The Cape Cod Baseball League is the premier collegiate summer league in the world. The best college players in the nation spend their summers toiling under the Massachusetts sun dreaming of someday playing in the Major Leagues. Most MLB players with college roots spent time in the Cape at some point. League games are played almost every night for over six weeks with wood bats which serves as vital preparation for the next level.
At the end of June, we published our Top 30 Collegiate Prospects for the 2025 MLB Draft. Many of those included participated in the Cape this past season. While there were some struggles for some, many flourished and perhaps raised their draft stock in the process. The following ten players shined and each of them could hear their names in the first round of next year’s MLB draft.
Devin Taylor had a strong Cape League performance despite missing time to represent Team USA from June 26th until July 4th. The Indiana star showed his hitting ability throughout the summer season, hitting for 10 extra bases and drawing 17 walks. Throughout the summer, he displayed impressive bat speed and the ability to drive the ball to all fields.
He continued to chase outside the zone and although there was hope to see him roam center field for Cotuit, he was mostly employed as a DH. The few opportunities that Taylor saw in the field came as a right fielder, though he did play one game in left. He finished the regular season strong with hits in the Kettleers’ last four games, but struggled in the playoffs, going 0-14 with 7 strikeouts.
Ike Irish played almost the entire season for the Chatham A’s this summer, departing just a few games before the end of the regular season. The Cape League All Star didn’t display the monster raw power that we’ve become accustomed to seeing, but instead settled for more gap-to-gap displays, which resulted in five doubles and a triple. Irish also seemed to focus on drawing more walks, but he continued to struggle with the strikeout rate, going down via the K 35 times in 120 at bats.
Defensively, Irish showed prowess behind the plate, displaying an above average pop time and quick release on steal attempts. The Auburn Tiger threw out 36% of the attempted base stealers while showing good range blocking potential wild pitches.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
