Amateur Scout Will Hoefer took in over 20 Cape Cod League games this past summer and walked away with a thorough idea of who to watch for in 2022 on the college circuit.
Live Looks:
Spencer Jones (CF, Vanderbilt, 2022) - #17 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/30, 7/31, 8/6, 8/7, 8/10
BACKGROUND: Highly touted two-way prep player out of southern California, received infrequent playing time during his first two years at Vanderbilt. Played nearly everyday this summer as a center fielder for Brewster.
WHAT HE SHOWED: To call Jones merely athletic is a disservice; this is a freak athlete amongst the most athletic baseball players in college ball. At 6’7”, Jones routinely put up average to above average run times and even posted a 4.07 (plus time) on a jailbreak, then would go out to center field and flash playmaking ability. Jones is likely to be a right fielder long term, but there’s a non-zero chance he sticks in center. As with most players of his gargantuan size, the carrying tool here is power. It projects as plus in games, and when Jones connects you can hear it from the parking lot. Conversely, there is a fair bit of swing and miss as a result of his extra long levers, and pitchers that can work up and down effectively did give him issues on the Cape. With that said, Jones works pitchers hard to give him pitches that he can drive, and you can project on improvement with the hit tool given his relative lack of plate appearances and the aforementioned plus athleticism.
OUTLOOK: Jones’ draft stock is trending up, and the primary thing keeping him out of the first round is a lack of performance in SEC play. Fortunately, Jones should get the requisite playing time this year in Nashville to remedy that.
Max Anderson (3B, Nebraska, 2023) - #22 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/18, 7/30, 8/6, 8/9, 8/10
BACKGROUND: True freshman starting third baseman for Nebraska, won Big 10 Freshman of the Year and was a First Team Freshman All-American.
WHAT HE SHOWED: High hands, bat wrap that precedes a good swing plane to make hard, elevated contact. Good bat speed, really hits balls hard on the inner half of the plate. On the whole there’s good pitch recognition, but Anderson will chase good breakers and can struggle handling high fastballs (though fatigue could have played a role there). Best attribute offensively is great hand speed that allows him to attack the ball out in front, resulting in lots of pull side power. There are some question marks regarding Anderson’s third base play. His range at third is solid and he does get his body in position to make plays, but his hands aren’t great and his arm action is awkward and plays down his arm strength. Played some first base for Bourne when Dalton Rushing would catch, and needless to say it would be a huge blow to his draft stock if he had to move to the bottom of the defensive spectrum. However, this is still a very young player, and there’s work that can be done to get more consistent with the arm and hands at the hot corner.
OUTLOOK: Possessing an advanced hit tool for his age and swing attributes that maximize his raw power, Max Anderson is looking to build off a very successful freshman year and should be one of the top corner infielders on draft lists for 2023.
Luke Keaschall (2B/3B/OF, San Francisco, 2023) - #30 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/16, 7/24, 7/31
BACKGROUND: Multi-positional infielder from San Francisco, very good freshman year and was a mid-season addition for Orleans after he spent the first half of his summer terrorizing pitchers in the Cal Ripken League.
WHAT HE SHOWED: High hands, minimal backswing with a small front foot stride that's on the border of toe tap and leg kick. Clears his hips well when he identifies a pitch, strong hands help him elevate the ball into the outfield even when he's fooled. Aggressive swing decisions, but a lot of that is being very young for the level of competition he has faced on the Cape. The rest of it is confidence in his ability to hit. Has definite pull-side power, will have to add more muscle to take balls out to center and opposite fields. Played a lot in the outfield for Orleans, in my looks he's been at third base. Mostly solid work there overall, though have seen him rush his footwork and airmail a throw or two.
OUTLOOK: A relative unknown before arriving on the Cape, Keaschall is now almost certainly a top follow in the 2023 draft class for West Coast area scouts. His high level of performance as a 18 year old is truly remarkable, and the hit tool can definitely carry his offensive profile.
Tres Gonzalez (CF, Georgia Tech, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/12, 7/16, 7/23, 7/24, 7/27, 8/2
BACKGROUND: Split time between center and left field in his second season at Georgia Tech, with great on base skills being his calling card.
WHAT HE SHOWED: For my money, this is the toughest out on the Cape. There's nothing that jumps out at you physically, but Gonzalez works at bats and puts good swings on about anything in the strike zone. Protects with two strikes and has great plate coverage. In my looks, the batted ball distribution has mostly been line drives and sharp ground balls, but there is concern that Gonzalez puts the ball on the ground too much. This is a good thing, since Gonzalez doesn't really possess more than mistake power at present, although he can go gap to gap and has the capacity to drive balls to the wall. Defensively, Gonzalez possesses the reads, routes and closing speed to make the plays you expect a center fielder to make, and flashed some playmaking ability.
OUTLOOK: Gonzalez came to the Cape as one of college baseball’s better on base threats, and has solidified that reputation this summer. He possesses one of the best hit tools in this year’s draft class, and will look to incorporate more power into his game at Tech in 2022.
