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

E.J. Brown CCBL Player Rankings

For the past two summers, Alex and I have been charting Cape League games for Inside Edge together. We have seen more than 30 games each this summer alone, so we feel that we have a good grasp of the talent level across the league. Alex added me as a contributor to his blog, so I thought I would give my own rankings for each team to see how they compared to his. I am ranking each team's top five pro prospects, but to be clear, these have nothing to do with draft eligibility or anything else. I will post one team at a time, with my analysis of each of the players in my top five. The first team will be the Chatham Anglers, who I have probably seen the most out of any other team this summer.

Top 5 Prospects for each CCBL team

Ranking players is always fun, so why not rate the top 5 prospects for each team.

Bourne

1. Zack MacPhee, 2B 
2. Tony Zych, RHP (closer)
3. Ryan Wright, 2B 
4. Daniel Bowman, OF
5. Grayson Garvin, RHP

Brewster

1. Drew Gagnon, RHP
2. Mike Palazzone, RHP
3. Cohl Walla, OF
4. Drew Martinez, OF
5. Troy Channing, SS

** I didn't consider Anthony Ranaudo eligible for this list. He would be the top prospect however.

Chatham

1. Logan Verrett, RHP
2. Aaron Westlake, 1B
3. Ricky Oropesa, 1B
4. Mark Ginther, 3B
5. Stephen Perez, SS

Cotuit

1. CJ Cron, C
2. Zach Cone, OF
3. Paul Hoilman, 3B
4. Nick Tropeano, RHP
5. Austin Wood, RHP

Falmouth

1. Matt Skole, 3B
2. Andrew Susac, C
3. Barrett Barnes, OF
4. Nick Martini, OF
5. B.A. Vollmuth, IF

Harwich

1. Mikie Mahtook, OF
2. Taylor Dugas, OF
3. Levi Michael, INF
4. Steven Proscia, 3B
5. Pratt Maynard, C

Hyannis

1. Johnny Ruettiger, OF
2. Cam Seitzer, 1B
3. Tyler Ray, RHP
4. Casey McElroy, SS
5. Tyler Mizenko, RHP

Orleans

1. Kolten Wong, 2B
2. Jason Esposito, 3B
3. Ryan Carpenter, LHP
4. Marcus Stroman, RHP
5. Kyle Simon, RHP

*** I'm not big on Preston Tucker. Too many holes in his swing, bad body.

Wareham

1. Matt Barnes, RHP
2. Alex Dickerson, OF
3. George Springer, OF
4. Jed Bradley, LHP
5. Jack Armstrong, RHP

Y-D

1. Brett Mooneyham, LHP
2. Michael Goodnight, RHP
3. Joe Panik, SS
4. Dusty Robinson, OF
5. Tyler Hanover, INF

At the end of the season, I will rank the top 30 prospects in the CCBL.