Early Look: Falmouth

FALMOUTH COMMODORES
Manager: Jeff Trundy
2008 Record: 23-20-1

The past two seasons, the Falmouth Commodores have hovered around .500. On the surface, that doesn't seem like a spectacular standard to live up to.

But a deeper look reveals that the last two seasons in Falmouth have been more than a little special. For one thing, the Commodores have parlayed those .500 records into back-to-back playoff appearances, the first time that's happened for the franchise this decade.

Then there's the talent.

The last two MVP's -- A.J. Pollock and Conor Gillaspie -- wore a Falmouth uniform. Two years ago, the pitching staff was historically good, with four players who got picked in the first or second round of last year's draft, and another -- Kyle Gibson -- who will be a first-round pick this year. Last year, the pitching staff was anchored by Ben Tootle, who lit up radar guns more often than anybody else in the league.

So there is, in fact, quite a bit to live up to. In terms of getting there, I'll say this: there are a large number of possibilities.

And I mean that literally.

As of this writing, the Commodores have 39 players on their roster. They've got guys who will get drafted in the first three rounds. They've got juniors who might want another summer to prove themselves. They've got junior college stars itching for a chance to showcase themselves against tougher competition. They've got sophomores ready for their big summer. They've got hyped freshmen.

In short, they have everything.

Eventually, they won't. You can't have 39 players on a roster. But for now, you can get excited about the possibilities.

By my count, 10 players currently on the roster could get drafted this June. Some could end up in Falmouth anyway. Kentrail Davis would become perhaps the top position player prospect in the league if he comes. Trevor Coleman would be the most veteran of presences behind the plate. Mitch Mormann would assume Tootle's spot as resident flamethrower.

The draft isn't the only if. Hunter Morris has been invited to Team USA for a second straight year. If he comes to Falmouth, he'll be a potential home run champion.

With all those players, things will be up in the air for awhile. Even if they don't make it to Falmouth, though, the cupboard won't be bare.

The pitching staff looks particularly strong, with a mix of potential and production. The offense shouldn't be any slouch, either, with Chad Mozingo, Brian Fletcher and Todd Cunningham looking like guys who can lead the way.

The way things look right now, it'll be awhile before we see how this Falmouth team shapes up. But whichever combination of possibilities you throw out there, it's looking pretty good.


Roster Rundown
Returning Players: 7
Juniors: 6
Sophomores: 16
Freshmen: 17

Notable

• I can't get over how many players are on this roster. In writing the stuff up above, I found myself forgetting about the players whose bios I wrote before the roster update. It's almost like Falmouth has two teams.


• It will be very interesting to see how it shakes out, but having 10 draft-eligible players will take care of a lot of it.


• I saw Team USA play the Newport Gulls last year and Kentrail Davis was the player I was most impressed with. He's short and squat, so he doesn't have the kind of build that makes you take notice. But he absolutely crushes the ball. They say the ball sounds different off a great hitter's bat, and that's the way it was with Davis. Falmouth may just be a backup plan for him since he's a draft-eligbile sophomore, but I'd love to see him.


• Hunter Morris is another "maybe," who would be a huge addition if he makes it to the Cape. He was on Team USA last year and has been invited again. Though the slugging first baseman hasn't hit for a high average this year with Auburn, he's still the same guy who got picked in the second round in 2007.


• The freshman pitchers on the Falmouth roster look really good. Jordan Cooper, Charlie Lowell, Cecil Tanner, Taylor Wall, Scott Weissman and Tommy Collier have all had great seasons. Some of the other guys are long on potential, without the production to match yet.


• Of the 17 freshmen on the roster, 13 got drafted last year.


• One of the things that stands out about Falmouth's roster is the number of junior-college players. And they're all good ones. LSU commit Mitch Mormann throws in the mid-90s and might go in the first 10 rounds. His JUCO teammate Patrick Cooper could also get a call, while Tommy Collier has had the most impressive season of the three. In recent years, we haven't seen many JUCO stars on the Cape, so I'm hoping a few of these guys end up in Falmouth. It'll be fun to see what they can do.


• Patrick Cooper and Wichita State's Jordan Cooper do not appear to be related.


• Jordan Cooper should be a shoo-in for a Freshman All-America nod, and he looks like a future ace for Wichita State. Last year, Cooper got drafted in the 17th round out of high school. Baseball America's scouting report for the draft noted that he isn't very big, but that he's a great athlete who repeats his delivery and throw four pitches for strikes. Sounds a little bit like Mike Leake.


• Rice's Chad Mozingo hit two home runs as a freshman and zero in the California Collegiate League last summer, when he set a league record for batting average. This spring, Mozingo has hit eight home runs. That's dome nice development.


