Team USA Releases Final Roster

With its trials complete, USA baseball announced its final roster today. You can read the release here.

Here's the breakdown, starting with the good news. Eight players on Cape League rosters were left off the final USA roster:

Micah Gibbs - C - Y-D
Thomas Girdwood - RHP - Hyannis
Jedd Gyorko - IF - Brewster
Anthony Ranaudo - RHP - Y-D
Logan Verrett - RHP - Chatham
Alex Wimmers - RHP - Bourne
Kyle Winkler - RHP - Falmouth
Ross Wilson - IF - Harwich

Though that's not as high a number as last year, when 11 Cape Leaguers didn't make the final roster, it's still a good group. Ranaudo and Wimmers could be the two most highly-touted pitchers on the Cape if they do indeed make it. Same goes for Gibbs at the catcher spot, and Wilson and Gyorko on the infield.

The bad news is that 15 of the 22 who did make the final roster were slated for the Cape. That list includes Christian Colon, Bryce Brentz, Tyler Holt, Blake Forsythe, Gerrit Cole and Drew Pomeranz. It would have been cool to see all those guys in Cape League uniforms.

There are three names floating out there that I'm not sure about -- Hunter Morris (Falmouth), Deck McGuire (Orleans) and Danny Hultzen (Hyannis). All three were/are on Cape League rosters and were on the initial USA invite list. But the most recent trials roster -- even before the final roster came out -- did not include them. I'm not sure what that means for their summer destinations, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Morris and McGuire are still listed on the Falmouth and Orleans rosters, but Hultzen hasn't been on the Hyannis roster since the Team USA invites went out.

Update (11:29): Just realized I missed Casey Harman, as well. He was not on the most recent trials list either and isn't on the final roster. He's slated for Hyannis.

And Another Update (11:53): The fact that their trial roster kept changing is killing me. There's another name that falls into the unknown category, and it's a big one -- Fullerton pitcher Daniel Renken. He's on the Harwich roster and was, at one point or another, a Team USA invite. I hope I'm not missing anybody else.

Why not another one? (11:55): I'm losing it over here. Jarrett Parker. Brewster. Also a one-time invite who disappeared from the trials roster. Though I'm quietly going crazy, this is actually looking better and better for the Cape League if all these guys make it.

Good news, bad news

The twitter page for Beesball.com, a Georgia Tech baseball web site, is reporting that sophomore shortstop Derek Dietrich will go directly to Wareham this summer, rather than Team USA. The Gatemen twitter page has confirmed the news. Dietrich was on Wareham's roster last year but played for Team USA. He was again on the invite list this year, but apparently has opted for Wareham.

Team USA has added a few more players to the list with Cape connections: Ohio State's Alex Wimmers (Bourne) and Texas Tech's Chad Bettis (Falmouth). That brings the total of invites up to 36, which I think is the final number. If someone replaces Dietrich, then I guess there would be one more.

By my count, 23 of the 36 are on Cape League rosters.

team usa announces final roster

And there's plenty of good news for Cape League teams.

Eleven players who didn't make the final cut are on Cape League rosters, which means we can expect most of them to head to the Cape. The list is headed by North Carolina's Dustin Ackley (Harwich), Rice's Ryan Berry (Bourne) and Indiana's Josh Phegley (Wareham).

Here's the link to the final roster. It does say that two more players will be named, so this isn't quite set in stone.

Here are the Cape League players left off the final roster, at this point:

Dustin Ackley - 1B - North Carolina - Sophomore - Harwich
Ryan Berry - P - Rice - Sophomore - Bourne
Dusty Coleman - SS - Wichita State - Sophomore - Bourne
Brian Fletcher - OF - Auburn - Freshman - Falmouth
Justin Marks - P - Louisville - Sophomore - Chatham
Tommy Medica - C - Santa Clara - Sophomore - Harwich
Ryan Ortiz - C - Oregon State - Sophomore - Y-D
Josh Phegley - C - Indiana - Sophomore - Wareham
Drew Pomeranz - P - Ole Miss - Freshman - Bourne
Kyle Seager - 2B - North Carolina - Sophomore - Chatham
Rick Hague - SS - Rice - Freshman - Wareham

Big lifts for several teams, obviously. If Ackley does indeed head to Harwich, he becomes the best pure hitter on the Cape. Medica would also fill a big hole for the Mariners.

