the college stats project, part 2

If you missed the first part of this project, scroll down to the next post. In this post, I'm going to run through the leaders.

We'll start with offense. I'll put up the top guys for each of the three categories (AVG, HR, OBP), with a little summary below. For the purposes of this, players who have been invited to Team USA are still included. I do have a star by their names.

OFFENSE
Batting Average

PLAYER	POSITION	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	AVG
Josh Phegley*	C	Wareham	Indiana	.438
Dustin Ackley*	OF	Harwich	North Carolina	.399
Ryan Lavarnway	C	Hyannis	Yale	.398
Grant Green	SS	Chatham	USC	.390
Tim Fedroff	OF	Falmouth	North Carolina	.383
Nate Freiman	1B	Orleans	Duke	.381
James Meador	OF	Brewster	San Diego	.380
Josh Rutledge	INF	Y-D	Alabama	.375
Diego Seastrunk	INF	Falmouth	Rice	.374
Jason Kipnis	OF	Cotuit	Arizona State	.367
Russ Moldenhauer	OF	Wareham	Texas	.366
Kyle Seager*	INF	Chatham	North Carolina	.365
Ryan Jackson*	SS	Hyannis	Miami	.365
Rich Poythress	3B/1B	Orleans	Georgia	.365
Brian Kemp	OF	Harwich	St. John's	.359
Jim Klocke	C	Brewster	SE Missouri	.357
Angelo Songco	OF	Orleans	Loyola Marymount	.356
Chris McClendon	INF	Y-D	Kentucky	.356
Matt Bowman	INF	Orleans	Nevada	.355
Alex Hassan	OF	Orleans	Duke	.353
Gunner Glad	UTIL	Y-D	Eastern Oklahoma	.353
A.J. Pollock	3B/OF	Falmouth	Notre Dame	.352
Casey Frawley	2B	Hyannis	Stetson	.352
Hunter Morris*	INF	Falmouth	Auburn	.351
Ryan Ortiz*	C	Y-D	Oregon State	.351
Jamie Johnson	OF	Bourne	Oklahoma	.350
Corey Overholtzer	OF	Chatham	UNC Greensboro	.350
Cole Figueroa	SS	Orleans	Florida	.350
Connor Powers	INF	Brewster	Mississippi State	.348
Robbie Shields	SS	Cotuit	Florida Southern	.348
Joe Sanders	INF	Harwich	Auburn	.348

We may not get to see the top three on this list. Phegley and Ackley are Team USA invites, while Lavarnway is draft-eligible and may go fairly early. Also notable, nine players on this list played on the Cape last year.

Orleans leads the way on this list with six players, led by Duke junior Nate Freiman, who played for the Cardinals last summer. Y-D and Falmouth each have four, with Brewster, Chatham, Harwich and Hyannis pulling in three each.

Interestingly, a lot of these guys hit for power, as well. Ten of them had double-digit home runs.

Home Runs

PLAYER	POSITION	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	HR
Gunner Glad	UTIL	Y-D	Eastern Oklahoma	18
Blake Dean	OF	Wareham	LSU	16
Josh Phegley*	C	Wareham	Indiana	15
Angelo Songco	OF	Orleans	Loyola Marymount	15
Derek Dietrich*	SS	Wareham	Georgia Tech	14
Ryan Lavarnway	C	Hyannis	Yale	13
Jason Kipnis	OF	Cotuit	Arizona State	13
Ben Paulsen	1B	Hyannis	Clemson	13
Mike Murphy	3B	Orleans	Maryland	13
Tim Fedroff	OF	Falmouth	North Carolina	12
Rich Poythress	3B/1B	Orleans	Georgia	12
Aaron Miller	OF	Chatham	Baylor	12
Ross Wilson	INF	Bourne	Alabama	12
Nate Freiman	1B	Orleans	Duke	11
Hunter Morris*	INF	Falmouth	Auburn	11
Connor Powers	INF	Brewster	Mississippi State	11
Kyle Roller	INF	Bourne	East Carolina	11
Blake Smith	OF	Brewster	California	11
Richard Jones	C	Bourne	The Citadel	11
Victor Sanchez	INF	Chatham	San Diego	11
Casey Haerther	1B/DH	Chatham	UCLA	10
Brian Fletcher	INF	Falmouth	Auburn	10

Glad's numbers might be a bit inflated because he's a junior college player, but 18 home runs anywhere is still pretty good. Dean's numbers are certainly not inflated, and he has the tools to be the league's premier power hitter this summer.

