weekend starter this season. He is 7-3 with a 1.22 ERA. He has struck out only 60 in 103.1 innings, but he has walked only 16 and opponents are hitting just .216.

Donny Murray – RHP – 6’2 200
Holy Cross
Sophomore

After a solid campaign as a freshman, the Boston College High product moved into the weekend rotation for Holy Cross this spring and held his own. He finished 7-3 with a 4.33 ERA and a team-best 61 strikeouts.

Jimmy O’Neill – RHP – 6’8 250
State College of Florida
Sophomore

O’Neill struck out 19 in 22 innings as a freshman last year. This year he was limited to three games and just 2.2 innings pitched.

Jim Ploeger – LHP – 6’3 225
Arkansas Pine Bluff
Junior

A native of the Netherlands, Ploeger went 5-4 in the Pine Bluff weekend rotation this year with a 4.11 ERA and a team-high 65 strikeouts. Ploeger started his American baseball career at Laney College, a junior college in California.

Jared Price – RHP – 6’2 190
Maryland
Freshman

A 33rd-round pick out of high school, Price hasn’t had as good a debut as his freshman teammate Mooney. Price is 2-2 with a 5.92 ERA, though he has struck out better than a batter an inning.

Alex Robinson – LHP – 6’3 220
Maryland
Freshman

Another Maryland freshman, Robinson made the biggest early splash when he grabbed a spot in the weekend rotation. He had some ups and downs in that role, going 1-3 with a 4.89 ERA.

Clate Schmidt – RHP – 6’1 190
Clemson
Freshman

A 36th-round pick out of high school, Schmidt was hyped as one of the top newcomers in the ACC. He has had some struggles in his debut, going 3-3 with a 4.89 ERA and almost as many walks as strikeouts.

John Sheehan – RHP – 5’11 190
William & Mary
RS Junior

A native of Westwood, Mass., Sheehan saw limited action in two years at William & Mary and missed another entire season with an injury. He’s finally been able to get some more innings this year and has a 4.50 ERA in 26 appearances.

Myles Smith – RHP – 6’1 170
Lee
Junior

Smith started his career at Missouri before transferring to Miami-Dade, a juco powerhouse. He was drafted in the 16th round by the Mets out of Miami-Dade last year. He didn’t sign and was originally ticketed for the University of Miami. Instead, he is at NAIA Lee University, where he’s been dominant. Smith is 11-3 with a 1.51 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 71 innings.

Brent Stong – LHP – 6’1 180
Bradley
Freshman

Stong was named the Preseason MVC Freshman of the Year by CollegeSportsMadness.com, and did a pretty good job living up to the hype. Pitching mostly as a reliever, Stong had a 3.77 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 31 innings.

Josh Uhen – RHP – 6’4 205
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Sophomore

Uhen took a medical redshirt in 2011 and saw limited action while working his way back in 2012. He remained on the radar as one of the top prospects in the Horizon League and showed why this year. In 20 relief appearances, he posted a 2.84 ERA.

Jacob Waguespack – RHP – 6’6 215
Ole Miss
Freshman

A 37th-round pick out of high school last year, Waguespack has been limited to just five innings of work in his freshman year with the Rebels.

 

POSITION PLAYERS

Isias Alcantar – SS/P – 6’0 215 – Arkansas Pine Bluff – Junior
Leon Byrd – OF/INF – 5’7 170 – Rice – Freshman
Brandon Cipolla – OF – 6’0 190 – Holy Cross – Junior
Kevin Cron – INF – 6’5 245 – TCU – Sophomore
Casey Gillaspie – 1B/OF – 6’4 238 – Wichita State – Sophomore
Sam Gillikin – OF – 6’2 197 – Auburn – Freshman
Rhys Hoskins – 1B/OF – 6’4 225 – Sacramento State – Sophomore
Joseph Maggi – OF/INF – 5’10 178 – Arizona – Sophomore
Richie Martin – SS – 6’0 180 – Florida – Freshman
Kevin Newman – INF – 6’1 175 – Arizona – Freshman
*Kyle Ruchim – P/INF – 5’10 185 – Northwestern – Junior
Troy Stein – C – 6’1 210 – Texas A&M – Junior
*Casey Turgeon – INF – 5’9 170 – Florida – Sophomore
* – returning player

