The Top 40: The Best Prospects in the CCBL 2010

Overall, it was down year for the league in 2010. There was not any clear #1 prospect, like in years past (think: Evan Longoria in 2005, Matt Wieters in 2006, Chris Sale in 2009). The pitching talent was not as impressive as usual. Most of the top talent slated for Cape rosters at the start of the summer either left early for Team USA or did not show up at all. However, with that being said, there is great depth in the 2011 draft class and it showed on the Cape. The depth of position players really struck me as impressive. I think baseball executives will be talking about this draft for a long time.

Quick notes:
I decided to NOT include CCBL players that were drafted and signed this year (notably Anthony Ranaudo, Daniel Burawa, and Michael Goodnight). Ranaudo would have likely been the #1 prospect.
In my list I will indicate the projected draft position for the 2011 or 2012 drafts. This is not where I would personally pick them, but rather where they are likely to be selected by a MLB team.
All stat lines include the regular season and the playoffs and/or the all-star game, if applicable.


1. Logan Verrett, RHP, Chatham/Baylor,
CCBL Stat Line: 0.87 ERA, 41.1 IP, 34K/5BB, 22 H, 1HRA
Comments:
Projected Draft Position (2011):
Video Link:

2. Jed Bradley
CCBL Stat Line: 1.98 ERA, 41.0 IP, 44K/6BB, 33 H, 5HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

3. Austin Wood

CCBL Stat Line: 0.89 ERA, 50.2 IP, 39K/22BB, 27 H, 1HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

4. Levi Michael

CCBL Stat Line: .248 AVG, 129 ABs, 32 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 15BB/23K, 4SB/1CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

5. Andrew Susac

CCBL Stat Line: .269 AVG, 108 ABs, 29 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 14BB/28K, 1SB/0CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

6. Tony Zych

CCBL Stat Line: 0.74 ERA, 24.1 IP, 29K/3BB, 27 H, 0 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

7. Joe Panik

CCBL Stat Line: .297 AVG, 175 ABs, 52 H, 9 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 23BB/15K, 11SB/0CS

Comments: 

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

8. Deven Marrero

CCBL Stat Line: .328 AVG, 122 ABs, 40 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 14BB/24K, 7SB/2CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2012):

Video Link:

9. Grayson Garvin

CCBL Stat Line: 1.06 ERA, 42.1 IP, 42K/12BB, 26 H, 1 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

10. Kolten Wong

CCBL Stat Line: .331AVG, 139 ABs, 46 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 18BB/13K, 22SB/7CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

11. Barrett Barnes

CCBL Stat Line: .226 AVG, 124 ABs, 28 H, 9 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 22BB/45K, 7SB/2CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

12. Ryan Carpenter

CCBL Stat Line: 2.51 ERA, 43 IP, 47K/12BB, 37 H, 1 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link: http://baseballbeginnings.com/2010/07/08/ryan-carpenter-video

13. Andrew Gagnon

CCBL Stat Line: 2.04 ERA, 39.2 IP, 43K/17BB, 31 H, 3 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

14. Zach MacPhee

CCBL Stat Line: .250 AVG, 80 ABs, 20 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 18BB/13K, 5SB/3CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

15. Marcus Stroman

CCBL Stat Line: 0.00 ERA, 29 IP, 36K/3BB, 13 H, 0 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

16. Matt Skole

CCBL Stat Line: .247 AVG, 150 ABs, 37 H, 11 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 17BB/39K, 3SB/0CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

17. Jack Armstrong

CCBL Stat Line: 3.14 ERA, 51.2 IP, 45K/22BB, 41 H, 1 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

18. Anthony Meo

CCBL Stat Line: 3.09 ERA, 32 IP, 24K/14BB, 21 H, 0 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

19. Johnny Ruettiger

CCBL Stat Line: .353 AVG, 116 ABs, 41 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 9BB/9K, 11SB/6CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

20. Jason Coats

CCBL Stat Line: .337 AVG, 95 ABs, 32 H, 10 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 9BB/20K, 2SB/2CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

21. Pratt Maynard

CCBL Stat Line: .241 AVG, 116 ABs, 28 H, 7 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 34BB/23K, 1SB/1CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

22. Brian Goodwin

CCBL Stat Line: .275 AVG, 120 ABs, 33 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 16BB/21K, 15SB/4CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2012):