On-Base Percentage

PLAYER	POSITION	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	OBP
Ryan Lavarnway	C	Hyannis	Yale	.541
Josh Phegley*	C	Wareham	Indiana	.507
Dustin Ackley*	OF	Harwich	North Carolina	.497
Jason Kipnis	OF	Cotuit	Arizona State	.487
Jim Klocke	C	Brewster	SE Missouri	.469
Curt Casali	C	Hyannis	Vanderbilt	.463
Michael Thomas	C	Falmouth	Southern	.461
Rich Poythress	3B/1B	Orleans	Georgia	.460
Matt Bowman	INF	Orleans	NEvada	.454
Tim Fedroff	OF	Falmouth	North Carolina	.448
Brian Kemp	OF	Harwich	St. John's	.448
Nate Freiman	1B	Orleans	Duke	.447
Tyler Holt	OF	Cotuit	Florida State	.447
Ryan Ortiz*	C	Y-D	Oregon State	.442
Tyson Blaser	C	Bourne	Iowa	.442
Grant Green	SS	Chatham	USC	.438
Tommy Medica*	C	Harwich	Santa Clara	.438
Alex Hassan	OF	Orleans	Duke	.438
Jamie Johnson	OF	Bourne	Oklahoma	.435
Hunter Morris*	INF	Falmouth	Auburn	.433
Angelo Songco	OF	Orleans	Loyola Marymount	.432
Josh Rutledge	INF	Y-D	Alabama	.432
Gunner Glad	UTIL	Y-D	Eastern Oklahoma	.429
Ryan Jackson	SS	Hyannis	Miami	.429
Russ Moldenahuer	OF	Wareham	Texas	.429
Connor Rowe	OF	Wareham	Texas	.429
James Meador	OF	Brewster	San Diego	.427
Steve Daniels	OF	Hyannis	Brown	.427
Kyle Seager	INF	Chatham	North Carolina	.426
Blake Dean	OF	Wareham	LSU	.425
Aaron Miller	OF	Chatham	Baylor	.425
Connor Powers	INF	Brewster	Mississippi State	.425
Casey Frawley	2B	Hyannis	Stetson	.425

I'm struck by the number of catchers on this list. Eight to be exact. Somewhere, Billy Beane is smiling.

If you haven't noticed yet, a lot of the same names keep popping up -- Kipnis, Poythress, Fedorff, Freiman, Green, Songco, Glad, Meador, Dean, Miller. These are the guys poised to do the most damage this summer.

PITCHING
ERA (Starters)
I should mention that roles aren't always clearly defined for some college pitchers. They're being considered starters if more than half their appearances were starts. I'm also using 25 as the number for minimum innings pitched.

PLAYER	POSITION	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	ERA
Stephen Strasburg*	RHP	Y-D	San Diego State	1.57
Andy Oliver*	LHP	Wareham	Oklahoma State	2.20
Justin Marks	LHP	Chatham	Louisville	2.21
Isaac Morales	LHP	Orleans	Cal State L.A.	2.47
Matt Harvey	RHP	Chatham	North Carolina	2.50
Joe Serafin	LHP	Chatham	Vermont	2.51
Alex White	RHP	Chatham	North Carolina	2.86
Ryan Sharpley	RHP	Hyannis	Notre Dame	3.03
Ryan Berry*	RHP	Bourne	Rice	3.10
Jay Jackson	RHP	Hyannis	Furman	3.17
Mike Leake*	RHP	Cotuit	Arizona State	3.18
Nick McCully	RHP	Bourne	Coastal Carolina	3.29
Matt Fairel	LHP	Cotuit	Florida State	3.32
Dan Jennings	LHP	Cotuit	Nebraska	3.39
Kyle Gibson*	RHP	Falmouth	Missouri	3.40
Sean Black	RHP	Harwich	Seton Hall	3.44
Tom Milone	LHP	Chatham	USC	3.51
Matt Bashore	LHP	Wareham	Indiana	3.59
Brad Gemberling	RHP	Orleans	Princeton	3.60
Jerry Sullivan	RHP	Y-D	Oral Roberts	3.61
Matt Ridings	RHP	Hyannis	Western Kentucky	3.63
Nate Garcia	RHP	Cotuit	Santa Clara	3.65
Will Kempf	RHP	Harwich	Baylor	3.69
Ben Tootle	RHP	Falmouth	Jacksonville State	3.87
Bob Revesz	LHP	Bourne	Louisville	3.90
Tommy Toledo	RHP	Falmouth	Florida	3.99

