Well then

That summer rewind thing I had going apparently got paused, then I got really busy. So that's where I've been. If you were checking and looking for new stuff, I apologize.

I have some new stuff coming soon. I promise. And by next summer, I will be back in gear.

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -- Rogers Hornsby

We can subsitute summer for spring.

I miss you, Cape League.

baseball america weighs in

Baseball America released earlier this week its highly-anticipated (at least by me) Cape League Top 30 Prospects List, authored by Jim Callis. It's subscriber content on BA's site, but Missouri's athletic site reprinted the whole thing. I don't know if they were supposed to do that, but anyway, lucky us. The full list, with scouting reports, is here.

Some things of note in the top 10:

• Aaron Crow was the obvious choice at No. 1 , a guy with stuff as good or better than scouts' darlings Luke Burnett and Ryan Perry, doing it in a starting role and putting up ridiculous numbers to match. Callis quotes a scouting director who said Crow would go No. 1 if the draft were tomorrow. That's pretty interesting considering the hype surrounding Vandy's Pedro Alvarez and South Carolina's Justin Smoak, both of whom played for Team USA this summer. It goes to show how big an impression Crow made on the Cape. A lot can happen between now and June, of course, but if Crow were to go No. 1 overall, he'd be the first Cape Leaguer taken No. 1 since Pat Burrell in 1998.
  

• In the second spot, Yonder Alonso gets the nod, which is surprising only in that most of his stats aren't eye-popping. But together, they give you the best all-around hitter in the league.
  

• Kyle Gibson and Christian Friedrich join their Falmouth teammate Crow in the top five. It's noted that Gibson has plenty of room for added weight on his 6'5" frame -- and added velocity that should come with it. Friedrich, who struggled in front of so many scouts at the all-star game, didn't hurt his cause much. The top lefty pitching prospect, Friedrich and his big curveball certainly turned heads.
  

• Robert Stock gets the nod at No. 5, which seems high for a 17-year-old freshman who hit .228. But perhaps being that young sets him apart. Stock may have been one of the top picks in the draft out of high school but enrolled a year early at USC. If this list is any indication, he's well on his way to being a high pick in 2009. Also, keep in mind, being a catcher sets him apart. Good ones are hard to come by.
  

• Scott Green gets tabbed in the sixth spot, and Callis reveals that Green actually turned down an offer from the Red Sox (who drafted him in the 15th round in '07) which I hadn't heard about. It appears Green will make a lot more money next year, and his Cape league summer will be a big reason why.
  

• The second hitter on the list is Dennis Raben at No. 7. The powerful lefty apparently upped his stock a lot with the power he showed this summer.

• Luke Burnett and Ryan Perry come in at eight and nine. Both of them were relievers this summer. Both had ERA's a bit higher than several other relievers, but they put up huge strikeout numbers and did it with mid-90's fastballs. Based on their arms alone, you can't argue with their high rankings.
  

• Andy Oliver comes in at No. 10. He was one of the more unhittable pitchers in the league and put up a couple of dominatin performances. Only a freshman, too.

Other notes:

• More proof that scouts take more than just statistics into account -- league MVP Conor Gillaspie, who had a spectacular summer -- comes in at No. 13. According to Callis, some scouts still question his bat, which I find ridiculous. Maybe he won't hit for power, that I can understand. But anyone who hits .345 on the Cape can flat out hit.
  

• The players on the list coming off their freshman seasons: Kyle Gibson (3), Robert Stock (5), Andy Oliver (10), Alex White (14), Grant Green (18) and Brad Boxberger (24). Some of these guys will be back on the Cape next year, but they'll also probably be among the top invites to team USA.
  

• Stock, Green and Boxberger are all from USC, which certainly bodes well for the Trojans.

• Brandon Crawford hit .189 but still made it at No. 25 . He was thought of as one of the top prospects in the country before the summer, and though he struggled, scouts still saw the tools. In some sense, this shows that a Cape League season can help a lot more than it hurts. As in, a good season can really open eyes, but a bad one can be glossed over. Other surprises: Shooter Hunt and Aaron Shafer, neither of whom put up great numbers on the mound.
  

• Though Hunt and Shafer didn't have great summers, their inclusion on this list makes Falmouth's pitching staff look absolutely astounding, in retrospect. The Commodores have seven pitchers on the list.
  