Video Link:

23. Zach Wilson

CCBL Stat Line: .291 AVG, 127 ABs, 37 H, 7 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 20BB/29K, 2SB/0CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

24. Aaron Westlake
CCBL Stat Line: .294 AVG, 109 ABs, 32 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 8BB/29K, 1SB/0CS
Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

25. Jordan Ribera

CCBL Stat Line: .273 AVG, 176 ABs, 28 H, 14 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 21BB/32K, 3SB/1CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

26. RJ Alvarez

CCBL Stat Line: 1.40 ERA, 25.2 IP, 33K/9BB, 14 H, 0 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

27. Daniel Bowman

CCBL Stat Line: .208 AVG, 125 ABs, 26 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 32BB/7K, 4SB/0CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

28. Ricky Oropesa

CCBL Stat Line: .222 AVG, 153 ABs, 34 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 7 HR, 24BB/52K, 0SB/0CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

29. Nick Martini

CCBL Stat Line: .253 AVG, 146 ABs, 37 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 26BB/25K, 8SB/3CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

30. Steve Selsky

CCBL Stat Line: .270 AVG, 141 ABs, 38 H, 6 2B, 0 3B, 7 HR, 22BB/44K, 5SB/0CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

31. Kyle Simon

CCBL Stat Line: 1.37 ERA, 46 IP, 23K/10BB, 29 H, 0 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

32. Josh Elander

CCBL Stat Line: .203 AVG, 64 ABs, 13 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 4BB/14K, 0SB/2CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

33. Brady Rodgers

CCBL Stat Line: 2.54 ERA, 39.0 IP, 41K/9BB, 32 H, 1 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

34. Colton Murray

CCBL Stat Line: 0.74 ERA, 22.2 IP, 30K/8BB, 20 H, 0 HRA

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

35. Cohl Walla

CCBL Stat Line: .235 AVG, 98 ABs, 23 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 6BB/30K, 6SB/1CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

36. Jayce Boyd

CCBL Stat Line: .224 AVG, 107 ABs, 24 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 9BB/17K, 3SB/0CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

37. Tyler Pill

CCBL Stat Line: .245 AVG, 106 ABs, 26 H, 8 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5BB/18K, 0SB/2CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

38. Max Muncy

CCBL Stat Line: .243 AVG, 152 ABs, 37 H, 11 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 23BB/28K, 2SB/1CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

39. Kevin Medrano

CCBL Stat Line: .315 AVG, 143 ABs, 45 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 12BB/30K, 9SB/4CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

40. Andy Burns

CCBL Stat Line: .205 AVG, 161 ABs, 33 H, 6 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 22BB/37K, 25SB/4CS

Comments:

Projected Draft Position (2011):

Video Link:

Orleans Firebirds Top 5 Prospects

Orleans Firebirds:

1. Kolten Wong, Hawaii:
· The 2010 CCBL MVP, Wong was definitely one of the top hitters this summer. Was able to consistently hit for average and also showed off some power with 3 home runs while drawing 18 BB's compared to only 13 K's. Savvy baserunner with excellent speed which drove other teams crazy. Projects as a 2B in the majors, but can also play the outfield. With such a good summer, Wong should be moving up a lot of draft boards into possibly the top 2 rounds.

2. Marcus Stroman, Duke:
· Despite size (5'9"), has been dominant as top reliever for Orleans. Consistent delivery/mechanics allows for good command of heavy fastball (94-97 mph). Ridiculous 32/3 K/BB ratio and .312 Opp OPS over 25 innings pitched. Excellent slider (83-87 mph) with sharp movement keeps hitters off balance. Needs to improve getting ahead in the count, although it's tough to find anything wrong with someone who didn't allow a run all summer. I believe he can be a very effective reliever and possible closer at the major league level.

3. Jason Esposito, Vanderbilt:
· Esposito might have been higher on this list had he not left early for Team USA. However, from what I saw, he looked like an excellent fielding third baseman who also shows some serious power potential at the plate to go along with speed on the basepaths. Hit 12 HR's during his sophomore year at Vanderbilt leading the team in slugging %, and was also 31/35 in stolen base attempts.