Strasburg is at the top of just about every category, but he is a Team USA invite so we may not see him. Chatham's pitching strength can be seen here, as the A's have four of the top seven. The guy with the most innings pitched in this group is Mike Leake, also a Team USA invite. Jerry Sullivan and Jay Jackson are next on the list. I'll be interested to see what Jackson and some other smaller-school guys like Isaac Morales and Joe Serafin can do.

ERA (Relievers)

PLAYER	POSITION	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	ERA
Matt Packer	LHP	Brewster	Virginia	1.16
Eric Pettis	RHP	Bourne	UC Irvine	1.76
Nate Striz	RHP	Falmouth	North Carolina	2.03
A.J. Griffin*	RHP	Brewster	San Diego	2.03
Colin Bates	RHP	Hyannis	North Carolina	2.17
Kevin Rhoderick*	RHP	Y-D	Oregon State	2.39
Michael Powers	RHP	Hyannis	Michigan	2.51
Drew Storen	RHP	Cotuit	Stanford	2.89
Dean Weaver	RHP	Y-D	Georgia	2.97
Rob Catapano	LHP	Orleans	North Carolina	3.19
Russell Brewer	RHP	Hyannis	Vanderbilt	3.22
Mark Lamm	RHP	Brewster	Vanderbilt	3.23
Rory McKean	RHP	Brewster	Ole Miss	3.28
Pat Johnson	RHP	Harwich	North Carolina	3.29
Matt Thompson	RHP	Orleans	San Diego	3.52
Ryan Allen	RHP	Bourne	Missouri	3.67
Alex McRee	LHP	Hyannis	Georgia	3.75
Sammy Solis	LHP	Chatham	San Diego	3.89

Some of the teams who weren't well-represented on the starters' list, namely Brewster, are well-represented here. The guy with the most saves on this list is Eric Pettis. Several freshmen on here, including Nate Striz, Colin Bates, Kevin Rhoderick, Drew Storen, Russell Brewer, Pat Johnson and Sammy Solis.

STRIKEOUTS

PLAYER	POSITION	CAPE TEAM	COLLEGE	K
Stephen Strasburg*	RHP	Y-D	San Diego State	133
Jerry Sullivan	RHP	Y-D	Oral Roberts	104
Tom Milone	LHP	Chatham	USC	98
Andy Oliver*	LHP	Wareham	Oklahoma State	96
Jay Jackson	RHP	Hyannis	Furman	94
Mike Leake*	RHP	Cotuit	Arizona State	94
Kyle Gibson*	RHP	Falmouth	Missouri	94
Mike Minor*	LHP	Wareham	Vanderbilt	94
Matt Ridings	RHP	Hyannis	Western Kentucky	93
Rex Brothers	LHP	Falmouth	Lipscomb	93
Alex White	RHP	Chatham	North Carolina	87
Caleb Coltham	RHP	Brewster	Vanderbilt	87
Matt Fairel	LHP	Cotuit	Florida State	86
Matt Bashore	LHP	Wareham	Indiana	86
Justin Marks	LHP	Chatham	Louisville	85
Kendal Volz*	RHP	Wareham	Baylor	85
Ryan Berry*	RHP	Bourne	Rice	80
Chris Masters	LHP	Y-D	Western Carolina	80
Ben Tootle	RHP	Falmouth	Jacksonville State	79
Andrew Carraway	RHP	Hyannis	Virginia	77
Dan Jennings	LHP	Cotuit	Nebraska	75
Nate Garcia	RHP	Cotuit	Santa Clara	75
David Phelps	RHP	Hyannis	Notre Dame	75
Drew Pomeranz*	LHP	Bourne	Mississippi	74
Matt Harvey	RHP	Chatham	North Carolina	71
Buddy Bauman	LHP	Brewster	Missouri State	71
Andrew Doyle	RHP	Hyannis	Oklahoma	70
Nate Reed	LHP	Bourne	Pittsburgh	70

Look at those top two. Jerry Sullivan should definitely be on the Cape this summer, but if Stephen Strasburg doesn't go to Team USA and ends up in Y-D, you can go ahead and hand the Red Sox the championship. Also, think Team USA likes strikeouts. They've got invites out to eight pitchers on this list.