• Tulane pitcher Shane Farrell is the son of Boston Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell. Shane's brother, Jeremy, played for Falmouth in 2007.


• Missouri's Trevor Coleman, who played for Falmouth in 2008, will probably get picked in the first five or six rounds, but after what has to be considered a disappointing junior season, he might be looking for more.


• Coleman is one of three junior returnees, along with Joey Wong and Kevin Nolan. If those two make it to Falmouth, the Commodores will have one heck of a veteran infield. And Wong will be the best defensive shortstop in the league, again.


• Jason Esposito and Josh Adams look like cornerstones of a really good infield. Esposito was a seventh-round pick last year, while Adams is hitting .340 this year.


• TCU's Walker Kelly has been on a bigger stage than most of his teammates. Pitching for Fort Worth West Side, he was one of the stars of the 2002 Little League World Series. I actually remember him very clearly. A team from my hometown of Louisville, Ky., ended up winning the whole thing and I watched most of their games. They had to go through Kelly to get there. Unlike the Little League stars who are good because they grew faster, Kelly was a pitcher through and through. Interestingly, one of the players from that Louisville team is Zach Osborne, who is currently Tennessee's starting shortstop.


• There are a lot more notables, but I can't mention all of them. This is what happens when you have 39 players. Just read the bios, and you should get the picture.

Five Players I'm Excited to See
1. Kentrail Davis
2. Jordan Cooper
3. Hunter Morris
4. Chad Mozingo
5. Josh Adams


Pitchers

*Chad Bettis - RHP - 6'0 185 - Texas Tech - Sophomore
Mickey Brodsky - LHP - 6'0 200 - Cornell - Sophomore
Tommy Collier - RHP - 6'2 195 - San Jacinto CC - Freshman
Jordan Cooper - RHP - 6'2 200 - Wichita State - Freshman
Patrick Cooper - RHP - 6'3 - Des Moines Area CC - Sophomore
*Evan Danieli - RHP - 6'7 230 - Notre Dame - Sophomore
Shane Farrell - RHP - 6'4 230 - Marshall - Sophomore
Conrad Flynn - RHP - 6'3 220 - Tulane - Sophomore
Grayson Garvin - LHP - 6'6 210 - Vanderbilt - Freshman
Walker Kelly - LHP - 5'11 185 - TCU - Freshman
Charlie Lowell - LHP - 6'4 225 - Wichita State - Freshman
Steve Mazur - RHP - 6'0 190 - Notre Dame - Junior
Mitch Mormann - RHP - 6'6 - Des Moines Area CC - Sophomore
Mark Pope - RHP - 6'2 204 - Georgia Tech - Freshman
Cecil Tanner - RHP - 6'6 223 - Georgia - Freshman
*Nick Tepesch - RHP - 6'5 219 - Missouri - Sophomore
Taylor Wall- LHP - 6'2 180 - Rice - Freshman
Scott Weismann - RHP - 6'1 180 - Clemson - Freshman
Kyle Winkler - RHP - 5'11 195 - TCU - Freshman


Chad Bettis - RHP - 6'0 185
Texas Tech
Sophomore

Though he had an ERA over six, Bettis showed a lot of promise when he worked as a weekend starter for the Red Raiders in his freshman season. Since then, he has lived up to the promise, in whatever way he's been asked to. Bettis pitched for Falmouth last summer and quietly became the ace of the staff, making eight starts and finishing with a 3-0 record, a 2.68 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 43.2 innings. This spring, Bettis started four games, but is now Tech's closer. He's got seven saves, a 3.76 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 64 innings.

Mickey Brodsky - LHP - 6'0 200
Cornell
Sophomore

A southern California kid who made the trek East, Brodsky posted a 5.59 ERA for Cornell this spring. He pitched mostly in a starting role and flashed good control with 18 strikeouts and five walks in 37 innings. Though he's just listed as a pitcher on the Falmouth roster, he's started 40 games in the lineup, hitting .309 with three home runs.

Tommy Collier - RHP - 6'2 195
San Jacinto CC
Freshman

Collier was a 29th-round pick out of high school last year, but opted for San Jacinto, where he has posted a fantastic freshman season. He's gone 12-1 with a 2.81 ERA and an eye-popping 115 strikeouts in 83 innings. Opponents have hit just .196 against him. I haven't been able to find much that's been written about Collier, but as a JUCO player, he should be eligible for the draft this year.

Jordan Cooper - RHP - 6'2 200
Wichita State
Freshman

Cooper was a highly-sought after recruit, and he has shown why in his first season. After a grabbing a starting role for a young Shockers club, Cooper has gone 8-5 with a 2.73 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 89 innings. He has two complete games to his credit. Cooper was picked in the 17th round of last year's draft, though he was projected as a fourth or fifth rounder.

