Long, long ago, I wanted to do a lot of wrap-up things for the ’07 summer, but it’s a little late for that now. So, instead, I’ll do a little bridging of the gap into 2008. College baseball is right around the corner and top 25 rankings are coming out of the woodwork. So I thought I’d throw my own out there, with a twist.
The following are the top 25 teams in the nation, based entirely on the 2007 Cape League season. Essentially, I’m not projecting who will be good in the college ranks as much as I’m ranking the programs according to who had the best summer on the Cape. Obviously, it’s a little skewed toward teams that sent more players to the Cape, but I think it’s kind of an interesting exercise, nonetheless.
So, without further adieu.
THE RANKINGS
1. USC
2. Missouri
3. North Carolina
4. Miami
5. South Carolina
6. California
7. NC State
8. UCLA
9. Arizona
10. Baylor
11. LSU
12. Virginia
13. Vanderbilt
14. Georgia
15. Stanford
16. Oklahoma State
17. Clemson
18. Wichita State
19. Rice
20. Florida State
21. Wake Forest
22. Notre Dame
23. Oregon State
24. Arkansas
25. Texas
TOP 10 BREAKDOWN
1. USC Trojans
Players: 6
In the end, I think this was an easy choice, even with Missouri’s pitching prowess. No other team sent this many players to the Cape and had all of them succeed. The pitchers led the way, with Milone winning the league’s top pitcher award and Cook and Boxberger turning in great summers. Couture was one of the league’s top relievers. Offensively, Green and Stock – both freshmen – were solid everyday contributors.
Hitters
Grant Green – INF/OF – Y-D - .291, 4 HR, 12 RBI, .449 SLG
Robert Stock – C – Cotuit - .228, 4 HR, 20 RBI
Pitchers
Tom Milone – SP – Chatham – 6-1, 2.92 ERA, 46 K, 7 BB
Ryan Cook – SP – Brewster – 4-1, 2.87 ERA, 43 K
Brad Boxberger – SP – Orleans – 1-0, 1.24 ERA, 26 K
Kevin Couture – RP – Chatham – 2-0, .90 ERA, 26 K
2. Missouri Tigers
Players: 5
Not a whole lot of offense, but the pitching far and away makes up for it. Though the Tigers didn’t have a reliever in the mix like USC, their three starters surpass the numbers put up by the Trojans’ three. Crow was the league’s top prospect and could have taken home top pitcher honors as well. Gibson and Zagone were both top-10 pitchers.
Hitters
Jacob Priday – OF – Brewster - .211, 2 HR, 11 RBI
Ryan Lollis – OF – Cotuit - .182, 1 HR, 12 RBI
Pitchers
Aaron Crow – SP – Falmouth – 3-1, .67 ERA, 36 K, .70 WHIP
Kyle Gibson – SP – Falmouth – 2-0, 1.17 ERA, 51 K
Rick Zagone – SP – Bourne – 4-1, 2.09 ERA, 40 K
3. North Carolina Tar Heels
Players: 7
The Tar Heels had almost as many successful players as USC but also had several who struggled. That’s bound to happen when you send this many players. In the end, even without the rough summers factored in, North Carolina’s pitching – with only one starter posting good numbers – didn’t quite measure up. Still, a great summer for the Heels. Federowicz became arguably the league’s top catcher with a late burst and Seager was a solid everyday player. White emerged as one of the top freshmen starters and Catapano and Wooten were shut-down relievers.
Hitters
Tim Federowicz – C – Chatham – .297, 1 HR, 14 RBI
Kyle Seager – 2B – Chatham - .274, 1 HR, 9 RBI
Mike Cavassini – OF – Wareham - .159, 0 HR, 4 RBI
Pitchers
Alex White – SP – Chatham – 2-1, 2.10 ERA, 31 K
Rob Catapano – RP – Orleans – 3-1, .92 ERA, 17 K
Rob Wooten – RP – Chatham – 1-0, 1.77 ERA. 32 K, 14.3 K/9
Adam Warren – SP/RP – Brewster – 0-3, 7.71 ERA, 22 K
4. Miami Hurricanes
Players: 6
So what if there’s no pitching? The Hurricanes climb this high solely because of their hitters – they were the runaway winner for best offensive team. No other program had two players as good as Raben and Alonso, and when you throw in Tekotte and Jackson, you have unprecedented solid depth as well.
Hitters
Yonder Alonso – 1B – Brewster - .338, 4 HR, 25 RBI, .468 OBP
Dennis Raben – OF – Orleans - .298, 6 HR, 35 RBI, .936 OPS
Blake Tekotte – OF – Brewster - .256, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 22 SB
Ryan Jackson – SS – Hyannis - .215, 0 HR, 15 RBI
Mark Sobolewski – 3B – Orleans - .189, 0 HR, 10 RBI
Dave Dinatale – OF – Bourne - .087, 0 HR, 1 RBI
Pitchers
None
5. South Carolina Gamecocks
Players: 5
I had the Gamecocks neck and neck with Cal for this spot but they get the edge because of their star power. Havens was one of the league’s premier hitters and Darnell was one of the top power threats. Crisp put together a solid summer for Chatham, and, on the mound, Cisco and Atwood had good numbers.