I didn't make a separate category for K:BB, but the top guys in that category are: Stephen Strasburg (8.31), Andrew Carraway (7.00), Mike Leake (5.88), Tom Milone (4.90), Kyle Gibson (4.70) and Jerry Sullivan (4.52).

the college stats project, part 1

Here we go. I'm pretty excited about this. I went through and got college stats for every player who's currently on a Cape League roster. I was finding that the early looks could provide a lot, but since they've been posted at such varying times, the stats aren't current. This is a more comprehensive look, with stats through last week's conference tournaments. Thich should be a representative sample, even for players whose teams are still going. Players with a star by their name saw very limited action this year. Players with stars in their stat categories saw no action.

Rather than cram everything in here, I've posted them on a geocities page. They're much easier to read there. I may also use that page for stats-heavy things during the season.

Below are links to the college stats for each Cape League team, which also includes a brief summary on each page. There's also one link that has all the teams, without the summaries, on one page.

In part two of this post, I've got the Cliff's Notes version of all this, where I'm running through the leaders in each category. That should be up later today.

I think that explains everything. Enjoy.

All Teams
Bourne
Brewster
Chatham
Cotuit
Falmouth
Harwich
Hyannis
Orleans
Wareham
Yarmouth-Dennis

roster shuffling

It seems like there's been some big changes to Cape League rosters in the last week. I'm trying to keep up with them all, so I figured I would just run through them here. As a side note, I'm working on the last early looks and they will be up before June 7. I'm also working on a cool project where I'll have 2008 college stats for every player on the Cape. That will be up soon as well.

As far as the changes, the one with the biggest wow factor is the one that will proobably have no impact. San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg, maybe the top player in the country, was added to Y-D's roster. Strasburg was also added to Team USA's invite list this week, so it's very likely he'll end up there. On the off chance he doesn't go with Team USA, well, Y-D just got itself the best pitcher in the country.

Running through the rest of the changes:

• In all, the Red Sox were very busy. After this round of changes, they were left with only six position players who were on the original roster. Notable additions for Y-D include a pair of big-time juco players in Gunner Glad and Braedon Schlehuber, as well as Alabama infielder Josh Rutledge. Included in the players Y-D lost was Erik Goeddel, a highly-touted pitcher who missed all of the season at UCLA.
  

• Chatham was also busy. Six players were dropped from the A's roster, including Clemson's Addison Johnson and San Diego's Kyle Blair. Johnson played great for the A's last summer, but missed all of this season with an injury. Blair was one of the top high school pitchers in the country last year and has pitched well for the Toreros.

• Cotuit made perhaps the biggest splash, despite making just one change. They added Arizona State sophomore outfielder Jason Kipnis, who hit .367 with 13 home runs this year.

• Hyannis added a veteran in Appalachian State's Garrett Sherrill, who had a 1.84 ERA last summer for the Mets out of the bullpen.

• Orleans picked up a big addition in Florida shortstop Cole Figueroa. The sophomore has hit .350 this year after earning an all-star game nod last year for Harwich.

• Wareham dropped Baylor sophomore Dustin Dickerson, who played on the Cape last year. The Gatemen also added several players to their non-roster invitee list, including Oklahoma's Aaron Baker, who had been on Cotuit's roster.
  

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.

early look: yarmouth-dennis

YARMOUTH-DENNIS RED SOX
Manager: Scott Pickler
Last Season: 31-12-1

Will the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox be able to turn in a repeat performance?

Probably not.

It’s not that the Red Sox don’t look solid. They could very well make a run to their third consecutive Cape League championship. It’s just that, if they do, they probably won’t do it in the same fashion as they did last year.

It was a once-in-a-decade kind of season. They won 31 games in the regular season, two shy of the Cape League record. They hit a ridiculous .278 with an equally-ridiculous 41 home runs. They steamrolled to their second consecutive championship, and it was really never in doubt. With that kind of offense – Buster Posey and Gordon Beckham may end up being top 10 picks – no one was going to stop them.