Patrick Cooper - RHP - 6'3
Des Moines Area CC
Sophomore

Cooper is another junior-college pitcher who's a big fan of the strikeouts. He tallied 100 of them this spring in just 68 innings. He also only walked 20, while posting a 3.04 ERA. Cooper started his career at Eastern Kentucky. He was then tabbed as the top prospect in the Jayhawk League last summer, before heading off to Des Moines, a well-known baseball junior college. He has signed with Bradley for next year, but he's also likely to get drafted somewhere in June.

Evan Danieli - RHP - 6'7 230
Notre Dame
Sophomore

Danieli came into Notre Dame with a fair amount of hype, but he hasn't yet had a great college season. His freshman year, he finished with a 5.00 ERA, and this year, he's had his season derailed by an injury and has made just two appearances. In between, though, Danieli did have a pretty good summer with the Commodores last year, posting a 2.95 ERA in 12 relief appearances.

Shane Farrell - RHP - 6'4 230
Marshall
Sophomore

Farrell has somehow gone 1-6 this year for Marshall despite putting up good peripheral numbers. He's got a 3.91 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 53 innings.

Conrad Flynn - RHP - 6'3 220
Tulane
Sophomore

Flynn's ERA is a little higher than you would like at 4.15, but he's been the Green Wave's best starting pitcher this season. He's also got a statistic that really stands out: He has struck out 55 and walked just five in 80.1 innings. That's the best walks allowed per nine innings ratio in the country. Flynn was the Outstanding Pitcher at the JUCO World Series last year, when he led Grayson CC to the title. He was a 25th-round pick out of high school.

Grayson Garvin - LHP - 6'6 210
Vanderbilt
Freshman

Coming out of high school in Georgia, Garvin was an intriguing prospect, but with more potential than production and a strong commitment to Vanderbilt, he didn't get picked until the 45th round in last year's draft. This spring, he hasn't seen a ton of action with Vandy, just eight appearances. He's got a 6.57 ERA but some good strikeout numbers, with 18 in 12.1 innings.

Walker Kelly - LHP - 5'11 185
TCU
Freshman

Kelly played in the Little League World Series and after a great high school career, was a 50th-round pick last June. At TCU, Kelly has pitched mostly out of the bullpen, compiling a 7.71 ERA in 11 appearances. He has an impressive 18 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.

Charlie Lowell - LHP - 6'4 225
Wichita State
Freshman

Another Shocker freshman with a lot of upside, Lowell has been just as good ad Cooper in his first year on campus. He's gone 6-2 with a 2.97 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 60.2 innings of work. Lowell was a 27th-round pick out of high school last year.

Steve Mazur - RHP - 6'0 190
Notre Dame
Junior

Mazur was named the Jayhawk League's fifth-best prospect last summer, but it's been a struggle in his junior season. He's made 18 appearances and he has struck out 22 in 22 innings, but he has an ERA of 10.07.

Mitch Mormann - RHP - 6'6
Des Moines Area CC
Sophomore

Though he hasn't posted as many strikeouts as his teammate Cooper (66 in 70.2 innings), Mormann has the bigger arm, and it'll be taking him places. He has committed to LSU, but the draft could come calling as well. With a fastball that has touched the mid-90's, Mormann got some attention last year and ultimately went in the 17th round of the draft. In the preseason, Mormann was ranked as the 14th best JUCO prospect by PG Crosschecker.

Mark Pope - RHP - 6'2 204
Georgia Tech
Freshman

Pope was a 17th-round pick out of high school, and he has seen a lot of action out of the bullpen for Tech this spring. The results have mixed. Pope has a 7.36 ERA.

Cecil Tanner - RHP - 6'6 223
Georgia
Freshman

A late-round pick out of high school, Tanner has been very good in his first season in Athens. In 22 appearances -- five starts -- he's put up a 3.97 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 34 innings of work. That's the best K/9 ratio on Georgia's staff.

Nick Tepesch - RHP - 6'5 219
Missouri
Sophomore

Missouri has been waiting for Tepesch to turn into a frontline starter, but he hasn't figured it all out yet. This season, Tepesch has struck out 78 in 76 innings, but he's also allowed 98 hits. The result: a 6.16 ERA. He's still a guy with a lot of potential, though, so we'll see what he can do this summer.

Taylor Wall- LHP - 6'2 180
Rice
Freshman

A well-though of recruit, Wall slid into Rice's starting rotation from day one and has done pretty well for himself. The lefty has a 4.23 ERA with 66 strikeouts and 29 walks in 72.1 innings of work.

