CAPE COD LEAGUE
TOP 100 PROSPECTS, 2008

Compiled by Allan Simpson
In Association with League Managers and Scouts

Official League Website: www.capecodbaseball.org

The Cape Cod League has been a popular summer destination for the nation’s elite college talent since the mid-80s, when the league raised its profile by both aggressively recruiting players from all parts of the country and becoming the first summer league to return to wood bats. Since then, the Cape has only solidified its grip as the top dog in an expanding summer college baseball landscape.

Even by its own lofty standards, the Cape had a profound impact on this year’s draft as 14 of 30 first-round picks had ties to the league. Of the first 25 selections, 11 spent the 2007 season in the Cape.

It’s unlikely the Cape will impact the 2009 draft in quite the same way, as scouts and league managers generally agreed that the same high-end talent—especially pitching—wasn’t as evident in the league this summer, though the depth of talent was comparable. USA Baseball’s undefeated college national team was partly responsible for some of the drop in talent as it siphoned off 14 players who were earmarked to play in the Cape this summer, including five who played there in 2007.

Falmouth righthander Kyle Gibson (Missouri), at No. 9, was the Cape Cod League’s highest-ranked prospect from 2007 who was earmarked to return to the league only to play instead for Team USA. The national team, in particular, decimated Wareham’s potentially-dominating pitching staff as lefthanders Mike Minor (Vanderbilt) and Andy Oliver (Oklahoma State), and righthander Kendal Volz (Baylor) were all slated to return to the Gatemen, who ended up with the Cape’s poorest record. All four pitchers are projected first-rounders next June, and their absence from the Cape this summer was noteworthy as the league posted a collective 3.64 ERA—the highest in years.

Interestingly, the Cape’s three highest-ranked players from 2007 who did end up back in the league were all from Southern California. That included the Cape’s No. 1 prospect, Chatham shortstop Grant Green, who improved from No. 24 a year ago. Conversely, Cotuit catcher/righthander Robert Stock, who at No. 22 had been the highest-ranked Trojan, went backwards this year and was ranked only No. 41. The third Trojan, Chatham righthander Brad Boxberger, improved from No. 32 to No. 8.

Some of the Cape’s potential impact on the 2009 draft also took a hit when seven players on the accompanying list of the league’s top 100 prospects signed with big league clubs prior to the Aug. 15 signing deadline, rather than return to college. All seven were drafted in June, essentially as summer follows, and it’s fair to say that the top two players on the list, both from Bourne, helped themselves immeasurably by playing in the Cape all or part of this summer prior to signing.

Righthander Bryce Stowell (UC Irvine), a 22^nd-round pick of the Cleveland Indians, and his teammate, shortstop Dusty Coleman (Wichita State), a 28^th-round selection of the Oakland A’s, signed for $725,000 and $675,000, respectively—the equivalent of early- to mid-second round money. Both players were draft-eligible sophomores, and would have been premium picks had they decided to return for another college season.

Befitting the league’s slightly different profile this summer, it did not have a dominant team like it did in 2007, when the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox ran the table, winning the regular season in a walk and sweeping to the playoff title to capture their third championship in four years. Y-D’s powerful lineup featured Florida State catcher Buster Posey, the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft; Georgia shortstop Gordon Beckham, the eighth pick; and Stanford catcher Jason Castro, the 10^th selection. Without that kind of returning talent, the Red Sox spent almost the entire 2008 season in last place in the East.

By contrast, Harwich won the 2008 championship, despite being a .500 club deep into the season. The Mariners snuck into the playoffs as a second-place team in the East and, moreover, didn’t feature a single player ranked in the top 15 on the accompanying prospect list—with the exception of No. 2 Dustin Ackley, who played in only a dozen regular-season and was long gone from the team as it got hot at the right time and won its last eight games, including all four playoff contests.

FAST FACTS
Year League Established: 1885.
States Represented in League: Massachusetts.
Level of Competition (1-to-4 Scale): 1.
No. of Teams in League: 10.
Regular-Season Champion: Orleans Cardinals.
Post-Season Champion: Harwich Mariners.
Teams, PG Crosschecker Summer 16/Final Ranking: No. 3 Harwich Mariners, No. 9 Cotuit Kettleers, No. 11 Falmouth Commodores, No. 17 Orleans Cardinals, No. 26 Bourne Braves.
No. 1 Prospect, 2007 (per PG Crosschecker): Aaron Crow, rhp, Falmouth Commodores (Missouri; Nationals ’08, first round).
First 2007 Player Selected, 2008 Draft: Buster Posey, c, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (Florida State; Giants, first round).

Most Valuable Player: A.J. Pollock, of, Falmouth Commodores.
Most Outstanding Pitcher: Nick McCully, rhp, Bourne Braves. SteepleCats.
Top Prospect (as selected by league): Grant Green, ss, Chatham A’s.

