July 24, 2011
Cape League notebook: Players chasing their pro dreams
by Ed Flaherty/
Here today, gone tomorrow.
The Cape Cod Baseball League is famous for being a breeding ground for future Major League Baseball players.
According to the league, during the 2010 season there were 236 CCBL alumni who were on MLB rosters.
In recent weeks three 2011 Cape League players started their journeys in hopes of reaching the Majors by signing professional contracts.
This past week Harwich and Falmouth saw players leave the Cape and sign pro deals.
Harwich left fielder Billy Burns left the Mariners to sign with the Washington Nationals, while Falmouth catcher/first baseman Jack Marder signed with Seattle.
Burns was drafted in the 32nd round (967th overall) by Washington. At Mercer in 2011 Burns hit .357 with six home runs and 33 RBI.
With Harwich, Burns was the Mariners’ leading hitter this summer with a .329 average.
Marder was a 16th round pick by Seattle (483rd overall).
Marder hit .209 with two home run and 19 RBI for Oregon in 2011.
With Falmouth, Marder hit .298 with 18 RBI.
Previously, Brewster catcher Taylor Davis left the Cape League after signing with the Chicago Cubs.
Davis (Morehead State) was hitting .375 with two home runs and 13 RBI.
All-Stars named
The Cape League has announced rosters for the 49th annual All-Star Game.
Brewster Whitecaps and Bourne Braves have six All-Stars apiece, leading the way for the All-Star Game, which will be held July 29 at Fenway Park.
Harwich pitcher Taylor Rogers (Kentucky) will start on the mound for the East All-Stars, while Bourne’s Ryan Eades (LSU) gets the nod for the West.
Eades has been outstanding throughout the season for Bourne and currently has the second-lowest ERA in the league at 0.86.
Rogers, meanwhile, has a 1.73 ERA with 22 strikeouts in five games for Harwich.
Comcast SportsNet New England will broadcast the game, which will also be carried on several other outlets across the country.
All-Star Game rosters include the following:
West Division
Ryan Eades, pitcher, Bourne/LSU
Josh Conway, pitcher, Bourne/Coastal Carolina
John Farrell, pitcher, Bourne/William & Mary
Dietrich Enns, pitcher, Hyannis/Central Michigan
Scott Firth, pitcher, Hyannis/Clemson
Konner Wade, pitcher, Wareham/Arizona
Justin Amlung, pitcher, Wareham/Louisville
John Simms, pitcher, Falmouth/Rice
Bobby Wahl, pitcher, Cotuit/Mississippi
Patrick Cantwell, catcher, Bourne/Stony Brook
Kevin Plawecki, catcher, Hyannis/Purdue
Max Muncy, first base, Wareham/Baylor
Jake Rodriguez, second base, Falmouth/Oregon State
Deven Marrero, shortstop, Cotuit/Arizona State
Colin Moran, third base, Bourne/North Carolina
Eric Stamets, utility INF, Hyannis/Evansvile
Travis Jankowsky, outfield, Bourne/Stony Brook
Jeremy Baltz, outfield, Falmouth/St. John’s
John Andreoli, outfield, Wareham/UConn
Joey Rickard, outfield, Hyannis/Arizona
Victor Roache, DH, Cotuit/Georgia Southern
East Division
Taylor Rogers, pitcher, Harwich/Kentucky
Austin Voth, pitcher, Brewster/Washington
Chris Overman, pitcher, Harwich/NC State
Carter Capps, pitcher, Harwich/Mount Olive
Trevor Gott, pitcher, Orleans/Kentucky
J.T. Chargois, pitcher, Brewster/Rice
Tyler Johnson, pitcher, Orleans/Stony Brook
Tony Bucciferro, pitcher, Brewster/Michigan State
Matt Koch, pitcher, Chatham/Louisville
Luke Voit, catcher, Harwich/Missouri State
Dane Phillips, catcher, Chatham/Oklahoma State
Ben Waldrip, first base, Orleans/Jacksonville State
Ryan Jones, second base, Brewster/Michigan State
Matt Duffy, shortstop, Orleans/Long Beach State
Stephen Piscotty, third base, Yarmouth-Dennis/Stanford
Jabari Henry, utility INF, Harwich/Florida International
Jason Monda, outfield, Brewster/Washington State
James Ramsey , outfield, Yarmouth-Dennis/Florida State
Cody Keefer, outfield, Yarmouth-Dennis/UCLA
Andrew Toles, outfield, Brewster/Tennessee
Mason Katz, DH, Yarmouth-Dennis/LSU
Honorary captains
A pair of Cape League Hall of Famers will be the honorary captains for the All-Star Game.
Pitchers Paul Mitchell and Joe Jabar will be the honorary captains for the West and East, respectively.
Both players are New England natives, Mitchell coming from Massachusetts and Jabar from Maine.
Mitchell played three seasons on the Cape, from 1969-71. His 126 strikeouts in 1969 remains a Cape League single-season record. He recorded seven straight games with 10 or more strikeouts in 1970.
Jabar also played three seasons on the Cape, with Yarmouth in 1965 and Chatham in 1966 and 1967.
With Chatham, Jabar had back-to-back 7-0 seasons. He posted a 1.53 ERA in 1966 and followed that with a 1.23 ERA in 1967.
Starting with a win at Yarmouth at the end of the 1965 season, Jabar won 15 straight regular-season games, a Cape League record.
Players of the Week
Wareham left-hander Joshua Turley (Baylor) has been named Cape Cod Baseball League Pitcher of the Week, while Cotuit outfielder Victor Roache (Georgia Southern) is Player of the Week.
In his two starts last week, Turley gave up just three hits and one run over 12 innings of work. He struck out 13 and walked two.
Roache continued his torrid pace for Cotuit, with a home run and eight RBI over six games.
League leaders
Through games played July 23, the Cape’s league leaders include the following:
Average – Victor Roache (Cotuit), .348
Home runs – Roache (Cotuit), 6; D.J. Hicks (Bourne), 6; Ben Waldrip (Orleans), 6; James Ramsey (Yarmouth-Dennis), 6
RBI – Roache (Cotuit), 28
Pitching wins – Dylan Floro (Hyannis), 4; Andrew Heaney (Falmouth), 4
ERA – Scott Firth (Hyannis), 0.82
Strikeouts – Joe Bircher (Falmouth), 41