Scott Weismann - RHP - 6'1 180
Clemson
Freshman

Weismann, who hails from Boxborough, Mass., has been fantastic in his first season at Clemson. In 15 appearances mostly out of the pen, he's got a team-best 1.29 ERA. He's allowed just 20 hits in 28 innings, and he has struck out 24. Weismann was a big prospect out of high school, and he got picked in the 18th round last year.

Kyle Winkler - RHP - 5'11 195
TCU
Freshman

A 37th-round pick out of high school, Winkler has had a little more freshman success than his TCU teammate, Walker Kelly. Pitching mostly as a starter, Winkler has posted a 4.73 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 51.1 innings. Last year, Baseball America said Winkler "may be the best high school pitcher in the state of Texas." His size and a strong commitment to TCU kept him from going higher in the draft.


Position Players

*Trevor Coleman - C - 6'1 211 - Missouri - Junior
Tom Conley - C - 6'1 225 - Massachusetts - Freshman
John Nester - C/1B - 6'0 200 - Clemson - Sophomore
Chris O'Brien - C - 6'0 195 - Wichita State - Freshman
Josh Adams - INF - 5'11 205 - Florida - Sophomore
Jason Esposito - INF - 6'2 200 - Vanderbilt - Freshman
*Brian Fletcher - INF - 6'1 185 - Auburn - Sophomore
Scott Lawson - INF - 5'10 185 - Miami - Junior
Conner Mach - INF - 6'0 190 - Missouri - Freshman
Brad Miller - INF - 6'2 180 - Clemson - Freshman
Hunter Morris - INF - 6'4 205 - Auburn - Sophomore
*Kevin Nolan - INF - 6'2 196 - Winthrop - Junior
Matt Skole - INF - 6'4 246 - Georgia Tech - Freshman
Jason Stolz - INF - 6'2 197 - Clemson - Freshman
*Joey Wong - INF - 5'10 175 - Oregon State - Junior
Todd Cunningham - OF - 6'0 200 - Jacksonville State - Sophomore
Kentrail Davis - OF - 5'9 200 - Tennessee - Sophomore
Matt Grosso - OF - 5'10 - 170 - Notre Dame - Junior
Chad Mozingo - OF - 5'11 185 - Rice - Sophomore
P.J. Polk - OF - 5'10 180 - Tennessee - Sophomore


Trevor Coleman - C - 6'1 211
Missouri
Junior

Coleman was one of the more consistent catcher on the Cape last year. He started every game of Falmouth's season -- the only Commodore to do so -- and finished with a .244 batting average. He was hoping for a big junior season at Missouri, but it hasn't fully materialized. He's hitting .250 with six home runs, and that kind of performance could hurt his draft stock. Baseball America currently has him projected as fifth or sixth rounder.

Tom Conley - C - 6'1 225
Massachusetts
Freshman

A Boston schoolboy star at BC High, Conley headed to Amherst and turned in a solid first season. Playing in 49 games, Conley hit .309 with a home run and 15 RBI.

John Nester - C/1B - 6'0 200
Clemson
Sophomore

Nester had a decent freshman season before struggling in the Coastal Plain League last summer. He's bounced back with a good sophomore season, hitting .315 with five home runs and 31 RBI.

Chris O'Brien - C - 6'0 195
Wichita State
Freshman

O'Brien has alternated between catcher and DH in his first season in Wichita, with a decent amount of success. He's hitting .256 with five home runs and 11 doubles.

Josh Adams - INF - 5'11 205
Florida
Sophomore

Last year, Adams became the first Florida freshman since 1991 to be named first-team all-SEC. He has followed up that campaign with another that's worthy of a nod. Playing mostly at second base, Adams is hitting .341 with seven home runs and 46 RBI. A 30th round pick out of high school, Adams has only helped himself with his first two seasons in Gainesville.

Jason Esposito - INF - 6'2 200
Vanderbilt
Freshman

Esposito, a seventh-round pick last year, became one of the highest unsigned picks when he opted to honor his commitment to Vanderbilt. Rated in the preseason as the 39th best freshman in the nation by Baseball America, Esposito has turned in a pretty good season. He's hitting .294 with four home runs and 38 RBI while lining up as Vandy's starting third baseman.

Brian Fletcher - INF - 6'1 185
Auburn
Sophomore

A late-round pick out of high school two years ago, Fletcher hit .324 with 10 home runs in his freshman year, which prompted a Team USA invite. He didn't make the final roster so he headed for Falmouth, where he struggled most of the summer. But this year, he's having another great spring, with a .294 average and 16 home runs.

Scott Lawson - INF - 5'10 185
Miami
Junior

After leading Grayson Community College to the College World Series title last year, Lawson came to Miami and immediately made his presence felt. As the Hurricanes' starting second baseman, Lawson has hit .340 with four home runs and a team-best 20 doubles.