• Some guys I thought would be on the list but weren't: Rick Zagone, Mike Colla, Jermaine Curtis, Tom Milone, Tim Federowicz, Aja Barto, Cole Figueroa, Aaron Luna, Sean Ochinko, Eddie Burns and Terry Doyle.
  

the cape league hates second basemen

All-league teams have been announced. They're available on the official site.

The biggest thing that stands out is that Gordon Beckham was picked as the all-league second baseman. He played eight games there and 30 at shortstop. So, in similar fashion to the all-star selection process, second basemen are getting pushed aside.

It makes sense in a way since second base was a thin position. Putting Beckham there allows Reese Havens to make the team, and keeps the utility infield spot open for Jermaine Curtis, who's certainly deserving.

But David Adams was the best second baseman in the league -- .302 AVG, 17 extra-base hits, 18 RBI. Doesn't he deserve to be recognized for that?

That's my two cents. Here's the team:

1B - Yonder Alonso
2B - Gordon Beckham
SS - Reese Havens
3B - Conor Gillaspie
Inf. Util. - Jermaine Curtis
OF - Dennis Raben
OF - Collin Cowgill
OF - Blake Tekotte
OF - Ben Guez
C - Buster Posey
C - Robert Stock
DH - Allan Dykstra
DH - Jason Castro
SP - Tom Milone
SP - Aaron Crow
SP - Kyle Gibson
SP - D.J. Mitchell
SP - Eddie Burns
RP - Nick Cassavechia
RP - Jordan Flasher
Utility - Shane Peterson

My only question, other than the second base business: How does Dan Brewer not make this team? He hit .297 with seven home runs and 30 RBI for Hyannis. Those are all-league numbers. I guess he was just the odd man out. He played a lot of positions, so maybe that hurt him.

Anyway, that's that. I'm in the process of selecting my own all-league teams just for the fun of it. They will include second basemen.

More summer rewind stuff coming this week.

summer rewind: a fresh start

(In lieu of one long, meandering season in review, I give you instead several snapshots spread out over the course of a few days that should, together, form a collage that my second-grade art teacher would be proud of. Here is part deux.)

Every summer, it's the same story. Big-time player who was a big-time recruit puts up big-time numbers for big-time college, gets recruited to play in the biggest of big-time summer leagues and by mid-August, has taken a big-time fall back to earth. Whether it's the wood bats or the pitching depth, the experience or the overall talent level, plenty of great baseball players who've had great springs end up having rough summers.

But it goes the other way, too, and when it does, you're bound to get a great story.

There were a lot of great stories this summer.

Sure, there were the inevitable bad Cape seasons for players who had great college seasons. That's always going to be the case. But quite a few players tore off the rearview mirror and colored over a bad spring with a spectacular summer.

There was Tom Milone.

The USC lefty had made a great first impression. As a true freshman, he was a weekend starter for one of the nation's most storied programs. Naturally, he would build on it. Only he didn't. Milone went 3-7 with a 6.17 ERA. He allowed 101 hits in 77.1 innings. But the Cape offered the chance for a turnaround and Milone ran with the opportunity. Working as Chatham's top starter, Milone put together solid start after solid start, but somehow wasn't picked for the all-star team. The day he found that out, he tossed a complete-game shutout, and from there he was dominant. By the end of the season, he was tied for the league lead in wins and his ERA stood at 2.92. He struck out 46 and walked only seven. Before his final start, which came in the playoffs against Y-D, Milone was presented with the league's top pitcher award.

There was Reese Havens.

He didn't exactly struggle for South Carolina, but for a guy who was one of the top prospects on the Cape as a freshman, his 2007 spring was a bit of a sophomore slump. Havens hit .274, eighth among South Carolina's everyday starters. He drove in 43 runs but only hit five home runs. In Havens' second year on the Cape, though, there was no slump. The Cotuit shortstop cemented himself as one of the league's premier players, hitting .314 with five home runs and 25 RBI. He finished with 17 extra-base hits and a .487 slugging percentage.

There was Terry Doyle.

He was the co-winner of the Cape League's top pitcher award in '06, a big righthander who was a workhorse and a dominant workhorse at that. Included in his big summer was a no-hitter and a championship-clinching victory for Y-D. Doyle's summer sent his draft stock skyrocketing, but it cam tumbling down this spring. He went 4-5 and had a 5.87 ERA for Boston College. His velocity was down, and he fell to the 21st round in the June draft. But a Cape League summer was once again to Doyle's liking. Pitching for Y-D again, Doyle tied for the league lead in wins and finished with a 2.35 ERA, lower than last year.