Bourne picks up two big-time pitchers, including Berry, one of the best in the nation. Dusty Coleman will also make a big difference.

Two teams in last place right now -- Chatham and Wareham -- should also feel pretty good. Phegley probably becomes the top catching prospect on the Cape, and Hague should be one of the top freshmen. Seager and Marks will help out a lot in Chatham.

Of the 20 players who did make the final roster, 14 were on Cape League rosters. That list includes Kyle Gibson (Falmouth), Derek Dietrich (Wareham), Stephen Strasburg (Y-D) and Ryan Jackson (Hyannis).

It will also be interesting to see if a couple of the players who didn't make it and who aren't on Cape League rosters come to the Cape as late additions. Tennessee pitcher Bryan Morgado, Texas A&M outfielder Brooks Raley, Texas pitcher Chance Ruffin and Missouri outfielder Aaron Senne all fall into that category.

team usa hands out final invites

Team USA made its final invites on Monday, tabbing eight more players for the trials. Six of the eight are on Cape League rosters, which brings the total number of Cape Leaguers on the invite list to 25. There are 34 players in total, and 22 of them will make the team. The trials will end June 24.

The latest round:
Matt den Dekker - OF - Florida - Sophomore - Brewster
Brian Fletcher - INF/OF - Auburn - Freshman - Falmouth
Rick Hague - SS - Rice - Freshman - Wareham
Shaver Hansen - 3B - Baylor - Sophomore - Harwich
Justin Marks - P - Louisville - Sophomore - Chatham
Blake Smith - P/OF - California - Sophomore - Brewster

team usa takes 11 more

Team USA announced its second round of invites for the national team trials, and of the 14 players announced, 11 are on Cape League rosters.

Tommy Medica - C - Santa Clara - So. - Harwich
Ryan Berry - RHP - Rice - So. - Bourne
Dustin Ackley - OF/1B - North Carolina - So. - Harwich
Ryan Jackson - SS - Miami - So. - Hyannis
Ryan Ortiz - C - Oregon State - So. - Yarmouth-Dennis
Josh Phegley - C - Indiana - So. - Wareham
Kyle Seager - 2B - North Carolina - So. - Chatham
Kendal Volz - RHP - Baylor - So. - Wareham
Derek Dietrich - SS - Georgia Tech - Fr. - Wareham
Drew Pomeranz - LHP - Ole Miss - Fr. - Bourne
Kevin Rhoderick - RHP - Oregon St. - Fr. - Yarmouth-Dennis

This round hits Wareham pretty hard and also takes a big bite out of Bourne's pitching staff. Ortiz and Phegley were in line to be the top two catchers on the Cape, while Dietrich looked poised to be one of the top freshmen.

Six more players will be invited to the trials for a total of 32. Only 22 will make the team, so some of these players will end up on the Cape.

team usa

Team USA announced Thursday its list of initial invitees, which includes seven players who are on Cape League rosters for the upcoming summer. The list:

Christian Colon - INF - Cal State Fullerton - Fr. - Orleans
Kyle Gibson - RHP - Missouri - So. - Falmouth
A.J. Griffin - RHP - San Diego - So. - Brewster
Mike Leake - RHP - Arizona State - So. - Cotuit
Mike Minor - RHP - Vanderbilt - So. - Wareham
Hunter Morris - 1B - Auburn - Fr. - Falmouth
Andy Oliver - LHP - Oklahoma State - So. - Wareham

It's my understanding that being invited doesn't necessarily mean these players will automatically go and spurn the Cape. Timing will also play a big role. For players whose teams make the College World Series, Team USA becomes a less likely option. Team USA's trials begin a full two weeks before the CWS ends, and its official season begins on the day the CWS ends. Last year, that meant that Team USA didn't have a single player from Oregon State or North Carolina, the CWS finalists.

However, last year, every single one of the players on the initial list was on the team, so take that for what it's worth.