Conner Mach - INF - 6'0 190
Missouri
Freshman

Mach has had a decent first season in Columbia, posting a .252 average with two home runs. Conner's brother, Kyle, is a senior on the Missouri squad.

Brad Miller - INF - 6'2 180
Clemson
Freshman

A 39th-round pick last year who grabbed Clemson's shortstop job, Miller has started every game of his first season, and he's been solid. He's currently hitting .277 with three home runs and 33 rbi.

Hunter Morris - INF - 6'4 205
Auburn
Sophomore

Morris was a second-round pick out of high school, but stick with Auburn. Obviously, he's a guy who's been on scouts' radar for a long time, and he's still very much on it. His freshman year, he hit .351 with 11 home runs, earning SEC freshman of the year honors. He then played for Team USA. His sophomore year has seen a dip in batting average (to .284), but he still has 12 home runs.

Kevin Nolan - INF - 6'2 196
Winthrop
Junior

Nolan was the star of Cape League opening night last year, going 4-for-5 with two RBI as Falmouth topped Wareham. It would have been tough to go up from there and Nolan didn't, but he still had a good summer. He finished with a .255 average and two home runs. This spring, Nolan has hit .385 with 15 doubles.

Matt Skole - INF - 6'4 246
Georgia Tech
Freshman

His bio highlights his power potential, and he has lived up to it in his freshman season. Skole is hitting .301 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI. Roughly a fourth of his hits have been home runs.

Jason Stolz - INF - 6'2 197
Clemson
Freshman

Another late-round pick who made it to Clemson, Stolz didn't get tabbed for a starting job from day one like Miller, but he has pushed for playing time from day one. While playing in 47 of the team's 56 games, Stolz has hit .341.

Joey Wong - INF - 5'10 175
Oregon State
Junior

Probably the Cape's best defensive shortstop each of the past two seasons, Wong might find himself making a third trip to Falmouth. He hit .256 last summer and made just two errors, but in the midst of his junior season, he still hasn't seen his bat come alive. He's currently hitting .268 for Oregon State.

Todd Cunningham - OF - 6'0 200
Jacksonville State
Sophomore

The OVC freshman of the year last season, Cunningham has picked up right where he left off as sophomore. He's got a .343 average with seven home runs and 40 RBI. He's also got nine triples and 14 doubles, which gives him a team-best 30 extra-base hits. Last summer, Cunningham played in the Texas Collegiate League and hit .310.

Kentrail Davis - OF - 5'9 200
Tennessee
Sophomore

Davis is one of the more intriguing high-level prospects for the upcoming draft. As a sophomore, he'll have some leverage, but he might not need it if he goes as high as some projections, which have him in the first or second round. Davis had a big freshman campaign for Tennessee last year then flashed tons of potential for Team USA before getting hurt and missing most of the summer. This spring, he has hit .308 with nine home runs. Davis was a 14th-round pick out of high school.

Matt Grosso - OF - 5'10 - 170
Notre Dame
Junior

Grosso arrived at Notre Dame last year but had to sit out because he had transferred twice, from Connecticut to Maine and then to Notre Dame. This season, Grosso has played in only 20 games and has hit .159. He was a high school teammate of A.J. Pollock, last year's Cape League MVP.

Chad Mozingo - OF - 5'11 185
Rice
Sophomore

After a good freshman campaign, Mozingo vaulted himself into the next level with a huge summer in the California Collegiate League. He hit .470, a new league record and finished second in league MVP voting. This spring, Mozingo is hitting .331 with seven home runs and 44 RBI.

P.J. Polk - OF - 5'10 180
Tennessee
Sophomore

Polk had a very good freshman season with the Vols and he has stayed on pace this year. He's batting .298 with three home runs and 21 RBI.

Falmouth is screwing me

The Falmouth preview was all set to go. Then I went to check one last thing on their web site and saw that they had added 17 new players to their roster. Seventeen! Their roster wasn't full so I had a feeling this was coming. I did not expect them to add almost as many players as they had on the roster to begin with.

So I'm going to go write some more bios. Hopefully, I will still get the post up today.

In the meantime, check out the new additions. They include Tennessee's draft-eligible sophomore Kentrail Davis, who's projected a first or second-rounder. Maybe he'll try to get some more bargaining power with a trip to Falmouth.

early look: falmouth (finally)

FALMOUTH COMMODORES
Manager: Jeff Trundy
Last Season: 22-22
Roster

At times last season, the Falmouth Commodores were great. Other times, they weren’t.

I guess a 22-22 record kind of tells that story.

The bottom line was that the Commodores turned out pretty good, blowing past Bourne in the West finals before falling to Y-D in the league championship series. In any other year, Falmouth might have won the league, but this time around, Y-D was just too strong.