BATTING LEADERS
Batting Average:Jimmy Cesario, 2b-of, Falmouth Commodores (.387).
Slugging Percentage: A.J. Pollock, of, Falmouth Commodores (.556).
On-Base Average: Marc Krauss, of-1b, Harwich Mariners/Bourne Braves (.473).
Home Runs: Chris Dominguez, 3b, Hyannis Mets (10).
RBIs: Marc Krauss, of-1b, Harwich Mariners/Bourne Braves (34).
Stolen Bases: Tim Wheeler, of, Orleans Cardinals (15).

PITCHING LEADERS
Wins: Nick Hernandez, lhp, Cotuit Kettleers (6).
ERA: Austin Hudson, rhp, Hyannis Mets (1.50).
Saves: Russell Brewer, rhp, Hyannis Mets (12).
Strikeouts: Brandon Workman, rhp, Wareham Gatemen (67).

PITCHING LEADERS
Wins: Nick Hernandez, lhp, Cotuit Kettleers (6).
ERA: Austin Hudson, rhp, Hyannis Mets (1.50).
Saves: Russell Brewer, rhp, Hyannis Mets (12).
Strikeouts: Brandon Workman, rhp, Wareham Gatemen (67).

BEST TOOLS
Best Hitter: 1. Dustin Ackley, of, Harwich Mariners. 2. Grant Green, ss, Chatham A’s. 3. A.J. Pollock, of, Falmouth Commodores.
Best Power: 1. Chris Dominguez, 3b, Hyannis Mets. 2. Ben Paulsen, 1b, Hyannis Mets. 3. Angelo Songco, of, Orleans Cardinals.
Fastest Base Runner: 1. Gary Brown, of, Orleans Cardinals. 2. Jordan Henry, of, Bourne Braves. 3. Dustin Ackley, of, Harwich Mariners.
Best Defensive Player: 1. Joey Wong, ss, Falmouth Commodores. 2. Yasmani Grandal, c, Brewster Whitecaps. 3. Tony Sanchez, c, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
Best Velocity: 1. Ben Tootle, rhp, Falmouth Commodores. 2. Matt Harvey, rhp, Chatham A’s. 3. Brad Stillings, rhp, Orleans Cardinals.
Best Breaking Ball: 1. Matt Harvey, rhp, Chatham A’s. 2. Brandon Workman, rhp, Wareham Gatemen. 3. Brad Boxberger, rhp, Chatham A’s.

TOP 100 PROSPECTS

	PLAYER	POS.	TEAM	B-T	HT	WT	YR	2009 SCHOOL
1.	Grant Green	SS	Chatham A’s	R-R	6-3	205	Jr.	Southern California
SCOUTING REPORT: Green spent the 2007 Cape Cod League season at Yarmouth-Dennis and played a key role as that club rolled with ease to the league title. But Green, a natural shortstop, played a variety of positions—anything to keep his potent bat in the lineup—as Cape home run leader and 2008 first-rounder Gordon Beckham earned most of the playing time at shortstop. Green moved on to Chatham this summer and as the A’s regular shortstop quickly asserted himself as the best prospect in the league—and possibly the best position player in the entire 2009 draft class. He finished among Cape leaders in a number of offensive categories, including batting average (.348, fourth), runs (37, second), hits (56, third), slugging percentage (.537, second) and on-base average (.451, fifth). He also homered six times and delivered another long ball in the league all-star game, a game-tying two run blast in the eighth inning that led to his being selected the game’s MVP. Green’s bat makes him a premium offensive player at a premium position. That became clear in the spring at USC, when he led the Trojans in batting (.390), homers (9), slugging (.644) and on-base average (.438). He also slugged five triples, extending his two-year total to 15—already a USC career record. Green has a sound approach to hitting, especially to the middle of the field, and with increased strength he has begun driving balls with authority to all fields. Chatham manager John Schiffner, the winningest skipper in league history, compared Green favorably to Evan Longoria, who had an MVP season for Chatham in 2005 while playing primarily shortstop. Longoria has since shifted to third base, and Green may end up there, too, if he gets a little bigger and stronger—and possibly loses a step in the process. Though Green runs well enough to remain at shortstop, he’s not a burner. But he has sound base-running instincts and stole 10 bases in both his spring and summer seasons. Scouts are mostly split on his ability to play shortstop. While some believe he has the hands, range and easy actions to remain there in the long term, others say he’s not overly fluid or natural, and is often too relaxed in his approach. His arm strength appears to be more than adequate for the position, but he led the Cape with 17 errors—and most came on throws when he became too nonchalant and didn’t set his feet properly. He also tends to sit back on balls too often, rather than charge them. Mostly, it’s all about consistency. He made nine errors in his first 21 games as a sophomore at USC, then didn’t make another in his final 29 games. He also had a streak of 17 straight errorless games to finish his freshman year. Green has the tools and athleticism to beat teams in a number of ways, but in the end result the difference maker will be his bat. It should play, regardless if he remains at shortstop or gets a little bigger and stronger and ends up at third base.

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