As for this year, they look a little easier to stop, at least on paper. They return only two players – two who might have returned, Grant Green and Diego Seastrunk, are on other Cape League teams – and they’ll be relying heavily on freshmen, both in the rotation and in the lineup.

But by the look of things, there is some serious potential. Jerry Sullivan may turn into one of the top pitchers on the Cape, and the rest of the staff is peppered by players who have been highly-touted prospects in the past. It’s a similar story in the field, where returnee Sean Ochinko heads a talented group that includes three dynamic freshmen and two catchers who should be among the best in the league at their position.

And that potential will mean a lot in Y-D. The Red Sox have figured something out the last two years and have gotten talented players to buy into the importance of team success. In a league that showcases individuals, that’s an impressive feat, and if it works again, the Red Sox will once again be a team to be reckoned with.

Roster Rundown

Returning players: 2
Juniors: 1
Sophomores: 12
Freshmen: 10

Notable

• Jerry Sullivan flew under the radar a little bit last summer, partly because he only pitched in four games. But Sullivan was a major prospect out of high school and would have been a very high pick if not for an arm injury that led to Tommy John surgery. He has worked his way back, though, and has been great for Oral Roberts. I’d expect him to be great this summer, too.
• As for the rest of Y-D’s pitching staff, manager Scott Pickler better be well-versed in their injury history: six of Y-D’s 14 pitchers have had arm trouble in recent years. You can bet the Red Sox have explicit instructions to be careful with certain arms.
• One of the players in that group is Erik Goeddel, who was considered one of the top five high school pitchers in the nation last year. But an arm injury hurt his draft stock, and he has since missed the entire season at UCLA. If he does end up pitching for Y-D, he will most likely be taking it slow.
• In Western Carolina’s Chris Masters, Oregon State’s Kevin Rhoderick, Baylor’s Craig Fritsch and Georgia’s Dean Weaver, the Red Sox have four pitchers who have been lights-out in relief roles this spring.
• With UC-Riverside closer Joe Kelly mixed in, the Red Sox could have a dynamic bullpen. Kelly has struggled this year while battling injury, but last summer, he pitched for Team USA.
• At the moment, Y-D only has nine hitters on the roster, but with only 23 players total, they will certainly be adding some people.
• Oregon State’s Ryan Ortiz and Boston College’s Tony Sanchez will be battling it out for the starting catcher’s job, but whoever doesn’t get it will probably still see a lot of time. Both have hit for average and power this year.
• Sean Ochinko was probably the top freshman hitter on the Cape last year, but he has had a rough go of it this spring. Based on the numbers he put up last year, he’s too good a hitter to keep struggling.
• Arkansas’ Andy Wilkins has the profile of a freshman who could really stand out. He has big credentials and he’s put up the production to match this year, with eight home runs and a .331 batting average.

Five Players I’m Excited to See
1. Jerry Sullivan
2. Sean Ochinko
3. Anthony Ranaudo
4. Erik Goeddel
5. Ryan Ortiz

Pitchers
Robby Donovan – RHP – 6’5 220 – Stetson – Sophomore
Craig Fritsch – RHP – 6’4 185 – Baylor – Freshman
Erik Goeddel – RHP – 6’3 180 – UCLA – Freshman
Kyle Heckathorn – RHP – 6’6 230 – Kennesaw State – Freshman
Jeff Inman – RHP – 6’3 190 – Stanford – Sophomore
Joe Kelly – RHP – 6’1 170 – UC Riverside – Sophomore
Chris Masters – LHP – 6’0 225 – Western Carolina – Sophomore
Greg Peavey – RHP – 6’2 190 – Oregon State – Freshman
Anthony Ranuado – RHP – 6’8 225 – LSU – Freshman
Kevin Rhoderick – RHP – 6’0 192 – Oregon State – Freshman
*Jerry Sullivan – RHP – 6’4 210 – Oral Roberts – Sophomore
Shawn Tolleson – RHP – 6’2 220 – Baylor – Sophomore
Tyler Waldron – RHP – 6’2 175 – Pacific – Freshman
Dean Weaver – RHP – 6’4 205 – Georgia – Sophomore
* returning player


Robby Donovan – RHP – 6’5 220
Stetson
Sophomore
Donovan was a 35th-round pick out of high school and posted a 3.93 ERA as a freshman at Stetson. This year, his ERA ballooned to 6.12, though he did lead the team in strikeouts with 56 in 64.2 innings.