Still, it was a season to remember for Falmouth, and not just because of the playoff run. The Commodores also boasted an incredible collection of top-shelf talent, headed by the duo from Missouri, Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson.

Crow was dazzling all summer and could have won the pitcher of the year award as well as the top prop prospect award, which he did take home. In all, Crow was one of the best stories of the summer, and he could end up being the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft.

Gibson could pull off the same feat in 2009. The tall righty emerged as the top freshman pitcher on the Cape last summer and with his projectable frame, he’s being labeled as one of the top prospects for the ’09 draft.

Falmouth’s pitching staff also included likely ’08 first or second-rounders Christian Friedrich, Luke Burnett and Shooter Hunt. As if that wasn’t enough, Falmouth also had the league’s top hitter in third baseman Conor Gillaspie, who turned in a historic offensive season and earned league MVP honors. Not to mention David Adams, the best second baseman in the league.

As Falmouth gets set for the summer of ’08, they can only hope to have a similar collection of talent, but they will be starting in a good spot. Gibson, who’s been great this spring for Missouri, will be back in the fold, as will Oregon State shortstop Joey Wong, who helped anchor Falmouth’s infield last year. Two players who played for different Cape teams last summer – Diego Seastrunk and Andrew Clark – will be in Falmouth this year with a chance to make a big impact.

After that, it’s all unknowns. The Commodores have some hyped freshman like Hunter Morris and Tommy Toledo, as well as some dynamic sophomores in Tem Fedroff and A.J. Pollock.

They may be unknown, but this time last year, Aaron Crow wasn’t exactly a household name either.

Roster Rundown

Returning players: 3 (and two from other teams)
Sophomores: 16
Freshmen : 12

Notable

• The Commodores have a large number of highly-touted players who are struggling this spring. No time like the summer to turn it around.
• Falmouth’s Oregon State connection – four Beavers on the roster – is certainly a good one to have, but with the Beavers and a lot of their top players struggling this year, it looks a little different than the past few years
• Kyle Gibson arguably will be the top returning player on the Cape this summer
• Falmouth has eight freshman pitchers, and as of now, Nate Striz and Tommy Toledo stand out the most, based on college numbers
• Striz looks like a potential closer candidate
• Jorge Reyes was the MVP of the College World Series last year but has hit the skids this season. A definite bounce-back candidate this summer.
• Auburn’s Hunter Morris may enter the Cape League summer as the most-hyped freshman in the league, and if college is any indication, he’ll live up to it
• Fearless prediction: Notre Dame’s A.J. Pollock finishes the summer as one of the top five hitters in the league
• Diego Seastrunk may not be far behind
• You could also put Tim Fedroff in that group, meaning the Commodores have a pretty good stable of offensive players

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Kyle Gibson
2. Hunter Morris
3. Tim Fedroff
4. Nate Striz
5. Diego Seastrunk

Pitchers
Chad Bettis – RHP – 6’0 174 – Texas Tech – Freshman
Rex Brothers – LHP – 6’0 185 – Lipscomb – Sophomore
*Preston Claiborne – RHP – 6’3 225 – Tulane – Sophomore
Evan Danieli – RHP – 6’7 230 – Notre Dame – Freshman
*Kyle Gibson – RHP – 6’5 180 – Missouri – Sophomore
Nate Karns – RHP – 6’3 210 – Texas Tech – Sophomore
Dan Klein – RHP – 6’3 190 – UCLA – Freshman
Travis Lawler – RHP – 6’2 170 – Florida – Freshman
Aaron Loup – LHP – 6’0 185 – Tulane – Sophomore
Jorge Reyes – RHP – 6’5 175 – Oregon State – Sophomore
Tanner Robles – LHP – 6’4 200 – Oregon State – Freshman
Nate Striz – RHP – 6’2 237 – North Carolina – Freshman
Nick Tepesch – RHP – 6’5 219 – Missouri – Freshman
Tommy Toledo – RHP – 6’3 185 – Florida – Freshman
Ben Tootle – RHP – 6’0 170 – Jacksonville St. – Sophomore
* returning player

(Note: The player's name is linked to his school bio.)

Chad Bettis – RHP – 6’0 174
Texas Tech
Freshman
Bettis was an eighth-round pick out of high school in Lubbock last year, but opted to stay home and pitch for his hometown Red Raiders. So far in his freshman season, he has made eight starts and is 3-3 with a 5.21 ERA. The stellar control he flashed in high school – 109 strikeouts against 11 walks his senior year – hasn’t yet carried over. He has 28 strikeouts and 22 walks this season.