And then there was Jason Castro, whose turnaround was perhaps the biggest.

He was projected to be one of Stanford's top players, a big kid with all the tools who'd hit .283 as a freshman and .286 in the Alaska League. All the potential, though, seemed to crumble when the season began. Castro hit .167 this spring with just four extra-base hits. But he turned it all around on the Cape, starting hot and never cooling down. Playing mostly DH for the league champion Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, Castro was second in the league in hitting with a .341 average. He belted four home runs and drove in 24. His OPS was .922. He was an MVP candidate and might have won it if not for Conor Gillaspie's ridiculous numbers.

Those are just a few of the examples, and together, they offer a new perspective on what a Cape League summer can mean. It's not just a chance to confirm perceptions, to build on past success. It's also a chance to change perceptions.

And really, it's one of the few chances. If a sophomore coming off a bad spring has a bad summer, his junior year will be his only chance to improve his stock before the next year's draft. That can give the summer an added sense of urgency, and with so many scouts on the Cape, it's even more pronounced.

Players deliver not just because they have to, but also because they want to.

Everybody playing for a major college program has talent, and all the way along, they've been the best. The best Little Leaguer, the best player on their high school team. Most of them have rarely, if ever, struggled. To struggle on the biggest stage yet has to be tough to swallow.

It's a motivating factor, then, to turn things around. Who's more focused coming into a Cape League summer? The guy who hit .380 or the one who hit .187. I'm betting on the latter.

It doesn't always work out, of course, but the fact that the Cape League offers a completely fresh start makes it more possible. It's a new team, new parks, a new place to live, new teammates.

And most of all, it's a new season. When struggles continue through a college season, I'd imagine they can get overwhelming. It's tough to break out. But when the Cape League summer starts, everybody's batting average is .000. Everybody's ERA is 0.00. A chance to start fresh so soon after a rough season has to inspire a feeling of freedom.

It's a valuable opportunity. Taking that opportunity and running with it can make all the diffrence.

summer rewind: something to crow about

(In lieu of one long, meandering season in review, I give you instead several snapshots spread out over the course of a few days that should, together, form a collage that my second-grade art teacher would be proud of. Thus begins part one.)

In the biggest game of Aaron Crow's college career, the Missouri ace allowed seven runs on seven hits in just two-thirds of an inning, setting Louisville on its way to a regional championship. That was June 4. Soon after, with his season over, Crow arrived on Cape Cod, a forgettable night tattooed on his memory.

Two months later, it may not be completely forgotten.

But a summer to remember is pushing for space.

Crow, a 6'2" right-hander from Wakarusa, Kan., authored one of the most dominant summers in recent Cape League history, and, in the process, secured his status as one of the nation's top pro prospects.

He finished with a 3-1 record, helping Falmouth to a playoff spot and a berth in the league championship series. His ERA was .67. He allowed just 19 hits in 40.1 innings, and walked only nine, giving him a WHIP of .70. He surrendered three earned runs all summer. He struck out 36, leaving his K/9 at 8.1 and his K/BB at 4.0. Opponents hit .140 against him.

The only thing keeping him from earning the top pitcher award was his win total, but that didn't hurt his chances for top prospect honors. Crow was undoubtedly on radar screens before this summer, but now he's more than a blip. With his mid-90's fastball, he was practically a shoo-in, and he joins select company. Every winner of the pro prospect award in the last 10 years has gone on to be a first, second or third round pick in the MLB draft.

That's what lies ahead for Crow, but the things in the rearview mirror will not soon be forgotten.

The thing that strikes me most isn't just that Crow is a great prospect, but that he's a great prospect who turned his immense ability into tremendous on-field success. Plenty of prospects struggle on the Cape, and though it may not matter in the long run, it's fun for the present to see a player who puts up the stats to match his talents.

Crow certainly did that.

• His .67 ERA was the sixth-lowest in the last 10 years among Cape League starting pitchers
• His performance in the all-star game -- where he struck out the side in the first inning -- was so overpowering that it became the biggest story of the night, and earned Crow MVP honors
  
• His dominant start in the first game of the playoff semis sent Falmouth cruising into the finals
• His season was amazingly consistent -- he never allowed more than one run in any start
• Though he only had four decisions, Falmouth won five of his seven starts, playoffs included

In all, Crow was nothing short of spectacular, and his dominant performances were part of the fabric of the 2007 Cape League summer.

