summer wrap: we hardly knew ye

I know it's officially autumn, but I feel that the summer has not been sufficiently wrapped. Two more installments before we can put a bow on it. Here's the first. The next one will be up sooner rather than later, and then it'll be on to a few months of randomness before some rosters pop up. Then we can officially start dreaming about next summer.


The 2008 draft was a banner one for the Cape League. Five of the top 10 picks were on the Cape less than a year before, many of them, like Aaron Crow and Jason Castro, emerging then as true stars.

When the 2009 draft rolls around, there may be even more Cape League fingerprints.

But they're not going to be quite as bold.

It's early to talk about the draft, and a lot will change between now and then, but some early previews are coming out, with the same names popping up in almost all of them.

They're familiar names to Cape League fans, but in an interesting revelation about the summer of '08, they're not as familiar as names like Crow, Castro, Beckham and Posey.

Take the top 30 prospects list at Breaking Bats. There are 14 college players on the list, and 10 of them played in the Cape League. But only three of them played on the Cape this summer.

Take the mock draft at mymlbdraft.com. Six of the top 10 are former Cape Leaguers, a number that would surpass the 2008 draft. But of those six, only two played on the Cape in 2008, and one of them, Dustin Ackley, played only briefly. That leaves just Grant Green.

I guess the point is that while the Cape League will be as prominent as ever come June, it's going to feel a little bit different. The current favorite to be the No. 1 pick, Stephen Strasburg, played in the NECBL after his freshman year, then opted for Team USA this summer. Several of the other top pitchers, like Alex White, Andy Oliver and Kyle Gibson all shined on the Cape in 2007, but White sat out the summer of '08 while Oliver and Gibson pitched for Team USA.

In the prism of looking back at the Cape League summer, this means we were watching a talented crop of players, but a crop that may have been in a different stage than normal. There were more drafted college players than I can ever remember, and at the other end of the spectrum, there was a pretty strong freshman class headed by Brandon Workman and D.J. LeMahieu. In the middle were the sophomores, the ones who will be draft eligible in June. Judging from the way things are shaking out right now, they're not as strong a class as the one we saw last year. Because one player's talent level reflects another's, I always find it tough to guage, but prospect lists and these early looks at the draft seem to reflect the same idea.

Is it some kind of trend? Maybe. It'll be worth keeping an eye on the summer destinations of some of the league's top freshmen. If a lot of them end up with Team USA next year, then we may see the trend continue.

But more likely, it was simply the way things went, and while it meant that we didn't see quite as much of a draft class this summer, that's not going to matter in June. When those Cape Leaguers get their names called, I'll be excited, even if they're not our most recent boys of summer.

summer wrap: who?

In that first week without the Cape League, when there's no games to listen to and no box scores to stare at, I find myself at a momentary loss for how to fill the time. I wasn't lost for long this year, though. The Olympics got going at the perfect time. I spent inordinate amounts of time watching synchronized diving, fencing, table tennis and the like. Fencing sucks, but still, I watched.

For all those types of sports, though, there wasn't much in the way of stories.

It seemed like in the whole of Olympics, there were only three stories -- Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and the gymnastics girls. They were great stories, but at some point, could we have gotten to the other stuff?

It didn't bother me all that much. It's fencing and table tennis, after all, but it did get me thinking.

In much the same way a few names monopolize coverage at the Olympics, a few names do the same thing in the Cape League. And more than the coverage, they monopolize individual perceptions. When 300 players show up, you naturally latch onto a few. For me, the ones I latch onto early don't usually get un-latched. That's why, perception-wise, I would tell you Connor Powers had a better summer than Andy Wilkins. He didn't, but because he got off to a fast start, he was at the forefront of my mind.

He was one of many who fit into the Michael Phelps category. That's not to say that they all did well then faded, but they all worked their way into my perceptions of the league with their early play then never left. And since I can only have so many names in my head, the guys who get in early stay there at the expense of others.

But it's time to let them in.

Let's celebrate our Ma Lin's (that's your table tennis gold medalist).

Josh Rutledge - SS/OF - Yarmouth-Dennis
.294, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 12 XBH, .365 OBP
Among these guys, no one slipped through the cracks more than Rutledge. I have no idea why, but he just wasn't part of my consciousness this summer. He should have been. The freshman from Alabama started fast and never really slumped. He finished the year with the second-best average and the second-most extra base hits on the team.

