the right field fog top 50

Monday, August 6, 2007

the right field fog top 50

I don't like rankings much, but I thought doing a Top 50 players could be fun. Keep in mind, this is not a Top 50 Prospects list. I don't really know where all these guys stand in the eyes of scouts. This is a Top 50 Players list, based on stats, impressions of guys I've seen and any other random pieces of information. It's completely subjective, and it means nothing. Feel free to add your opinions in the comments section, and let me know if there are any glaring omissions. This is the second installment of the Top 50. You can find the first one here. I took the last week into consideration, but tried not to put too much weight on it, since there weren't many games. Names in yellow moved up, in gray moved down. I plan on doing one more of these with the final few games taken into account and one set of final rankings.

1. Conor Gillaspie, Falmouth, 3B – Holding on to average lead
2. Aaron Crow, Falmouth, RHP – ERA went up -- to .67
3. Gordon Beckham, Y-D, SS – Avg. dips, but numbers are still impressive
4. Jason Castro, Y-D, C/OF - Now second in hitting and showing power, too
5. Kyle Gibson, Falmouth, RHP – Solid start after solid start
6. Yonder Alonso, Brewster, 1B – Still leads in OBP and fourth in avg.
7. Allan Dykstra, Chatham, 1B - Making big push in power and avg.
8. Dan Brewer, Hyannis, OF – Still near top in HR and RBI
9. Jermaine Curtis, Chatham, 3B – Little to no drop-off
10. Reese Havens, Cotuit, SS – Hot streak got him here and he hasn't cooled
11. Dennis Raben, Orleans, OF - RBI leader still steady
12. Shane Peterson, Hyannis, IF/OF - Third in avg., first in hits
13. Sean Ochinko, Y-D, 1B - Tied for HR lead and avg. is up
14. D.J. Mitchell, Bourne, RHP – 31 K in last three starts
15. Eddie Burns, Y-D, RHP – Still one of the most consistent starters
16. David Adams, Falmouth, 2B/SS - No XBH lately, but avg. is up
17. Andy Oliver, Wareham, LHP - Now third in K's, third in ERA
18. Nick Cassavechia, Y-D, RHP/CL - Still the league's top closer
19. Mike Colla, Brewster, RHP - Solid numbers all around
20. T.J. Hose, Bourne, RHP - Had first bad start of the summer last week
21. Scott Green, Y-D, RHP - K/BB is among the best
22. Collin Cowgill, Y-D, OF - Avg. has slipped, but he's still key in Y-D's lineup
23. Tom Milone, Chatham, LHP - Tied for league lead in wins
24. Matt Hague, Falmouth, OF – Good avg. and great OBP
25. Brad Boxberger, Orleans, RHP – Injured now, but still great numbers
26. Wade Miley, Wareham, LHP – Fourth in K's and leads in IP
27. Kevin Hoef, Bourne, IF - Avg. is still above .300 despite a slump
28. Christian Friedrich, Falmouth, LHP - One earned run in last start
29. Rob Catapano, Orleans, LHP - Finally allowed a run, but ERA still only .48
30. Jordan Flasher, Bourne, RHP/CL – One behind Cassavechia for saves lead
31. Aja Barto, Falmouth, OF – Still hitting well and stealing bases
32. Matt Couch, Brewster, RHP - Leads team in K's
33. Evan Crawford, Harwich, LHP - 38 K in 25.1 IP, plus a sub-1.oo ERA
34. James Darnell, Hyannis, 3B - Tied for lead in HR, and avg. is up
35. Grant Green, Y-D, IF/OF – Still playing everywhere and hitting
36. Cole Figueroa, Harwich, SS - Coming out of slump for strong finish
37. Kevin Couture, Chatham, RHP - In relief, hasn't allowed a run since mid-July
38. Ben Guez, Bourne, OF - Avg. dipping but still among leaders in RBI
39. Stephen Penney, Hyannis, RHP - One of the top relievers
40. Chris Hicks, Wareham, RHP/CL – Stuck on 7 saves, but K's going up
41. Brett Jacobson, Harwich, RHP - Struck out 15 in last start*
42. Lee Land, Brewster, RHP/CL - Third in saves
43. Keith Shinaberry, Brewster, LHP - Most appearances and 0 walks
44. Trevor Holder, Y-D, RHP - Reliever now starting has .90 ERA*
45. Blake Tekotte, Brewster, OF - SB leader has raised average
46. Jeff Dietz, Wareham, RHP - .81 ERA out of the pen*
47. Buster Posey, Y-D, C - Late surge gives him top catcher nod*
48. Rick Zagone, Bourne, LHP - CG shutout in last start*
49. Charles Brewer, Chatham, RHP - Seventh in ERA*
50. Terry Doyle, Y-D, RHP - ERA has come way down, and tied for lead in wins*
* new to the list

Off the list for this week:

Charlie Cutler
Brian Pruitt
Pat McAnaney
Robert Stock
Josh Satin
Matt Daly
Will Atwood

Just missing the cut:

Ryan Perry, Orleans
Dan Hudson, Harwich
Tim Federowicz, Chatham
Jeremy Bleich, Wareham
Aaron Luna, Y-D
Nate Freiman, Orleans
Nick Christiani, Orleans
Garrett Sherrill, Hyannis
Brett Graffy, Falmouth
Josh Harrison, Cotuit
Tony Delmonico, Cotuit
Addison Johnson, Chatham
Ollie Linton, Orleans

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as the fog settles in

The left-field sunset has faded. It is chilly now. You slip a sweatshirt on. The stat sheet you hold in your hands almost feels wet, the air is so damp. But the ink doesn't run. You can read it. That kid from LSU is still leading the league in home runs. That pitcher who they say throws 95 -- he's way up on the list in strikeouts.
The game is close, 3-2 through seven innings. You're staying till the end.
You look out at the field. Some fog has slipped in. It settles like smoke, just off the grass in front of the right fielder, like a cloud. When he runs through it to catch a fly ball, it looks almost magical, maybe even spiritual, like he's playing baseball in heaven.
Maybe he is.
The baseball is pure here. The players eager. The fans, maybe some of them don't know what they're seeing, maybe they just heard it was a fun night out, good for the family and everything -- but they know. They know somehow that this thing, this Cape League, is special.
Really, there's nothing like it.
I'm going to try and keep up.

Stop waxing poetic

The Cape Cod Baseball League is the top college summer league in the nation. Plenty of other leagues have cropped up of late, and some are having success, but the Cape League is still the model -- and the pinnacle. In 2006, 198 Major Leaguers had spent time in the Cape League.
The rosters are like a who's who of the best college baseball players. All the top prospects want to spend their summers on the Cape. The only better opportunity is Team USA. There are 10 teams in the league, divided into two divisions. Over the course of two months, they play 44 games. Scouts will watch many of them. They come because of the combination of talent and wood. Unlike college baseball, the Cape uses only wooden bats, providing an accurate picture of what players might do at the next level.
What else? Players live with host families. Some have part-time jobs (Jeff Bagwell worked at Friendly's). There's no admission charge at games. The level of baseball has been compared to Single A.
That should sum it up. If you have never experienced Cape League Baseball, you have missed out.

Monday, August 6, 2007