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Compiled by Allan Simpson (PG Crosschecker) / Andrew Hartwell (College Summer Ball Blogspot)
PG Crosschecker will unveil its ranking of the nation’s Top 250 Prospects in the 2010 draft class (as well as the top 100 in the 2011 class) in the next few days, and it’s fair to say that both lists will be heavily dominated by players performing this summer in the Cape Cod League.
There isn’t another summer league that can match the Cape in terms of raw talent, and the four Cape Cod League teams ranked on the accompanying list of the nation’s Top 25 summer league teams are heavily stocked with premium pro-level prospects. But only four of the Cape’s 10 teams have even .500 records (the minimum requirement to crack the Summer 25 rankings).
Meanwhile, the nation’s No. 1 summer team for the third week in a row, the streaking Forest City Owls of the Coastal Plain League, may not have a single player crack either preferred list of the top prospects in the next two draft classes. But the Owls are getting the most out of the talent they do have, and dominate the two rosters for the CPL all-star game, scheduled to be played July 21 in Wilmington, N.C. In all, eight Forest City players were selected to the game.
Rising sophomore righthander Ryan Arrowood (Appalachian State), who stretched his record on the summer to 8-0, 2.05 with a complete-game win on Tuesday to push the Owls record on the summer to 35-5 overall, was selected to the CPL all-star team. He tops the CPL in wins, and he’ll be joined in the game by righthanders Robbie Andrews (0-0, 0.00, 10 SV), the CPL saves leader, and Spencer Patton (6-0, 1.59, 51 IP/78 SO), the CPL strikeout leader. Arrowood is a projected mid-round prospect in the 2011 draft, while Andrews (Virginia Commonwealth) and Patton (SIU Edwardsville) were passed over in this year’s draft.
More than their raw talent, the Owls overall record and their domination of the CPL in both the first half (24-3) and second half (11-2) were instrumental in the team’s rise to No. 1. The Owls have gone 6-0 since last week’s ranking.
We’ll rank the top 25 summer college league teams every Tuesday or Wednesday from 20-plus leagues around the country, and here’s our take on the top teams in Week Five (last week’s ranking noted in parentheses).
| 1 |
Forest City (N.C.) Owls (1) |
Coastal Plain |
35-5 |
| Andrews has yet to give up a run in 14 innings; Arrowood is perfect, too, at 8-0, with a 2.05 ERA in 57 innings. |
| 2 |
Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (6) |
Cape Cod |
15-11-1 |
| Florida Gulf Coast LHP Chris Sale tops Cape with 38 strikeouts, Boston College 3B Mickey Wiswell with 18 RBIs. |
| 3 |
Corvallis (Ore.) Knights (4) |
West Coast |
28-5 |
| UC Riverside RHP Matt Andriese (3-0, 1.24) is WCL's top pitcher, Riverside CC Richie Jimenez (.447-0-10) top hitter. |
| 4 |
Santa Barbara Foresters (3) |
California Collegiate |
22-8 |
| San Diego's A.J. Griffin (4-0, 0.00), Wichita State's Tim Kelley (3-0, 1.12), a pair of 2009 drafts, continue to dominate. |
| 5 |
Orleans Firebirds (19) |
Cape Cod |
15-10 |
| UConn LHP Elliot Glynn (2-1, 1.05), Rutgers RHP Casey Gaynor (2-0, 1.50) lead pitching staff for surging Firebirds. |
| 6 |
Vienna (Va.) Senators (10) |
Clark Griffith |
23-5 |
| Utah's Nick Kuroczko leads league with .343 BA; Greg Uzee (Louisiana College) is 4-0, 1.45 in 31 innings. |
| 7 |
Newport (R.I.) Gulls (23) |
New England |
18-8 |
| Washington State OF Derek Jones (.321-5-15), USC-Upstate RHP Matt Branham (1-0, 0.00, 3 SV) key cogs for Gulls. |
| 8 |
Outer Banks (N.C.) Daredevils (7) |
Coastal Plain |
26-12 |
| Texas A&M OF Dylan Petrich (.404-1-23), Kennesaw State OF Josh Whitaker (.316-1-31) lead way for Daredevils. |
| 9 |
La Crosse Loggers (NR) |
Northwoods |
29-16 |
| Pepperdine LHP-OF Aaron Gates has done it all. At plate, he's hitting .320-4-26; on mound, he's 1-2, 1.82 in 25 IP. |
| 10 |
Chatham Anglers (2) |
Cape Cod |
15-11 |
| Va. Tech RHP Jesse Hahn (9 IP/1 H) has been clocked at 98, but Vandy RHP Russell Brewer (6 SV) is team's closer. |
| 11 |
Bourne Braves (5) |
Cape Cod |
13-10-2 |
| 12 |
San Luis Obispo (Calif.) Blues (14) |
Independent |
29-7 |
| 13 |
Mankato (Minn.) Moondogs (9) |
Northwoods |
29-16 |
| 14 |
Rochester (Minn.) Honkers (17) |
Northwoods |
27-16 |
| 15 |
DeLand Suns (16) |
Florida Collegiate |
20-8 |
| 16 |
Bethesda (Md.) Big Train (18) |
Cal Ripken Sr. |
21-6 |
| 17 |
Mat-Su Miners (8) |
Alaska |
18-11 |
| 18 |
Glens Falls Eagles (22) |
New York Collegiate |
22-7 |
| 19 |
Jersey Pilots (25) |
Atlantic Collegiate |
20-7 |
| 20 |
Victoria Generals (20) |
Texas Collegiate |
19-10 |
| 21 |
Lima (Ohio) Locos (18) |
Great Lakes |
16-6 |
| 22 |
El Dorado (Kan.) Broncos (NR) |
Jayhawk |
20-7 |
| 23 |
Vermont Mountaineers (NR) |
New England |
18-11 |
| 24 |
Staunton (Va.) Braves (12) |
Valley |
17-12 |
| 25 |
Anchorage Glacier Pilots (NR) |
Alaska |
18-14 |
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