 
Isias Alcantar – SS/P – 6’0 215
Arkansas Pine Bluff
Junior

Alcantar is coming off a huge junior season that ended with him earning Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. He batted .345 and led the team with six home runs, 44 RBI and a .421 OBP.

Leon Byrd – OF/INF – 5’7 170
Rice
Freshman

A 25th-round pick out of high school, Byrd quickly became an everyday player for the Owls and he’s had a solid debut. He’s hitting .256 with a .411 OBP and a home run.

Brandon Cipolla – OF – 6’0 190
Holy Cross
Junior

After a tough freshman year, Cipolla earned all-conference honors as a sophomore last year. He was even better this year, finishing at .333 with two homers and 30 RBI.

Kevin Cron – INF – 6’5 245
TCU
Sophomore

A third-round pick out of high school, Kevin starred as a freshman, hitting .338 with six homers on his way to Freshman All-America honors. He has hit a sophomore slump this year and is batting just .212.

Casey Gillaspie – 1B/OF – 6’4 238
Wichita State
Sophomore

The brother of former Commodore and current Major Leaguer Conor Gillaspie, Casey is making a name for himself. After hitting .274 as a freshman he was named the fifth-best prospect in the Northwoods League by Baseball America last summer. He has continued his emergence this year and is hitting .305 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI.

Sam Gillikin – OF – 6’2 197
Auburn
Freshman

Gillikin was a 33rd-round pick out of high school but he has struggled with the bat in his first year with the Tigers. Gillikin is hitting .159 in spot duty.

Rhys Hoskins – 1B/OF – 6’4 225
Sacramento State
Sophomore

Hoskins had an enormous freshman season in Sacramento, hitting .353 and blasting 10 home runs on his way to a host of Freshman All-America accolades. This season has not been quite as good. Hoskins is batting .284 with three homers and 22 RBI.

Joseph Maggi – OF/INF – 5’10 178
Arizona
Sophomore

Maggi had a big freshman season while helping the Wildcats to the national championship last year. He’s been solid again this year, with a .293 average and a .429 OBP. Maggi’s brother, Drew, played for Arizona’s rival Arizona State.

Richie Martin – SS – 6’0 180
Florida
Freshman

A late-round draft pick last year, Martin has pushed his way into the Gators’ starting lineup and is making himself at home. He leads the team with a .304 batting average and his .374 OBP ranks second.

Kevin Newman – INF – 6’1 175
Arizona
Freshman

Newman grabbed the starting shortstop gig immediately for the defending national champs and has shown why all season. He’s hitting .332 with 32 RBI and a .391 OBP. He has also made just six errors all season.

Kyle Ruchim – P/INF – 5’10 185
Northwestern
Junior

Ruchim was a late addition to the Commodores last summer but proved indispensable as the season wore on. In 15 appearances out of the bullpen, he had a 1.47 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched. He also hit .235. This spring, Ruchim was named third-team All Big 10 after hitting .365 and posting a 2.60 ERA.

Troy Stein – C – 6’1 210
Texas A&M
Junior

Stein saw limited action as a freshman but starred as a sophomore last year, hitting .304 on his way to second-team All Big 12 honors. He has continued to hit well this year, batting .300 with a team-high five home runs.

Casey Turgeon – INF – 5’9 170
Florida
Sophomore

The only other returning Commodore, Turgeon followed up a Freshman All-American campaign by hitting .261 with three homers in Falmouth. He’s hitting .269 for the Gators this year, with five homers and 32 RBI.