Rex Brothers – LHP – 6’0 185
Lipscomb
Sophomore
Brothers made a name for himself last year when he turned in a solid season and earned Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year honors. He hasn’t had quite as much success this season, having gone 2-3 so far with a 5.66 ERA.

Preston Claiborne – RHP – 6’3 225
Tulane
Sophomore
Claiborne is one of three returning players returning for their second summer in Falmouth, and he should see an expanded role after putting up a 3.22 ERA in 11 relief appearances last summer. Claiborne has toyed with being a two-way player in the past but is focusing exclusively on pitching this spring for Tulane. In 13 appearances out of the bullpen, he has a 5.14 ERA.

Evan Danieli – RHP – 6’7 230
Notre Dame
Freshman
Danieli headed into his freshman season with the Irish as an intriguing prospect, but he hasn’t yet put up the numbers to match, with a 7.43 ERA in four appearances. Danieli was a 33rd-round pick out of high school but would have gone much higher if not for his strong commitment to Notre Dame.

Kyle Gibson – RHP – 6’5 180
Missouri
Sophomore
Gibson entered his first summer on the Cape as a relative unknown but became one of the league’s best pitchers and emerged as one of the top prospects for the 2009 draft. When he returns for his second summer, he’ll have scouts watching his every move. So far this spring, Gibson hasn’t disappointed and is 6-0 with a 2.63 ERA.

Nate Karns – RHP – 6’3 210
Texas Tech
Sophomore
A transfer from North Carolina State, Karns brought big credentials with him to Lubbock. He was a 10th-round pick out of high school and had a 2.67 ERA in eight starts for the Wolfpack last year. It’s been a different story this year though. In eight starts, Karns is 1-6 with a 10.12 ERA.

Dan Klein – RHP – 6’3 190
UCLA
Freshman
Klein was a 24th-round pick out of high school and came into the UCLA program as a highly-touted recruit. He’s posted some solid numbers so far (13 strikeouts, one walk) but his ERA is hovering around seven, thanks largely to the 25 hits he’s allowed in 15 innings.

Travis Lawler – RHP – 6’2 170
Florida
Freshman
One of the best pitchers in Texas high school ball last year, Lawler was picked in the 34th round of the draft. With Florida so far this season, Lawler has a 2-0 record with a 5.09 ERA in three starts and 10 total appearances

Aaron Loup – LHP – 6’0 185
Tulane
Sophomore
Loup pitched out of the bullpen as a freshman for the Green Wave and he’s moved into a starting role this year, with mixed results. He’s 2-3 in seven starts with a 5.09 ERA. Loup pitched last summer in the Clark Griffith Collegiate Baseball League, and was named the league’s top prospect by Baseball America.

Jorge Reyes – RHP – 6’5 175
Oregon State
Sophomore
Reyes made headlines as a freshman last year when he emerged as the ace of the staff and lifted Oregon State to its second consecutive College World Series title. He was also the CWS Most Outstanding Player. But Reyes has hit a rough patch this spring, posting a 6.38 ERA in eight starts for the Beavers, who have likewise struggled to a 16-12 record.

Tanner Robles – LHP – 6’4 200
Oregon State
Freshman
A tall lefty with loads of potential, Robles was a 14th-round pick out of high school, but still opted to head to Corvallis. He’s lived up to the hype so far, with a 3.50 ERA and a .150 batting average against in five appearances.

Nate Striz – RHP – 6’2 237
North Carolina
Freshman
A fifth-round pick of the Twins, Striz came to North Carolina as one of the highest unsigned picks in the 2007 draft. Working exclusively out of the bullpen, he hasn’t disappointed. In 16 appearances, Striz has two saves, an ERA of 1.00 and 22 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Nick Tepesch – RHP – 6’5 219
Missouri
Freshman
Tepesch was Missouri’s Gatorade Player of the Year in his senior season and though he stood little chance of cracking the Tigers’ deep pitching rotation, he has pitched well out of the bullpen. In 12 appearances, he has a 4.20 ERA.

Tommy Toledo – RHP – 6’3 185
Florida
Freshman
Based strictly on draft position last year, Toledo is the best of Falmouth’s talented crop of freshman pitchers, and his numbers are there to match. A third-round pick out of high school, Toledo has a 4-3 record with a 3.38 ERA in eight starts, all that despite walking one more than he’s struck out.

Ben Tootle – RHP – 6’0 170
Jacksonville St.
Sophomore
Tootle was a member of the Ohio Valley Conference All-Freshman team last year. This season, he has a 5.18 ERA but 51 strikeouts in 48.2 innings of work.