I only had the pleasure of seeing him once, when he pitched in the playoffs against Bourne. Had I not been aware of stats and awards, perhaps I wouldn't have known what I was seeing. Just another pitcher, giving batters fits.

But I think, somehow, I would have known.

Maybe it was his confidence, the way he carried himself. Maybe it was the way every batter who struck out came back to the dugout shaking his head in disbelief or wonderment or quiet acceptance. Whatever it was, you could tell that Aaron Crow was something special.

And that, you won't forget.

stacking up the award winners

I want to give a little context to the annual Cape League awards so here's a look at how this year's winners compare to the winners in recent years. This isn't intended to determine who's better among all these players in all these different years. It's just to understand where this year's award-winning performances fall in the big picture.

MVP

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	AVG	HR	RBI	SLG	OBP
CONOR GILLASPIE	Falmouth '07	Wichita St.	.345	7	22	.673	.448
Justin Smoak	Cotuit '06	South Carolina	.286	11	27	.565	.382
Evan Longoria	Chatham '05	Long Beach	.299	8	35	.500	.331
Daniel Carte	Falmouth '04	Winthrop	.308	11	38	.560	.402
J.C. Holt	Brewster '03	LSU	.388	1	9	.470	.414*
Pete Stonard	Cotuit '02	Alabama	.348	2	27	.416	.420*

* - calculated from incomplete stats, so it's close but not exact

There are really two types of players on the MVP list -- those hitting for power and those hitting for average. In every case prior to this year, those were mutually exclusive chracteristics. Gillaspie is the only one in the last five years to break the mold. Among the power hitters, his average is by far the best. And among the average hitters -- who, like Gillaspie, won batting titles and the MVP trophy -- his home run total and slugging percentage are by far the highest. He's also got the highest on-base percentage, one that puts him in a class by himself.

Really, that's where Gillaspie was all summer. Interestingly, he had some decent competition for the MVP award from guys like Gordon Beckham and Jason Castro. But Gillaspie finished in front of them, and when you stack him up against past MVP winners, he's even further ahead.

For those who are curious, Longoria, Carte and and Holt are all in the minor leagues, and Smoak will be a high draft pick next year.


BATTING CHAMP

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	AVG	HR	RBI	SLG	OBP
CONOR GILLASPIE	Falmouth '07	Wichita St.	.345	7	22	.673	.448
Matt Mangini	Hyannis '06	Okla. St.	.310	2	16	.394	.370
Chris Coghlan	Chatham '05	Ole Miss	.346	2	22	.431	.430
Ryan Patterson	Brewster '04	LSU	.327	5	25	.518	.348
J.C. Holt	Brewster '03	LSU	.388	1	9	.470	.414*
Pete Stonard	Cotuit '02	Alabama	.348	2	27	.416	.420*

* - calculated from incomplete stats, so it's close but not exact

Again, Gillaspie's numbers stand way out. Patterson and Coghlan both have similar average and RBI numbers -- and Patterson is close in home runs -- but Gillaspie is still well ahead of them in slugging, which comes from all his extra-base hits. He's also pretty far in front in on-base percentage.


OUTSTANDING PITCHER

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	W-L	ERA	K	BB
TOM MILONE	Chatham '07	USC	6-1	2.92	46	7
Terry Doyle	Y-D '06	Boston College	5-1	2.89	52	23
Shaun Seibert	Brewster '06	Arkansas	6-0	.39	36	28
Andrew Miller	Chatham '05	North Carolina	6-0	1.65	66	23
Tim Norton	Falmouth '05	UConn	5-1	1.77	77	15
Matt Goyen	Brewster '04	Georgia College	5-2	1.25	80	14
Eric Beattie	Bourne '03	Tampa	4-0	.39	51	6
Brian Rogers	Orleans '02	Georgia Southern	4-0	.40	53	7

I really thought Falmouth's Aaron Crow and his .67 ERA would get this award, but he ended up winning the top pro prospect award instead. I'm not sure if that had an impact on Crow not winning this one, but I know what thing that did have an impact -- wins. Crow only had three, and as you can gather from looking at this list, wins are a key part of the award qualifications. I'm even tempted to say wins were the one thing that pushed Milone to the top. Of the seven starters who had ERA's under 2.00, none of them had more than three wins. Milone's ERA was pretty far over two but he had the wins going for him.