Craig Fritsch – RHP – 6’4 185
Baylor
Freshman
Fritsch redshirted last season but still made a splash in the Northwoods League last summer, putting up a 2.21 ERA. That earned him the No. 4 spot on Baseball America’s list of top Northwoods League prospects. Fritsch has pitched mostly out of the bullpen this year for Baylor and has a 3.75 ERA in 18 appearances.

Erik Goeddel – RHP – 6’3 180
UCLA
Freshman
Goeddel was rated by Baseball America as the No. 2 high school player in the class of 2007, but an elbow injury forced him to miss time his senior year and sent his draft stock way down. As a result, he enrolled at UCLA, but hasn’t pitched at all this year, again because of injury. It’ll be interesting to see what the plan is for Goeddel this summer and whether he’s healthy enough to make it to Y-D.

Kyle Heckathorn – RHP – 6’6 230
Kennesaw State
Freshman
Heckathorn was an Atlantic Sun all-freshman team honoree last year and has been solid this season. He finished the regular season with a 4-2 record and a 4.98 ERA. He struck out 64 in 59.2 innings.

Jeff Inman – RHP – 6’3 190
Stanford
Sophomore
Inman was named Stanford’s most outstanding freshman last year after becoming the first rookie to spend most of the season in Stanford’s rotation since the mid-90s. Back in the rotation this year, Inman has gone 7-2 with a 4.53 ERA. In 2006, Inman was a 19th-round pick out of high school.

Joe Kelly – RHP – 6’1 170
UC Riverside
Sophomore
After emerging as Riverside’s closer and earning Freshman All-American honors from several publications, Kelly pitched last summer for Team USA and finished with a 4.50 ERA in 10 relief appearances. Back at Riverside, Kelly missed the early part of this season with injury. He returned to pick up six saves, but saw his ERA climb to 7.47.

Chris Masters – LHP – 6’0 225
Western Carolina
Sophomore
Masters made an immediate impact as a freshman last year and became Western Carolina’s top reliever. After playing in the Valley League last summer, Masters has been lights out this season. In 27 appearances – all but one out of the pen – Masters has a 3.92 ERA with 71 strikeouts and 33 walks in 62 innings.

Greg Peavey – RHP – 6’2 190
Oregon State
Freshman
Peavey was rated as one of the top high school pitchers in the country last year and was projected to go as high as the first round in the draft. Ultimately, he slipped to the 24th round. He opted to stick with Oregon State and has seen mixed results so far. Pitching mostly out of the bullpen, he has a 2-3 record and a 5.56 ERA.

Anthony Ranuado – RHP – 6’8 225
LSU
Freshman
Ranaudo was an 11th-round pick out of high school in New Jersey, and with his size factored in, he came to LSU about as highly-touted as it gets. But elbow tendonitis forced him to miss most of the season. He has returned in the last month and has pitched seven innings in four appearances. He has yet to allow an earned run.

Kevin Rhoderick – RHP – 6’0 192
Oregon State
Freshman
Another highly-touted freshman, Rhoderick was an 18th-round pick out of high school but opted to head to Corvallis. He has pitched very well in the closer’s role for the Beavers, posting 11 saves with a 2.59 ERA.

Jerry Sullivan – RHP – 6’4 210
Oral Roberts
Sophomore
Sullivan was one of the top pitchers in the country after his junior year in high school but had to undergo Tommy John surgery, which forced him to miss his senior year. As a result, he wasn’t drafted. But he worked his way back to earn Freshman All-America honors at Oral Roberts then pitched part of the summer for Y-D, going 3-0 with a .56 ERA in four appearances. He has been solid again this spring, going 8-2 with a 3.97 ERA and 92 strikeouts against 22 walks in 90.2 innings. Sullivan appears poised to be one of the Cape’s top pitchers this summer.