4. Kyle Simon, Arizona:
· Simon proved to be very tough to hit this summer (.169 Opp SLG) despite the fact that he pitches to contact (19 K's in 39 IP). Shows good life on his fastball (89-93 mph) with command of both sides of the plate, but will need to improve his secondary pitched if he wants to increase his strikeout numbers. Projects as a solid 4-5 starter at the major league level.

5. Steve Selsky, Arizona:
· Coming off a very strong sophomore season at Arizona where he led the Wildcats in just about every offensive category, Selsky continued that success for the Firebirds. He showed off his ability to hit for power by leading the team in both home runs and extra base hits while also drawing 20 walks. There were times when his swing looked long though, which might be the reason for the large number of strikeouts. Solid arm from the outfield and also showed decent speed by going 5-5 in SB attempts.


Other players to watch:
Ryan Carpenter, Gonzaga
Mitchell Lambson, Arizona State

The Patriotic Crew

Here is a ranking of the 8 guys that were called on by Team USA to represent their country in international play after starting the summer on the Cape. The national team ended up losing to Cuba in the finals in 10 innings. This group leaving definitely hurt the Cape's overall talent pool. I'd venture to say that all of them were in the top 30 in terms of prospects on the Cape:

1. Matt Barnes, RHP, Wareham/UConn, Height: 6-04, Weight: 203

• Ideal pitcher's body, great, loose arm action and repeatable delivery. Four pitches with varying command and feel for them all. He was the top pitcher in the CCBL for me. He maintains his low-90's FB deep into games (tops out at 96), which has good movement. The pitch can be his out pitch, along with his slider (more of a slurve, but he throws a slower curve). He seems to improve every start. He'll be a 1st round, possibly in the top 15 picks. If he improves his strength in his lower half, I think there is potential for more velocity.

2. George Springer, OF, Wareham/UConn , Height: 6-03, Weight: 200

 

• Elite athleticism and strength in his wiry frame. Potential 5-tool player. Tremendous bat speed with good pop for his size. He has an unorthodox stance that concerns me a little. His approach and plate discipline can improve. Another Huskie that is sure to go in the 1st round.

3. Jason Esposito, 3B, Orleans/Vanderbilt, Height: 6-01, Weight: 198

 

• Made Team USA when Anthony Rendon injured his ankle. Esposito has an above-average glove at third with a strong throwing arm. Good overall player. He has a some power and makes good contact. Nothing about his game is exceptional however.

4. Ryan Wright, 2B/SS, Bourne/Louisville, Height: 6-01, Weight: 198

 

• Good bat with surprising power. Hand-eye coordination is exceptional. I like his approach. Average defender at short, above-average at second-base. He just gets it done and plays the game the right way. I see him as Dustin Pedroia-type talent.

5. Mikie Mahtook, OF, Harwich/LSU, Height 6-01, Weight: 196

 

• Superb athlete (football and baseball star in HS) possessing plus speed, strong arm, and good defensive skills and range in the outfield. All questions will revolve around his bat. He has power, but teams will worry if he'll hit enough at the next level given the high number of strikeouts. With his athletic ability, I'd be surprised if he doesn't.

6. CJ Cron, C/1B/DH, Cotuit/Utah, Height 6-04 Weight: 230

 

• Plus power and plus hit average. He won't stay behind the plate. 1B/DH is likely. He left the Cape with a knee injury before the Team USA trials. He didn't play on the team because of the injury, but he would've surely made the roster - especially when his coach at Utah was the national team manager. For that reason, I put him on this list.

7. Alex Dickerson, 1B, Wareham/Indiana, Height: 6-03, Weight: 210

• He'll hit for AVG. He can spray the ball all over the field and has plus pull-power. Advance hitter and approach. None of his other tools stand out. Fringe speed, average glove, average arm. It's all about the bat with Dickerson. Some don’t like the swing – I think it’ll play at the next level.

8. Brett Mooneyham, LHP, Y-D/Stanford, Height 6-05, Weight: 235

 

• Big lefty that works in the low 90's. Yes, please. Except for one thing - Mooneyham has yet to have complete command of his pitches. He also doesn't have an out pitch (at least, for me, his slider isn't) and mostly pitches to contact. I have my doubts that he will ever put it all together. But some teams will fall in love with the body, velo, and his left-arm.