Terry Doyle -- the co-winner last year -- had as many wins as Milone and a lower ERA, but in this case, I'm guessing it was Milone's K:BB ratio that set him apart. Doyle struck out 41 but walked 30. Milone struck out 46 and walked only seven in 52.1 innings.

(As a side note, when commissioner Paul Galop presented the award to Milone, he mentioned that the league uses 10 categories to select this award. I find this interesting. I always thought these awards were more subjective than that. Also, I can't figure out what the 10 categories would be. W, L, ERA, K, BB, WHIP? That's only six. I'm going to try to ask somebody what these 10 categories are.)

In comparison to past years, a lot of Milone's numbers don't quite match up. His ERA is the highest on this list and his strikeout total is the second-lowest. Perhaps this lends credence to the idea that this was a down year for pitching on the Cape. Nobody had a year like Goyen, who struck out 80 or a year like Beattie and Seibert, who had .39 ERA's.

But I don't want to take anything away from Milone. He was very impressive when I saw him, and he has a bright future ahead of him.

As for the futures of some of the guys on this list, Miller was a top-10 pick last year and is in the big leagues, Doyle will be back to Boston College next year, and Seibert was a projected as a high pick befor an injury. Norton, Goyen, Beattie and Rogers are all in the minor leagues. Rogers is in Triple A in the Pittsburgh organization as a reliever.


OUTSTANDING RELIEF PITCHER

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	ERA	SV	K	BB
NICK CASSAVECHIA	Y-D '07	Baylor	1.07	11	24	3
Josh Fields	Y-D '06	Georgia	2.55	13	27	5
Steven Wright	Orleans '05	Hawaii	.63	12	41	12
Kevin Whelan	Wareham '04	Texas A&M	.42	11	31	6
Jarrett Santos	Brewster '03	UNC-Greensboro	1.42	11	27	12
Zane Carlson	Chatham '02	Baylor	3.13	12	36	11
Shaun Marcum	Harwich '02	SW Missouri	1.48	10	31	4

If you lead the league in saves, you're probably winning this award. Everybody on this list other than Marcum -- who was a co-winner -- finished with the most saves. Cassavechia's numbers are comparabale to everybody on the list. He may have had the fewest K's but he also had the fewst walks and a K/BB ratio of 8.00, better than anybody on the list.

Cape League closers are always an interesting group. Some of them are big-time prospects with big arms but not enough stamina to be starters. Others are future starters trying to save their arms in the summer. Others are closers by trade, and a lot of them seem to be guys who aren't very tall or very big but who seem to fit a certain mold. Plenty of those great college closer types -- like Chad Cordero and Huston Street -- have big success.

In terms of where these players are now, Wright, Whelan and Marcum have all become starters. Marcum is in the majors with the Blue Jays.


TOP PRO PROSPECT

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	W-L	ERA	K	BB
AARON CROW	Falmouth '07	Missouri	3-1	.67	36	9
Andrew Miller	Chatham '05	North Carolina	6-0	1.65	66	23
Wade Townsend	Wareham '03	Rice	1-3	1.82	39	9
Bob Brownlie	Falmouth '00	Rutgers	4-2	2.01	73	32

Always one of the most interesting awards, the top pro prospect gives some insight into what the scouts thought of the Cape league summer. This year, they really liked Crow. The righthander flashed a mid-90's fastball that occasionally got up to 98. Doing it as a starter and putting up good numbers to match only helped cement Crow's status.

To compare, I only put the pitchers who won the award on the above list. Miller, as mentioned in the outstanding pitcher category, is already in the bigs. Townsend is in Class A. Brownlie has overcome some injuries and moved to Double A.

As far as draft position, the winner of this award almost always ends up being a first-round pick. A look at the last few years:

• 2006 - Matt Wieters - 5th overall pick in '07
  
• 2005 - Andrew Miller - 6th overall pick in '06
• 2004 - Tyler Greene - 30th oveall pick in '05
  
• 2003 - Wade Townsend - 8th overall pick in '04 and '05
  
• 2002 - Wes Whisler - 53rd overall pick in '04
  
• 2001 - Russ Adams - 14th overall pick in '02
  
• 2000 - Bob Brownlie - 21st overall pick in '02
• 1999 - Mark Teixieria - 5th overall pick in '01

So you can bet Crow will be one of the top picks come next June.

final stats by position

Here's a look at the final offensive stats, sorted by position and ranked according to batting average. Games played at the position are listed next to the names. Players who played multiple positions are listed at the spot where they played the most.