Shawn Tolleson – RHP – 6’2 220
Baylor
Freshman
Like Fritsch, Tolleson redshirted his freshman year, but he was forced to do so because of Tommy John Surgery. After a long rehabilitation process, Tolleson has moved back into Baylor’s rotation and has gone 6-4 with a 5.06 ERA this year. Tolleson was a major prospect out of high school, so he’s a prime candidate to turn things around over the summer.

Tyler Waldron – RHP – 6’2 175
Pacific
Freshman
Waldron was a 38th-round pick out of high school in Sacramento and he has stepped immediately into the rotation at Pacific. In 14 starts, he’s gone 3-6 with a 5.42 ERA, but he does have three complete games to his credit.

Dean Weaver – RHP – 6’4 205
Georgia
Sophomore
After struggling a bit as a freshman, Weaver has been very solid out of the bullpen for Georgia this year. He is second on the team with 24 appearances, and he has posted a 4-1 record with a 3.22 ERA. In 36.1 innings, he has struck out 41 with just 13 walks.


Position Players
Ryan Ortiz – C – 6’3 200 – Oregon State – Sophomore
Tony Sanchez – C – 6’0 225 – Boston College – Sophomore
*Sean Ochinko – 1B/C – 5’10 205 – LSU – Sophomore
Chris McClendon – IF – 5’10 180 – Kentucky – Junior
Whit Merrifield – IF/OF – 6’0 175 – South Carolina – Freshman
Robby Price – IF – 5’11 180 – Kansas – Sophomore
Andy Wilkins – IF/OF – 6’1 220 – Arkansas – Freshman
Lyle Allen – OF – 6’4 210 – Georgia – Freshman
Khris Davis – OF – 5’11 – 193 – Cal State Fullerton – Sophomore
* returning player


Ryan Ortiz – C – 6’3 200
Oregon State
Sophomore
With Mitch Canham behind the plate last year, Ortiz wasn’t going to get much of a chance as a freshman – he had four at-bats. But he has made the most of his chance this year. Stepping into the starting spot, Ortiz leads the Beavers in hitting with a .354 average. He is tied for the lead in home runs with five and leads the team with 52 RBI. Definitely a catching prospect to keep an eye on.

Tony Sanchez – C – 6’0 225
Boston College
Sophomore
After hitting .318 as a freshman, Sanchez was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List before this season, and he hasn’t disappointed. He has notched a .313 batting average, nine home runs and 45 RBI, all team-bests.

Sean Ochinko – 1B/C – 5’10 205
LSU
Sophomore
Ochinko was the top freshman hitter on the Cape last summer, posting a .315 average, eight home runs and 23 RBI. Those are great numbers for anybody, let alone a freshman, so big things were expected. But Ochinko hasn’t been himself for the Tigers this spring. He’s hit .262 with only three home runs. I wouldn’t be shocked if Ochinko has a big resurgence when he gets back to Y-D.

Chris McClendon – IF – 5’10 180
Kentucky
Junior
McClendon was one of the top junior-college recruits in the nation a year ago, and though he’s missed some time to injury this year, he’s been a big boost for the Wildcats. In 43 games, he’s hit .354 with three home runs and 30 RBI while manning third base.

Whit Merrifield – IF/OF – 6’0 175
South Carolina
Freshman
Merrifield was a pretty big recruit out of North Carolina and he has not disappointed in his freshman season. Batting in the two-hole in South Carolina’s powerful lineup, he has hit .323 with three home runs and 22 RBI. He is also 9-for-9 in stolen bases.

Robby Price – IF – 5’11 180
Kansas
Sophomore
Price was an honorable-mention all-conference pick after hitting .286 as a freshman. This season, he has hit .296 while playing mostly at second base. Price is a Northwoods League veteran, having played there before and after his freshman season.

Andy Wilkins – IF/OF – 6’1 220
Arkansas
Freshman
A power-hitting corner infielder, Wilkins has turned in a terrific freshman season for the Razorbacks. Despite missing several weeks with an injury, he has hit eight home runs, to go with a .331 batting average. Wilkins was a 25th-round pick out of high school.

Lyle Allen – OF – 6’4 210
Georgia
Freshman
Another highly-touted freshman from the SEC, Allen came to Georgia after being selected in the 22nd round of last year’s draft. He has hit .271 with two home runs and 24 RBI this season.

