Training ground for prospects
Brownlie, Parker among Cape League alumni
By Patrick Mulrenin / MLB.com |
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What started as a novel idea evolved into an historic event for two reasons: The tournament champion used wood bats to defeat their aluminum-wielding opponents and the tournament lasted just one year.
While the players from the Shenandoah Valley League, the Great Lakes League and the Central Illinois League were all under the impression that they could use their college-regulated aluminum bats for this tournament, the kids from the Cape Cod Baseball League brought only what they had been using that summer: wood bats.
Appearing to be at a disadvantage, the Cape Leaguers lost the first game, but rallied to win the final six games, capturing the tournament title. In hindsight, that should come as no surprise seeing as the Cape Cod League boasted a team of future Major League All-Stars in Mo Vaughn, Frank Thomas, Jeff Bagwell, Chuck Knoblauch and Tim Salmon.
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FULL COVERAGE: • Bullington goes first • Drafttracker • Complete Draft coverage | | |
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Located one hour south of Boston and one hour northeast of Providence, R.I., Cape Cod, Mass., has become synonymous with summer resorts, seafood and baseball. The 116-year-old Cape Cod Baseball League has showcased the top college players over an eight-week period from June until early August. The 10-team league (which represent towns on the Cape -- Chatham, Yarmouth-Dennis, Orleans, Harwich, Brewster, Wareham, Bourne, Falmouth, Cotuit and Hyannis) has seen future Hall of Famers Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk battle long before they made names for themselves with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, respectively.
"Me and (Chicago White Sox first baseman) Frank Thomas have been battling since it was the Wareham Gatemen versus the Orleans Cardinals," said Vaughn, who roomed with Knoblauch at the home of a local family during the summer of '88 when the two were teammates at Wareham.
During Vaughn's second season on the Cape, it was Knoblauch who won the award as the top professional prospect. Vaughn did not leave empty-handed though, taking home the postseason MVP award.
"It was the best because you've got the best players coming together on Cape Cod," Vaughn said. "It's a tremendous atmosphere. I was lucky enough to play there two years. It was just tremendous for me."
The talent level featured each summer continues to impress Major League scouts and teams. Last season, a record 150 former Cape Leaguers were chosen in the First-Year Player Draft, including seven in the first round and two in the top five: Dewon Brazelton by Tampa Bay with the third selection and infielder Mark Teixeira by Texas two picks later.
As teams prepare for this year's draft, to be held June 4-5, there are a number of Cape Leaguers who have garnered attention from Major League scouting departments. There could be five Cape League players taken in the first round, and two pitchers have been discussed as potentially being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the top selection.
Pitchers Bobby Brownlie (Rutgers), Joe Saunders (Virginia Tech) and David Bush (Wake Forest), along with infielders Russ Adams (University of North Carolina) and Drew Meyer (South Carolina) are considered to be top players that will be gone by the time the A's make the final selection in the opening round.
Let's take a look at some of the prospects who played in the Cape Cod League the past few years and are available in this year's draft :
Bobby Brownlie: The only one to have not played in the Cape Cod League last summer. Instead of returning to play for the Falmouth Commodores, where he made a name for himself in 2000, Brownlie joined Team USA's pitching staff.
Brownlie was the starting pitcher for the East in the 2000 Cape League All-Star Game, which draws more than 50 Major League scouts every year, and garnered the Outstanding Pro Prospect Award. The 6-foot-1 right-hander went 4-2 with a 2.01 ERA in 11 games, while leading the league with 73 strikeouts.
"Brownlie is what I'd call a 'Max Effort Guy,'" Harwich Mariners manager Buddy Custer said. "He's so aggressive. He's something pretty special. I talked to my two assistants -- one is at Boston College and the other is at Villanova (both schools are in the same conference as Brownlie's Rutgers) -- and they said he is the real deal. He's a strong-bodied kid. He's a guy that once he develops physically and mentally in the future that he is going to be a big league pitcher as well."
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"He tore some wood up this summer. He could probably start a lumber yard."
-- Wareham manager Cooper Farris on David Bush |
What impressed Custer the most about Saunders was his attention to detail and preparation before every start. In his first outing, Saunders took the loss and had problems with his control, but that was the last time he allowed that to happen.
"The thing that impressed me was that at the end of the summer, you can have a lot of guys that are tired and want the summer to finish so that they can get ready for school, but until the very end, he was very aggressive in his preparation," Custer said. "He showed that he can be successful amongst some of the best players in the country.