Best Control/Command: Top 5

These are the top guys that rarely miss the strike zone or their spots:

1.     Matt Sisto, RHP, Orleans/Hawaii, Height: 6-05, Weight: 230

• CCBL IPs: 38.2
• CCBL BBs: 2

2.     Derek Self, RHP, Chatham/Louisville, Height: 6-02, Weight: 195

• CCBL IPs: 42
• CCBL BBs: 3

3.     Max Pearlman, RHP, Wareham/Harvard, Height: 6-07, Weight: 230

• CCBL IPs: 51.2
• CCBL BBs: 6

4.     Tyler Ray, RHP, Hyannis/Troy, Height: 6-01, Weight: 180

• CCBL IPs: 46.2
• CCBL BBs: 6

5.     Austin Lubinsky, RHP, Brewster/Minnesota, Height 6-01, Weight: 195

• CCBL IPs: 42.1
• CCBL BBs: 4

Most Speed: Top 10

Here are the top guys that had their PF Flyers on for summer. I wasn't able to do any stopwatch work so this list is from pure observation and therefore I won't rank them:


Brian Goodwin, OF, Harwich/UNC, Height: 6-0, Weight: 190

• CCBL SBs: 15
• NCAA SBs: 7

Scott Woodward, OF, Bourne/Coastal Carolina, Height: 6-02, Weight: 205

• CCBL SBs: 20
• NCAA SBs: 55

Michael Faulkner, OF, Cotuit/Arkansas St., Height: 5-08, Weight: 155

• CCBL SBs: 8 (arrived late)
• NCAA SBs: 23

Nick Ahmed, SS, Bourne/UConn, Height: 6-02, Weight: 200

• CCBL SBs: 17
• NCAA SBs: 34

Andy Burns, 3B, Brewster/Kentucky, Height: 6-02, Weight: 185

• CCBL SBs: 25 (led league)
• NCAA SBs: 7

Caleb Ramsey, OF, Y-D/Houston, Height: 6-03, Weight: 202

• CCBL SBs: 22
• NCAA SBs: 10

Kolten Wong, OF/IF, Orleans/Hawaii, Height: 5-09, Weight: 190

• CCBL SBs: 22
• NCAA SBs: 19

Drew Martinez, OF, Brewster/Memphis, Height: 5-10, Weight: 170

• CCBL SBs: 20
• NCAA SBs: 19

Aaron Conway, OF, Harwich/Missouri St., Height: 5-08, Weight: 170

• CCBL SBs: 16
• NCAA SBs: 24

Ronnie Richardson, OF, Harwich/UCF, Height: 5-07, Weight: 175

• CCBL SBs: 13
• NCAA SBs: 12

Most Power: Top 5

Let's take a look at the sluggers who enjoyed trotting around the bases this summer on the Cape:

1.     Jordan Ribera, 1B, Y-D/Fresno State, Height: 6-0, Weight: 220

• Most consistent power hitter. Hit league-leading 10 total HRs on Cape and a nation's best 27 HRs at school. Fly ball producing stroke that generates good loft and backspin.
• CCBL HRs: 10
• NCAA HRs: 27

2.     Paul Hoilman, 3B, Cotuit/East Tenn, Height: 6-05, Weight: 240

• Winner of NCAA and CCBL home run derbies. Large frame and country-boy strength combine for impressive power. Lack of in-game home run production is a concern.
• CCBL HRs: 2
• NCAA HRs: 17

3.     Ricky Oropesa, 1B, Chatham/USC, Height: 6-03, Weight: 225

• Might have the most raw power. Witnessed a mammoth shot that few others in history of the wooden bat league could match. Long stroke has many holes.
• CCBL HRs: 7
• NCAA HRs: 20

4.     Daniel Bowman, OF, Bourne/Coastal Carolina, Height: 6-01, Weight: 210

• Dead pull hitter can hit the long ball with the best of them. Ball can explode off his bat. Great bat speed and strength. Impatient hitter that only looks to pull the ball.
• CCBL HRs: 5
• NCAA HRs: 15

5.     Aaron Westlake, 1B, Chatham/Vanderbilt, Height 6-04, Weight: 235

• Sweet left stroke creates great loft on ball. Just looks like a big-league hitter. Not much room for power projection.
• CCBL HRs: 5
• NCAA HRs: 14

Best Fastball: Top 5

These are the guys with the best heaters in league (velocity, movement, command all taken into consideration). I'll have a quick note on each:

1.     Tony Zych, RHP, Bourne/Louisville, Height: 6-03, Weight: 175

• Pure power, 94-97mph, good arm-side run, consistently gets swings and misses. Must improve command.

