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.