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.