CATCHER

Not quite as deep as last year, when several Cape catchers were high draft picks, but still some solid numbers put up. Posey played shortstop on the Cape last summer, switched to catcher at Florida State and stayed behind the plate this summer, becoming the most complete catcher in the league. Federowicz struggled early then had one of the best hot streaks anybody had all summer to end the season. Cutler played some in the outfield in addition to catching. Phegley was on his way to a big season before he punched a dugout wall in frustration and injured his hand. Stock, a 17-year-old who skipped his senior year of high school, struggled near the end of the year but still put up solid numbers.

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	AVG	HR	RBI	XBH	OPS
Brett Basham - 21	Bourne	Ole Miss	.309	0	9	2	.691
Tim Federowicz - 23	Chatham	North Carolina	.297	1	14	8	.781
Buster Posey - 31	Y-D	Florida St.	.281	3	19	6	.736
Charlie Cutler - 22	Brewster	California	.271	1	16	5	.695
Josh Phegley - 23	Wareham	Indiana	.269	0	6	5	.643
Caleb Joseph - 18	Cotuit	Lipscomb	.256	1	14	9	.688
Adam Zornes - 20	Bourne	Rice	.242	2	10	5	.721
Shea Robin - 29	Hyannis	Vanderbilt	.229	1	8	4	.587
Robert Stock - 26	Cotuit	USC	.228	4	20	9	.646
Dale Cornstubble - 11	Hyannis	Central Michigan	.224	0	6	2	.586
Ryan Babineau - 21	Brewster	UCLA	.223	1	13	9	.624
Kevin Dubler -18	Falmouth	Illinois St.	.219	1	14	5	.622
Travis Tartamella - 24	Orleans	Pepperdine	.200	0	5	4	.562
Andrew Giobbi -27	Falmouth	Vanderbilt	.196	2	10	5	.551
Bryan Garrity - 26	Wareham	UMass	.167	0	3	0	.434
Gregg Glime - 18	Chatham	Baylor	.150	1	8	4	.477
Hampton Tignor - 24	Orleans	Florida	.139	0	4	1	.361
J.B. Paxson - 29	Harwich	Western Ky.	.093	1	3	2	.416

FIRST BASE

Maybe the deepest position on the Cape this summer, the first base crop features some big power hitters and some big prospects. Castro also caught and played a lot of DH, having a huge summer after a rough spring at Stanford. Peterson played some in the outfield but hit wherever he played. Alonso led the league in on-base percentage after a huge year at Miami. Ochinko burst onto the scene in Y-D after a decent freshman year at LSU. Dykstra started a little slow but blossomed into one of the best all-around hitters in the league. Freiman was quietly solid all summer.

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	AVG	HR	RBI	XBH	OPS
Jason Castro - 14	Y-D	Stanford	.341	4	24	11	.922
Shane Peterson - 27	Hyannis	Long Beach St.	.338	1	19	11	.871
Yonder Alonso - 32	Brewster	Miami	.338	4	25	16	.965
Sean Ochinko - 26	Y-D	LSU	.315	8	23	17	.971
Allan Dykstra - 38	Chatham	Wake Forest	.308	5	31	13	.925
Nate Freiman - 28	Orleans	Duke	.286	2	28	8	.739
Mitch Moreland - 18	Bourne	Miss. St.	.268	3	12	5	.772
Josh Satin - 27	Bourne	California	.255	4	22	14	.772
Alex Avila - 16	Harwich	Alabama	.241	2	13	14	.698
Aaron Baker -28	Cotuit	Oklahoma	.224	3	15	11	.629
Dustin Dickerson - 21	Wareham	Baylor	.215	1	8	3	.551
Kiko Vazquez - 22	Hyannis	Central Florida	.208	1	15	3	.640
Jose Jimenez - 19	Orleans	Tampa	.197	2	18	5	.523
Jeremy Farrell - 25	Falmouth	Virginia	.191	2	23	9	.578
Jared Bolden - 29	Harwich	VCU	.189	0	8	5	.517
Luke Murton - 10	Wareham	Georgia Tech	.181	2	9	6	.558

SECOND BASE

In perhaps the thinnest position on the Cape, Adams was the clear-cut top performer. Despite not hitting a home run, he was an extra-base machine. Delmonico and Lima were solid and Seager put together a strong season for Chatham. Railey was a key part of Y-D's title run. Carrithers struggled with the bat for Orleans but was fourth in the league in runs scored.