Khris Davis – OF – 5’11 – 193
Cal State Fullerton
Sophomore
A 29th-round pick out of high school last year, Davis made 10 starts in his freshman season but saw a lot of spot duty. This season, he has stepped into a bigger role and has hit .261 with four home runs. He has stolen 11 bases.

college hardware

College postseason honors are starting to roll in and it's no surprise that former and soon-to-be Cape Leaguers are all over the lists. Here's a look at some of the notable names so far.

Former Cape Leaguers

Six major conferences have announced their awards and in every one of those conferences, the player of the year, the pitcher of the year, or both played on the Cape last summer.

• Big East - Louisville's Chris Dominguez (Harwich) and Cincinnati's Josh Harrison (Cotuit), both of whom struggled on the Cape last year, were named co-players of the year.

• ACC - Florida State catcher Buster Posey (Y-D) was named player of the year and UNC's Alex White (Chatham) was selected as the pitcher of the year. White is on Chatham's roster again this summer.

• SEC - Georgia's Gordon Beckham (Y-D) took home player-of-the-year honors, while '06 Cape Leaguer and Beckham's Georgia teammate Josh Fields (Y-D) was named the pitcher of the year.
  

• Big 10 - Michigan's Zach Putnam (Chatham) was picked as the pitcher of the year.

• Big 12 - Missouri's Aaron Crow (Falmouth) was named pitcher of the year.

• CUSA - Tulane's Shooter Hunt (Falmouth) was also named pitcher of the year.

Soon-To-Be Cape Leaguers

Not as many guys taking home the big honors, but a lot of guys who will be on the Cape this summer were named all-conference.

• Big East - Louisville pitcher Justin Marks (Chatham) and Notre Dame outfielder A.J. Pollock (Falmouth) were first-team picks. Louisville first baseman Andrew Clark (Falmouth) was named to the second team.

• ACC - A long list of first-team picks: UNC outfielder Tim Fedroff (Falmouth), Miami pitcher Chris Hernandez (Brewster), Miami shortstop Ryan Jackson (Hyannis) and UNC pitcher Alex White (Chatham). Second team: UNC's Dustin Ackley (Harwich), Georgia Tech shortstop Derek Dietrich (Wareham), Miami pitcher Eric Erickson (Orleans), Florida State pitcher Matt Fairel (Cotuit), Duke outfielder Alex Hassan (Orleans) and UNC second baseman Kyle Seager (Chatham).
  

• SEC - Florida outfielder Matt den Dekker (Brewster) was picked for the first team, while Auburn first baseman Hunter Morris (Falmouth) was selected to the second team.
  

• Big 10 - Indiana catcher Josh Phegley (Wareham) and pitcher Matt Bashore (Wareham) were both named first-team all-conference. Michigan's Adam Abraham (Hyannis) was a third-team pick.

• Big 12 - Oklahoma State pitcher Andy Oliver (Wareham) was named to the first team. Missouri catcher Trevor Coleman (Falmouth) earned second-team honors.

• CUSA - Rice third baseman Diego Seastrunk (Falmouth) was a first-team selection.

well look who's here

I was perusing rosters today and noticed a very notable addition in Chatham.

USC's Grant Green, who excelled last year for Y-D, is now on the Chatham roster. Before that, he hadn't been on any Cape League roster, which I thought was strange. I chalked it up to the fact that Green to Team USA must have been a foregone conclusion. Maybe it's not or maybe this is a just-in-case measure on the part of Green and his USC coaches. Regardless, it could be a coup for Chatham if he actually comes.

Last summer, Green played all over the field for Y-D, both because he could, and because that lineup was tough to crack. Wherever he played, he hit the ball well, finishing with a .291 average and four home runs, some of the best numbers of any freshmen on the Cape. A shortstop by trade, Green was the only freshman position player on Baseball America's Cape League Top Prospects List.

This season for USC, Green has held on to that momentum. He leads the team with a .386 average. If Green does make it to the Cape, he will become, in my book, the top returning position player, just ahead of Blake Dean, Sean Ochinko and Josh Phegley.

Also of note, Green is now the second Trojan to switch Cape League teams, with Chatham as the destination. Brad Boxberger pitched last summer for Orleans, but is now on Chatham's roster. Two other Trojans -- Tom Milone and Kevin Couture -- played for Chatham last year and are on the roster again.