"Every time we put him out there, he threw at least seven innings. Before you knew it, it's already the sixth or seventh inning and either we're in the game or ahead by a couple of runs because he's held the other team down. He's going to have a chance to go all nine or you can give the ball over to your setup guy or closer to win the game. He's very consistent that way."
David Bush: The only pitcher among the group to have completed two tours with the Cape League. He was second in the league with 11 saves in 2000 and allowed only two earned runs in 21 1/3 innings for a 0.84 ERA. That performance, as well as his continued improvement with the Demon Deacons, compelled the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to select him in the fourth round last year. When it became apparent to Bush that he would not sign with Tampa Bay as negotiations came to an impasse, he called Chatham A's manager John Schiffner and asked if he could play for him again in Chatham. It just so happened that an A's pitcher had to return home with an injury and Schiffner immediately added Bush to the roster.
Even though he was not used as the primary closer, Bush continued to improve, posting a 0.34 ERA (one earned run in 26 1/3 innings pitched) in 19 relief appearances. He became somewhat of a legend during an All-Star Game against the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) in New Hampshire.
"It was absolutely unbelievable," said Schiffner, who managed the Cape Leaguers to a 5-2 victory. "He struck out three guys on nine pitches. Our team ran off the field and the rest of the people in the stands were saying, 'There's got to be something else. No? I guess that's it.' It was absolutely unbelievable."
Wareham manager Cooper Farris advised his team to get as many runs as possible before Chatham got the chance to use Bush in the late innings.
"He comes after you like [Rob] Dibble," Farris said. "He doesn't play with you. He's just 'Here it is, hit it if you can.' He tore some wood up this summer. He could probably start a lumber yard."
Russ Adams: Adams is one of the finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the Top Collegiate Player every year. Last summer, Adams was named Outstanding Pro Prospect, All-Star Game MVP and the top second baseman in the league.
As a member of the Orleans Cardinals, Adams was second in the league with 48 hits. He batted .281 in 44 games with 27 runs, 12 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.
"I really like Russ Adams from North Carolina. I thought he did everything," said Farris, who guided the Gatemen to the title last season. "He can do a lot of things to hurt you. He's very good defensively. I think he was a shortstop in North Carolina, but he played second base on the Cape and I think that's where he needs to be.
"He did a lot of things well. He made some plays defensively that won another game for them, against us. He won it different ways. He won games with his speed, his bat and his glove. There are a lot of ways he can hurt you."
Drew Meyer: He struggled offensively in his second Cape League season, but is having an outstanding year at South Carolina. Farris said that he was impressed when he watched Meyer warming up in the outfield during infield practice. The shortstop opened the eyes of scouts with his arm strength. Meyer went from batting .214 in 2000 to .192 last season for Chatham, but Schiffner said that Meyer has the potential to improve at the plate.
"Drew's gifted, just absolutely gifted," said Schiffner. "He hasn't even reached his potential yet. He's an unbelievable defensive player, strong throwing arm, his instincts are phenomenal. He loves the game of baseball. That's what makes him so special. He has not even come close to reaching his potential as a hitter. It's going to happen and he is going to be real special."
There are three other players, pitchers Joe Blanton (Kentucky) and Chris Leonard (Miami/Ohio) and catcher Tyler Parker (Georgia Tech) that should be selected in the early rounds. The right-handed Blanton led the Cape League with 77 strikeouts and 68 innings pitched.
"I absolutely loved him," Custer said. "He's another guy (along with Leonard) that came out of nowhere. He just threw the living daylights out of the ball, real hard. He just kept the ball low, around your knees, and it was always coming in at 92 mph."
Next week, dozens of former Cape Leaguers will be selected to play professional baseball. Around half of the 230 players selected to play in the Cape League are drafted every year. The numbers alone show that the Cape Cod Baseball League is the top collegiate summer league in the country.
"I think players get an opportunity to get scouted on a consistent basis, day in and day out, night in and night out, because we play so many games in such a short period of time and the caliber is just unbelievable," said Schiffner. "You're playing against the best and you're going to see by the top scouts because the cross-checkers come to town, the farm directors come to town, the scouting directors come to town and you're being seen, in some cases, by four different scouts from each organization.
"I think that's the reason why it would be the best place to come because you're going to be scouted heavily and you're going to be seen by an awful lot of people. The other thing is, what a great place to spend the summer. You're at an internationally recognized resort area, you're playing baseball and you're a college kid."
Patrick Mulrenin is an editorial producer for MLB.com. He can be reached atpatrick.mulrenin@mlb.com. Thumbnail photos courtesy of Sean Walsh, Director of Public Relations for the Cape Cod Baseball League. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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