Position Players
Trevor Coleman – C – 6’1 210 – Missouri – Sophomore
Michael Thomas – C – 6’4 220 – Southern – Freshman
Andrew Clark – 1B – 6’2 215 – Louisville – Sophomore
Brian Fletcher – INF – 6’1 185 – Auburn – Freshman
Hunter Morris – INF – 6’4 205 – Auburn – Freshman
Garret Nash – 2B – 5’10 170 – Oregon State – Freshman
Kevin Nolan – INF – 6’2 196 – Winthrop – Sophomore
A.J. Pollock – 3B/OF – 6’1 200 – Notre Dame – Sophomore
Diego Seastrunk – INF – 5’10 180 – Rice – Sophomore
*Joey Wong – INF – 5’10 160 – Oregon State – Sophomore
Gabe Cohen – OF – 6’2 205 – UCLA – Sophomore
Tim Fedroff – OF – 5’11 191 – North Carolina – Sophomore
Ryan Jones – OF – 6’0 185 – Wichita State – Sophomore
* returning player

Trevor Coleman – C – 6’1 210
Missouri
Sophomore
Coleman posted an impressive freshman season last year, so impressive that he was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year after hitting .282 with nine home runs. This season, his average has remained about the same but he has yet to hit a home run through 35 games.

Michael Thomas – C – 6’4 220
Southern
Sophomore
Thomas plays catcher for Southern, and I know absolutely nothing else because Southern’s web site is terrible.

Andrew Clark – 1B – 6’2 215
Louisville
Sophomore
Clark played last year at Ole Miss before transferring to Louisville. Despite not finishing the year at Ole Miss, Clark did come to the Cape, but only played 10 games for Bourne. Still, Clark is a solid left-handed bat with a lot of upside, and this year for the Cardinals, he’s hitting .342 with three home runs.

Brian Fletcher – INF – 6’1 185
Auburn
Freshman
One of two Auburn freshmen on the Falmouth roster, Fletchers has stepped into a starting role for the Tigers and has done well. In 39 games, he’s hitting .299 with three home runs. He has played mostly in the outfield.

Hunter Morris – INF – 6’4 205
Auburn
Freshman
The left-handed hitting first baseman was a second-round pick (84th overall) last year, making him the highest unsigned high schooler in the draft. He hasn’t disappointed in his freshman season. He’s leading the Tigers with a .362 batting average, 10 home runs and 40 RBI. Morris may be one of the leading candidates for SEC Freshman of the Year honors.

Garret Nash – 2B – 5’10 170
Oregon State
Freshman
Nash wasn’t too far behind Morris in last year’s draft, where he ended up being a fourth-round pick. He stuck with Oregon State, and so far this season, he’s hitting .296 with one home run.


Kevin Nolan – INF – 6’2 196
Winthrop
Sophomore
Nolan, a New Hampshire native, will return to New England for the summer in the midst of a solid career at Winthrop. After starting all season as a freshman, mostly at shortstop, Nolan has become the team’s top hitter this year. His average stands at .337 and he has 13 doubles.

A.J. Pollock – 3B/OF – 6’1 200
Notre Dame
Sophomore
Pollock was an all-Big East pick as a freshman and excelled in the NECBL last summer, where he was fourth in the league with a .348 batting average. This season, he leads the Irish with a .397 batting average and 33 RBI. He’s played mostly in the outfield after starting at third last year.

Diego Seastrunk – INF – 5’10 180
Rice
Sophomore
After a good freshman season for the Owls, Seastrunk never quite got his feet under him on the Cape last summer, hitting .243 in limited time for Y-D. That was partially due to a late arrival from the College World Series, but even if he’s late again this summer, don’t expect a repeat performance. He’s leading the Owls in hitting this year with a .363 average.

Joey Wong – INF – 5’10 160
Oregon State
Sophomore
Wong made a big impact on the national champion Beavers as a freshman, and made his presence felt on the Cape as well. His arrival stabilized Falmouth’s lineup last summer, and he ended up hitting .252 while playing an outstanding defensive shortstop. This season, Wong is hitting .263 for Oregon State.

Gabe Cohen – OF – 6’2 205
UCLA
Sophomore
Cohen was named a Freshman All-American by Baseball America last year after hitting .345. He also was Co-Newcomer of the Year in the Pac 10. This season hasn’t been quite so good, with Cohen hitting just .220 through 32 games. He does have seven home runs.

Tim Fedroff – OF – 5’11 191
North Carolina
Sophomore
Fedroff started from day one last year and finished second on the team in batting average. He’s picked up right where he left off this season and has put up All-American type numbers. Through 42 games, he has a .398 average and nine home runs.

Ryan Jones – OF – 6’0 185
Wichita State
Sophomore
His freshman stats weren’t very good, but Jones has turned things around completely in his sophomore season. With a regular starting gig, he’s hit .340 with two home runs.