Ryan Pineda - 2B - Wareham
.273, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 16 XBH, .341 OBP
Another freshman middle infielder, Pineda was among the most productive freshman in the league. He was a late addition to the Wareham roster, which is probably why I lost track of him, but he was the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year at Cal State Northridge. Definitely a player to watch.

Andy Wilkins - 1B - Yarmouth-Dennis
.271, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 15 XBH, .356 OBP
For someone who likes to keep track of which freshmen are doing well, I really must have been slacking. Wilkins, a freshman from Arkansas, ranks as one of the top DH/1B types in the league. Among the freshmen, only Kevin Patterson had a more productive season.

James Meador - OF - Brewster
.280, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 12 XBH, .321 OBP
After I saw that Meador hit .380 this spring for San Diego, I expected big things. Apparently, I'm impatient. Meador got off to a slow start and I barely noticed when he turned it on. He finished with a pretty solid season, considering he was hitting .122 after the summer's first two weeks.

Darin Ruf - 1B - Falmouth
.305, 1HR, 24 RBI, 8 XBH, .414 OBP
Ruf was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year at Creighton this spring after hitting .377 with seven home runs. He didn't make a huge impression on me in the early going, but by the end of the season, he was second on the team in batting average, with a great on-base percentage to go with it.

Mike Freeman - 2B - Brewster
.274, 1 HR, 22RBI, 9 XBH, .366 OBP
Freeman is a guy who's name I saw constantly, so constantly that it was easy to take him for granted. The sophomore from Clemson started every game for the Whitecaps and was one of their most consistent performers.

Kyle Roller -1B/DH - Bourne
.280, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 14 XBH, .352 OBP
Chicks dig the long ball, not the double. Apparently the same applies to little-known Cape League bloggers. I always knew Roller was having a good season, but I'm not sure I realized the East Carolina soph was such a doubles machine. He finished with 12, second in the league.

Caleb Cotham - RHP - Brewster
5-1, 2.54 ERA, 46 IP, 51 K
Cotham wasn't an all-star or an all-league pick, but he easily could have been both. With a great record and his strikeout numbers, the Vanderbilt sophomore was definitely one of the top pitchers in the league.

Chris Gloor - RHP - Falmouth
1-0, 2.59 ERA, 41.2 IP, 36 K
The junior from Quinnipiac isn't hard to miss. He's 6'6 and throws left-handed. But in terms of his roles on Falmouth's staff, you could easily lose track. He pitched both in relief and in the rotation. Wherever he was, he put up great numbers.

Josh Eidell - RHP - Harwich
1-0, 2.56 ERA, 31.2 IP, 33 K
I'll confess. Eidell is the only guy on this list whose name looked completely foreign to me. He was in that middle relief group that I can't seem to get a handle on, but he was one of the best. In 31.2 innings, the junior from Villanova struck out 33 and walked only four.
Graham Stoneburner - RHP - Hyannis
2-2, 2.93 ERA, 30.2 IP, 30 K
Stoneburner won't get mentioned among the top starters in the league, but outside the top guys, he was one of the most consistent.

Austin Hudson - RHP - Hyannis
1-2, 1.50 ERA, 36 IP, 25 K
Yes, he won the ERA title, but how many people knew that without looking?


And a few more guys who deserve a mention:
Tyler Cannon - UTIL - Bourne - Hit .265 and played six positions.
Jason Nappi - SS - Brewster - Started 41 games and hit .277.
Evan Ocheltree - OF/1B - Chatham - Hit .266 with 10 XBH.
Michael Gilmartin - SS - Cotuit - Robbie Shields' replacement hit .257.
Jeff Kobernus - 3B - Cotuit - Hit .263 with 11 XBH.
Trevor Coleman - C - Falmouth - Played in every game and hit .244.
Kevin Nolan - 3B - Falmouth - Opening-night star finished at .255.
Joey Wong - SS - Falmouth - Defensive wiz also hit .256
D.J. Belfonte - OF - Harwich - Catalyst for the M's offense.
Matt Bowman - 2B - Orleans - Quietly one of Cards' best hitters.
Aaron Baker - 1B - Wareham - Started every game and had 12 XBH.
Kipp Schutz - OF - Wareham - Tied for team lead in HRs.
Ricky Bowen - SP - Bourne - Struck out 46 in 43.1 IP.
Kevin Landry - RP - Bourne - Lights-out all summer.
Kevin Couture - RP - Chatham - Star last summer turned it on late.
Daniel Wolford - RP - Cotuit - Had 33 strkeouts in 24 IP.
Michael Morrison - SP/RP - Harwich - Led team in strikeouts.
Mike Belfiore - RP - Y-D - Had a 13.5 K/9. Also a hitter.
Tyler Waldron - SP/RP Y-D - Struck out 33 in swing role.