2.     Austin Wood, RHP, Cotuit/St. Petersburg, Height: 6-04, Weight: 220

• Sits 92-95, with ability to touch 98. Highest recorded velocity on Cape. Locates fairly well.

3.     Marcus Stroman, RHP, Orleans/Duke, Height: 5-09, Weight: 180

• Electric fastball that explodes out his hand with ease. At 94-97mph and with his small stature, ball appears to rise on its way to the plate.

4.     R.J. Alvarez, RHP, Bourne/ Florida Atlantic, Height: 6-01, Weight: 180

• Hard to see, hard to hit. Alverez tosses a 94-97mph fastball across his body     with good life. Like his teammate Zych, he needs to improve his control.

5.     Anthony Meo, RHP, Bourne/Coast Carolina, Height: 6-02, Weight: 185

• Highest average velocity FB for a starter other than Wood. Full-effort delivery produces a darting, arrow-straight, fastball. Still struggles with command.

Side Note: 
Yes, Bourne had 3 of the top 5 flamethrowers and possibly 5 or 6 of the top 10. 

Kyle McMyne could bring it up to 95 (no control) and Mike Morin and Grayson Garvin lived in the low 90's too.

Cape League in Review: The Best of the Best

Over the course of the next few days, I will highlight the top 30 prospects overall, the top 3 by position, the most surprising and disappointing summers, the best "small school" prospects, and all the best tools: speed, power, hit for avg, etc.

Enjoy!

August 4th - Bourne @ Wareham

Bourne - 4

Wareham - 2

Last night in Wareham the Bourne Braves took on the Gatemen and prevailed in a come-back effort to give Will Roberts of Virginia his first win of the Summer. Roberts, a projectable (6-5, 210 lbs.) right-handed pitcher from the University of Virgina, had been used exclusively out of the bullpen until last night. Although his fastball has been clocked in the upper 80s out of the 'pen, he sat in the 85-87 range last night and touched 89 with fair life. He features a slider that at times in relief was a swinging-miss type pitch, a curveball with fair spin, and a decent change-up. He used all four pitches well, using the slider and change-up off the fastball while mixing in a few curveballs to keep the Wareham hitters honest. Despite not having electric stuff, he kept hitters back for better part of his six innings (6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K).

Although you should know his name by now, since this is a blog about prospects I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Bourne's closer from Louisville, Tony Zych. With a two run lead in the ninth inning, Manager Harvey Shapiro brought in the right-handed flamethrower in a fitting way to close out the regular season for the Braves. A single, a bloop single and a an error put him in a tight spot with the bases loaded and no outs, but he breezed through the next two batters by striking them out and then retired the last batter of the game on a pop-out to the third baseman. All season long he's been around 92-96, touching 97 at times with superb life. He doesn't have an ideal arm action but it will play in the bullpen because it's so quick. His tight slider is inconsistent now but it projects to be a plus pitch, and I have little doubt it will get there. In my mind I have to think that he and Stroman (Orleans, Duke) are two of the top closers on the Cape this Summer.

I'll mention one other arm before I get to my two featured players of the game. Erik Miller (6-4, 213 lbs.) of TCU has had a rough season (13.50 ERA, 8 IP) thus far but in the ninth inning he came on in relief and showed the makings of a potential Major League middle reliever. Despite a long arm action, his delivery is solid and what I liked about him is he comes from such a low arm slot. His fastball had nice velocity (90-91) for this point in the year and his slider shows the potential of being a very tough pitch to right-handed batters. He threw just one change-up last night and right now I see it being a third pitch that he could mix in to left-handed batters when he needs to show them a different look.

Now, here are two players who stood out to me as interesting prospects...