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	AVG	HR	RBI	XBH	OPS
David Adams - 26	Falmouth	Virginia	.302	0	18	17	.802
Kyle Seager - 27	Chatham	North Carolina	.274	1	9	6	.716
Danny Lima - 19	Brewster	Tennessee	.270	0	10	3	.602
Tony Delmonico - 19	Cotuit	Florida St.	.267	3	18	9	.733
Johnny Giavotella - 20	Harwich	New Orleans	.255	1	16	6	.662
Joey Railey - 33	Y-D	Tampa	.245	1	16	7	.707
Scott Elmendorf - 26	Hyannis	Southern Illinois	.238	0	8	2	.537
Tavo Hall - 21	Brewster	San Francisco	.233	0	11	5	.624
Bill Perry - 27	Bourne	Hartford	.222	2	10	6	.595
Jake Opitz - 17	Harwich	Nebraska	.219	2	5	5	.665
Alden Carrithers - 30	Orleans	UCLA	.198	1	7	10	.677
Seth Henry - 26	Wareham	Tulane	.196	0	2	3	.555
Correy Figueroa - 25	Cotuit	St. Petersburg	.194	0	8	1	.455
Michael Demperio - 31	Wareham	San Francisco	.173	0	4	0	.468

THIRD BASE

A lot of good players at this position and all of them were overshadowed by Gillaspie and his MVP performance. Gillaspie had one of the best offensive seasons in recent memory. Hoef didn't flash much power but hit for average all season, bucking a late slump to finish well above .300. Curtis was one of the most solid defenders in the league and hit well for most of the summer. Harrison and Romero were key parts of their teams and finished with solid numbers. Darnell didn't hit for average but was one of the league leaders in home runs.

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	AVG	HR	RBI	XBH	OPS
Conor Gillaspie - 32	Falmouth	Wichita St.	.345	7	22	21	1.121
Kevin Hoef -31	Bourne	Iowa	.317	1	9	6	.827
Jermaine Curtis - 33	Chatham	UCLA	.295	3	24	12	.852
Josh Harrison - 31	Cotuit	Cincinnati	.264	2	12	10	.679
J.T. Wise - 18	Harwich	LSU	.261	2	15	9	.760
Nick Romero - 40	Y-D	San Diego St.	.259	1	17	8	.711
James Darnell - 27	Hyannis	South Carolina	.250	8	27	14	.818
David Doss - 28	Brewster	South Alabama	.231	1	12	7	.673
Jason Ogata - 22	Wareham	Oregon St.	.222	3	9	8	.678
Chris Dominguez -13	Harwich	Louisville	.216	3	8	8	.640
Patrick Long - 15	Hyannis	Georgia Tech	.198	0	3	3	.575
Austin Yount - 16	Brewster	Stanford	.192	0	6	2	.526
Mark Sobolewski -24	Orleans	Miami	.189	0	10	8	.500
Chase D'Arnaud - 20	Orleans	Pepperdine	.185	3	16	9	.532
Dominic de la Osa - 20	Wareham	Vanderbilt	.119	1	9	3	.395

SHORTSTOP

This is the position with the fewest players listed, mostly because all of them were everyday players. After an all-star Cape summer last year, Havens outdid himself this year, finishing as one of the league's best all-around hitters. Green played in a utility role for Y-D, but his highest games total was at short. Beckham would have run away with the MVP in any other year. Figueroa was one of the top freshman on the Cape. Weems was perhaps the league's best defensive shortstop.