baseball america top prospects

Baseball America yesterday released its list of the Cape League's top 30 prospects. The full release, with scotuing reports, is subscriber content over there, but I'll go ahead and list the names here.

1. Grant Green, ss, Chatham (Jr., Southern California)
2. Dustin Ackley, of, Harwich (Jr., North Carolina)
3. Matt Harvey, rhp, Chatham (So., North Carolina)
4. Ben Tootle, rhp, Falmouth (Jr., Jacksonville State)
5. Brandon Workman, rhp, Wareham (So., Texas)
6. D.J. LeMahieu, ss, Harwich (So., Louisiana State)
7. A.J. Pollock, of, Falmouth (Jr., Notre Dame)
8. Brett Jackson, of, Cotuit (Jr., California)
9. Jeff Inman, rhp, Yarmouth-Dennis (Jr., Stanford)
10. Brad Stillings, rhp, Orleans (Jr., Kent State)
11. Ben Paulsen, 1b, Hyannis (Jr., Clemson)
12. Robbie Shields, ss, Cotuit (Jr., Florida Southern)
13. Matt Thomson, rhp, Orleans (Jr., San Diego)
14. Bryce Stowell, rhp, Bourne (signed with Indians)
15. Shawn Tolleson, rhp, Yarmouth-Dennis (So., Baylor)
16. Rich Poythress, 3b, Orleans (Jr., Georgia)
17. Kevin Patterson, 1b, Cotuit (So., Auburn)
18. Craig Fritsch, rhp, Yarmouth-Dennis (So., Baylor)
19. Mike Bianucci, of, Cotuit (signed with Rangers)
20. Brad Boxberger, rhp, Chatham (Jr., Southern California)
21. Chad Bettis, rhp, Falmouth (So., Texas Tech)
22. Tim Wheeler, of, Orleans (Jr., Sacramento State)
23. Dusty Coleman, ss, Bourne (signed with Athletics)
24. Evan Danieli, rhp, Falmouth (So., Notre Dame)
25. Sean Black, rhp, Harwich (Jr., Seton Hall)
26. Nick Hernandez, lhp, Cotuit (Jr., Tennessee)
27. Marc Krauss, of, Harwich/Bourne (Jr., Ohio)
28. Matt Bashore, lhp, Wareham (Jr., Indiana)
29. Ryan Wheeler, 1b, Brewster (Jr., Loyola Marymount)
30. Chris Dominguez, 3b, Hyannis (Jr., Louisville)

Some Thoughts:

• No surprise that Green and Ackley go 1-2.
  

• Kind of a surprise for me that Harvey is in the third spot. He came in with a lot of hype. The fact that he wasn't starting made me think he wouldn't have as good opportunity to live up to it, but clearly that's not the case. And Harvey actually ended up with some tremendous numbers after pitching a lot down the stretch. He had 29 strikeouts in 21.2 innings and allowed two runs all summer.

• Ben Tootle is the top junior pitcher, but after that, you see that trend where the stars in the class of '09 weren't on the Cape. That means Jeff Inman and Brad Stillings, two pitchers I wouldn't have guessed would be so high, are in the top 10.
  

• Here's another trend: you didn't have to play a lot to make a big impression. Both Ackley and No. 12 Robbie Shields played about a fourth of the season before leaving with injuries.

• The class of 2010 certainly had its say. Three are in the top 10 with Brandon Workman and D.J. LeMahieu joining Harvey. In all, there are eight from that class.
  

• Not a single catcher on the list. I thought Tommy Medica, Tony Sanchez or Robert Stock would make it.
  

• A few other notable names who I thought might crack the list but didn't: Angelo Songco, Jason Kipnis, Chris Manno, Nick McCully, Sammy Solis and Andrew Carraway.