Zach Wilson (6-1, 195), a sophomore from Arizona State (although he is listed as a 1B/3B, he played in LF last night), is clearly the Gatemen's best hitter right now (Springer and Dickerson would have had something to say about that before they left for Team USA). He's a nice athlete and although he gets fair reads on balls, he's below average defensively with a well below average arm (which may force him to stay on the dirt at 1B). That is almost irrelevant though because of his bat. There's definitely power in there (5 HRs this Summer), but I especially like his balanced approach in the box. More often than not he'll swing at the right pitches to swing at and he reads spin out of the hand well. He has the hands to react to fastballs and he generally will not expand the zone, although I think he presses at times. For example, late in the game he swung through a high curveball because he lost his swing plane, most likely trying to jack HR number six. Those are just details though and I have to think that he'll be in a Major League line-up one day, given his natural tools.

The other player I'd like to mention here is Max Muncy (6-0, 195), a freshman 1B from Baylor. He was a catcher coming out of high school and there were concerns about his ability to stay there, but I think he has made the transition to 1B quite well. He committed an error last night on a ball that just stayed down on him but during infield-outfield he looked comfortable with the glove. He moves pretty well and I wonder if he could make the move to either 2B or 3B because I wonder about his height at 1B. Regardless, his ability to hit is his strongest tool. The first time I saw him in BP I though he was too long but after watching him against live pitching, my opinion certainly shifted. Much like Wilson, he shows nice balance and he sees spin well. I think he knows his zone and he doesn't really swing outside of it too often. Even though he's just a freshman, I thought he had a very mature approach and I think that makes his swing play up. With the two of these guys hitting back-to-back in the line-up, they give Wareham a good chance to squeak out two wins against the Braves this weekend in the first round of the play-offs.

Chatham Anglers Top 5 Prospects

I forgot to mention that I will be using some of the statistics/data collected from these games for Inside Edge, and also that I will be adding video links for some of the players.

Chatham Anglers:
1. Logan Verrett, Baylor:
· Has clearly been Chatham’s top pitcher this season with his 1.05 ERA and 0.76 WHIP over 34.33 innings pitched. Verrett throws all 5 of his pitches for strikes on a consistent basis, and has kept hitters off balance using mostly his slider and changeup while mixing in the occasional curveball or splitter. Tends to work away from most hitters, but has shown the ability to come inside when necessary (especially against right-handed hitters). Fastball velocity is fine at 88-93 mph, and doesn’t lose much as the game goes on since he is so efficient (averaged 3.5 pitches/plate appearance through first 3 starts). Excellent K/BB ratio of 30/5, and has only allowed 3 extra base hits the whole season, so it’s easy to see why Verrett has been so successful.

2. Aaron Westlake, Vanderbilt:
· Westlake has proven that he can hit for both power and average this season against tough pitching (.291 AVG, .481 SLG). His plate discipline is somewhat of a concern though. He tends to chase a lot of pitches up out of the strike zone, and his 20/5 K/BB ratio is pretty bad, even for a power hitter. His big frame naturally projects him as a first baseman, but he seems to be athletic enough to possibly play a corner outfield position as well.

3. Rick Oropesa, USC:
· Oropesa could arguably have the most raw power of anyone in the Cape League this season, and is able to drive the ball to all parts of the field. However, he has struck out in 35% of his at-bats so far this summer (Ryan Howard of the Phillies strikes out in 25% of his at-bats), and has not been a good hitter with 2 strikes (chases 57% of pitches out of the zone with 2 strikes). He has been able to draw walks and get on base though as shown by his .340 OBP despite only hitting .211. He is also very athletic for his size, which makes him a much better fielder than I expected.

4. Derek Self, Louisville:
· Self has shown incredible command allowing only 3 walks in 36 innings, but only 13 K's. His Opp. BA of .203 and Opp. SLG of .271 are a product of him pitching to contact so much, but those numbers will almost certainly be higher once he starts facing pro hitters. However, if he continues to develop his secondary pitches and control both sides of the plate, I believe he can be an effective pro starter.

5. Brian Humphries, Pepperdine:
· Relatively low .246 BA might be unlucky considering "well-hit avg" is .260 (over 50 points higher than MLB avg). Has shown that he can hit for power, as he leads the Anglers in extra base hits (10 doubles, 1 HR). Biggest concern is plate discipline. 31/9 K/BB ratio is not very good for someone consistently hitting at the top of the order. Only 7 BB's in 220 at-bats this season at Pepperdine as well.

Other players to watch:
Chris Munnelly, North Carolina
Matt Brazis, Boston College