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	AVG	HR	RBI	XBH	OPS
Reese Havens - 41	Couit	South Carolina	.314	5	25	17	.858
Grant Green - 15	Y-D	USC	.291	4	12	12	.811
Gordon Beckham - 30	Y-D	Georgia	.284	9	35	19	.899
Cole Figueroa - 36	Harwich	Florida	.281	1	13	6	.700
Addison Maruszak - 20	Bourne	South Florida	.278	1	17	5	.693
Matt Hall - 18	Bourne	Auburn	.277	1	14	9	.729
Beamer Weems - 39	Wareham	Baylor	.257	0	11	9	.613
Joey Wong - 29	Falmouth	Oregon St.	.252	0	10	2	.603
Scott Lyons - 34	Chatham	Arkansas	.246	1	13	5	.632
Michael Marseco - 33	Brewster	Samford	.228	0	9	3	.559
Ryan Jackson - 43	Hyannis	Miami	.215	0	15	6	.540
Brandon Crawford - 43	Orleans	UCLA	.189	4	14	9	.588

OUTFIELD

Only one .300 hitter in this group, and that was Synan, who played less than half the season. But Hague, Luna, Raben and Brewer all had huge years. Raben and Brewer, in particular, had great all-around numbers. Cowgill followed up a redshirt season at Kentucky by shaking off the rust and having a big summer. Guez started the year as a temporary player, made the all-star team, slumped a bit, but finished very strong. Barto flashed all the tools that make him a big prospect. Johnson, coming off his freshman year at Clemson, really held his own in Chatham. Tekotte led the league in steals for Brewster. **Update (8/23) - the RBI numbers were off but are fixed now.

PLAYER	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	AVG	HR	RBI	XBH	OPS
Jeremy Synan - 18	Chatham	NC State	.388	0	6	2	.903
Matt Hague - 21	Falmouth	Washington	.299	2	19	13	.825
Aaron Luna - 24	Y-D	Rice	.299	5	12	7	.995
Dennis Raben - 39	Orleans	Miami	.298	6	35	18	.936
Dan Brewer - 26	Hyannis	Bradley	.297	7	30	18	.870
Collin Cowgill - 41	Y-D	Kentucky	.290	2	20	10	.808
Ben Guez - 43	Bourne	William & Mary	.282	3	24	12	.792
Andrew Crisp - 26	Chatham	South Carolina	.280	0	7	4	.634
Aja Barto - 41	Falmouth	Tulane	.277	2	11	6	.731
Addison Johnson - 40	Chatham	Clemson	.276	1	11	8	.666
Phil Bell - 36	Hyannis	UAB	.271	1	15	3	.640
Ollie Linton - 28	Orleans	UC Irvine	.271	0	10	1	.674
Ryne White - 22	Cotuit	Purdue	.269	2	12	6	.716
Josh Workman - 19	Bourne	Wichita St.	.267	1	1	2	.746
Chris Hopkins - 23	Falmouth	Oregon St.	.265	0	7	0	.607
Johnny Ayers - 24	Y-D	Boston College	.259	0	6	2	.659
Kevin McAvoy - 24	Chatham	Maine	.257	1	15	8	.675
Blake Tekotte - 43	Brewster	Miami	.256	1	16	8	.703
Joey Gonzales - 22	Hyannis	UC Riverside	.255	1	9	7	.679
Ben Booker - 25	Wareham	Baylor	.250	0	3	4	.651
Blake Dean - 27	Wareham	LSU	.250	4	15	7	.692
Sean O'Brien - 24	Chatham	Virginia Tech	.248	1	15	8	.711
Ryan Hanlon - 16	Brewster	California	.246	0	6	2	.552
Kyle Day - 22	Harwich	Michigan St.	.243	3	11	11	.722
Brian Pruitt - 36	Bourne	Stetson	.241	3	27	11	.683
Steve Strausbaugh-40	Harwich	W. Carolina	.239	2	22	8	.651
Mike Tamsin - 14	Y-D	Northeastern	.230	1	5	4	.616
Curtis Dupart - 32	Cotuit	Georgia Tech	.220	1	7	5	.618
Russ Moldenhauer-37	Wareham	Texas	.218	0	6	5	.558
Byron Wiley - 23	Brewster	Kansas St.	.217	2	9	4	.692
Eric Reese - 14	Orleans	Fordham	.216	0	4	8	.555
David Macias - 39	Hyannis	Vanderbilt	.215	0	7	3	.570
Matt Long - 34	Y-D	Santa Clara	.214	1	13	7	.664
Jacob Priday - 18	Brewster	Missouri	.211	2	11	9	.650
Kent Matthes - 21	Harwich	Alabama	.200	1	9	7	.607
Jonathan Pigott - 24	Cotuit	Florida	.182	0	2	1	.437
John Wallace - 21	Falmouth	Oregon St.	.182	0	4	4	.529
Mike Cavassini - 20	Wareham	North Carolina	.159	0	0	0	.419