Hitters
Reese Havens – SS – Cotuit - .314, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 17 XBH
James Darnell – 3B – Hyannis - .250, 8 HR, 27 RBI
Andrew Crisp – OF – Chatham - .280, 0 HR, 7 RBI
Pitchers
Michael Cisco – SP – Cotuit – 1-5, 3.74 ERA, 29 K
Will Atwood – RP – Orleans – 4-0, 2.25 ERA, 27 K
6. California Golden Bears
Players: 6
A solid all-around summer for the Bears. Cutler, Satin and Cooper won’t get many headlines but they were regular contributors and key parts of their teams. Bennigson was a reliable starter and Gorgen was consistent out of the pen.
Hitters
Charlie Cutler – C/OF – Brewster - .271, 1 HR, 16 RBI
Josh Satin – 1B – Bourne - .255, 4 HR, 22 RBI
David Cooper – 1B/DH – Brewster - .284, 2 HR, 15 RBI
Ryan Hanlon – OF – Brewster - .246, 0 HR, 6 RBI
Pitchers
Craig Bennigson – SP – Orleans – 1-1, 3.14 ERA, 48 K
Matt Gorgen – RP – Bourne – 2-1, 2.25 ERA, 24 K
7. North Carolina State Wolfpack
Players: 5
Maybe it wasn’t a long summer but it was an impressive one for the Wolfpack. Synan was a late addition to Chatham’s roster and became one of the team’s top hitters in the final 16 games. Surkamp was well on his way to becoming one of the league’s top starters when he got a late call to Team USA. As for the guys who were around a little longer, Shunick was a consistent starter for Orleans and Brown was a top-flight reliever.
Hitters
Jeremy Synan – OF – Chatham - .388, 0 HR, 6 RBI
Marcus Jones – OF – Orleans - .219, 0 HR, 2 RBI
Pitchers
Clayton Shunick – SP – Orleans – 1-2, 2.89 ERA, 41 K
Eric Surkamp – SP – Orleans – 2-0, 1.85 ERA, 26 K
Sam Brown – RP – Orleans – 0-3, 2.86 ERA, 26 K
8. UCLA Bruins
Players: 7
The Bruins are this high primarily because of two Chatham teammates, Curtis and Brewer. Curtis was one of the top third baseman in the league and a major presence in the A’s lineup. Brewer was a reliable starter throughout the summer. The rest of the Bruins didn’t do great things, but all were major contributors anyway. Brooks was poised for a big summer, but left early.
Hitters
Jermaine Curtis – 3B – Chatham - .295, 3 HR, 24 RBI
Ryan Babineau – C – Brewster - .223, 1 HR, 13 RBI
Alden Carrithers – 2B – Orleans - .198, 1 HR, 7 RBI
Brandon Crawford – SS – Orleans - .189, 4 HR, 14 RBI
Pitchers
Charles Brewer – SP – Chatham – 2-2, 1.94 ERA, 29 K
Gavin Brooks – SP – Chatham – 0-0, 2.61 ERA, 14 K
Jason Novak – SP – Orleans – 1-1, 4.60 ERA, 15 K
9. Arizona Wildcats
Players: 6
Fon and Steele both played less than half the season but made a big impression nonetheless. Pitching-wise, Colla had a tremendous season as a starter and Perry – though his ERA never dipped down after a slow start – became one of the more dominant pitchers in the league.
Hitters
Diallo Fon – OF – Wareham - .340, 0 HR, 5 RBI
T.J. Steele – OF – Bourne - .311, 0 HR, 4 RBI
Brad Glenn – OF – Brewster - .197, 3 HR, 13 RBI
Jon Gaston – OF – Orleans - .256, 0 HR, 5 RBI
Pitchers
Mike Colla – SP – Brewster – 3-1, 1.67 ERA, 40 K
Ryan Perry – RP – Orleans – 1-2, 4.15 ERA, 30 K
10. Baylor Bears
Players: 7
The Bears had one real standout in Cassavechia, the league’s top closer, and most everybody else was solid. Weems was a tremendous defensive shortstop. In general, I think there was kind of a big drop off from Arizona in the ninth spot to Baylor here and everybody else that comes after.
Hitters
Beamer Weems – SS – Wareham - .257, 0 HR, 11 RBI
Ben Booker – OF – Wareham – .250, 0 HR, 3 RBI
Dustin Dickerson – 1B – Wareham – .215, 1 HR, 8 RBI
Gregg Glime – C – Chatham - .150, 1 HR, 8 RBI
Pitchers
Nick Cassavechia – RP – Y-D – 1-1, 1.07 ERA, 11 SV, 24 K
Cliff Springston – SP – Chatham – 1-2, 2.88 ERA, 19 K
Kendal Volz – SP – Wareham – 1-7, 4.83 ERA, 50 K
ADDITIONAL RANKINGS
Best Pitching
1. Missouri
2. USC
3. North Carolina
4. North Carolina State
5. Virginia
Best Offense
1. Miami
2. South Carolina
3. LSU
4. California
5. UCLA
Best Freshmen
1. USC
2. North Carolina
3. LSU
4. Baylor
5. Texas
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