Eric Brown (2B/SS, Coastal Carolina, 2022) - #27 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/12, 7/18, 8/1, 8/6, 8/8
BACKGROUND: Played in all but one game for Coastal Carolina in 2021, and was the do-it-all starting shortstop for the Chanticleers.
WHAT HE SHOWED: At the plate, Brown's pre swing actions are unorthodox. He stands about as far back as you can stand in the box while still being in the box, then bars his right arm before bringing the bat head right in front of his face. However, this is all pretense to what Brown does with his swing. It's a fast bat through the zone, and his slow leg kick is effective as a timing mechanism for Brown. In my looks he's often made loud contact, and even has some mishit power (even if it's just dead pull). In the field, he's often where he needs to be, has a strong arm, and will use his twitchiness and speed to hunt outs. Definitely has the physical attributes to play shortstop, but to get Ryan Ritter in the lineup he was often playing second base.
OUTLOOK: Brown possesses average to above average tools across the board, and his energy and high effort play style helps those tools shine in game situations. He returns to Coastal as their starting short shop, and tracks as a top three round talent in the 2022 draft.
Eric Reyzelman (RHP, LSU, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 8/7
BACKGROUND: Big arm out of San Francisco, has struggled with command in game situations but was touching 97 in earlier Cape appearances.
WHAT HE SHOWED: Works from a low arm slot with a 6'2'' release height. Doesn’t get a lot of extension, effortless velo with the ease of his operation being very noticeable. There’s some herky-jerk in the legs and a long arm action with plus speed. His fastball was 92-95 with 15-18 inches of IVB in the first inning, but the velo dropped to 89-94 in the second inning, and all the way down to 88-90 in the fourth. Secondary velo noticeably dropped as well. Suspecting a lot of this was fatigue, but there are some things mechanically in his lower half that could be fine-tuned in order to keep his velocity deeper into games. CH was 79-83 with consistent location and late drop early on, but got softer and loopier as the game progressed. Mixed in an occasional slurvy breaking ball at 76-77 MPH, but have heard reports of a slider/curveball demarcation.
OUTLOOK: Reyzelman was another pitcher that seemed to find his command once he got to the Cape, most likely due to the unevenness of the shortened 2020 season. He decided to transfer to LSU for the 2022 season, and will look to grab a spot in the weekend rotation. With tweaks to his fastball and how he uses his legs in his delivery, Reyzelman could really carve up bats in SEC play and put himself into top three round consideration.
Adam Tulloch (LHP, Arizona State, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/27
BACKGROUND: Transferred to West Virginia from Wingate (D2) and served as a swingman type for the Mountaineers. Performance was not great, but he struck dudes out and the Dodgers liked the stuff enough to use their 17th round pick on him. He chose not to sign and pitched the remainder of his summer for Chatham.
WHAT HE SHOWED: Works from a 3Q arm slot, and his arm path hides the ball well on his back hip. Effortful delivery, but in my look everything was landing forward and Tulloch lands well with a good base at release. The fastball was a four seamer that sat 91-93 MPH and touched 94, with 2000-2250 RPMs. It's generally on a generic 10:30 spin axis, but there's a lot of life to it and hitters were having trouble squaring it up all night. Above average carry that flashed plus when Tulloch was able to get on top of it. Featured a gyro slider at 79-83 MPH with 2350-2450 RPMs, showed above average vertical break and could develop into a plus pitch with continued command. Threw a couple of changeups at 83-85 MPH that flashed above average depth and run.
OUTLOOK: Tulloch pitched very well in Cape play, limiting his walks and showing stronger command of his three pitches. He will transfer to Arizona State for this upcoming season, and could really rise up draft boards if the strong stuff he flashed on the Cape becomes more consistent in Tempe.
Tommy Troy (2B, Stanford, 2023) - #11 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/12, 7/16, 7/23, 7/24, 7/27, 8/2
BACKGROUND: Very well regarded prep bat that had a strong freshman campaign at Stanford, with notable power production for his size.
WHAT HE SHOWED: Pound for pound, Troy has the most raw power of anyone on the Cape, and gets to most of it in game. Has power to all fields, strong arms and hips really help him accelerate the barrel through the zone. Very twitchy in the box, bat gets through the zone very quickly and allows him to really sit back and dissect pitches that he sees out of the hand. It was rare to see Troy have a bad plate appearance over the six games I saw him play, and generally he was good for a barrel a day. Defensively, the arm is strong at 2B and there's smooth actions and transitions. There were a few hops that he'd be eaten up by, but on the whole his hands were plenty soft enough to field at an above average level.
OUTLOOK: Troy has all the makings of a first round talent, with above average tools across the board. Further establishing a production track record over the next two seasons could make him a top ten pick in 2023.
Quick Hits:
Nathan Martorella (1B, California, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/12, 7/18, 8/1, 8/6, 8/8
A thick framed first baseman, Martorella has some good raw pop and a swing geared more for line drives and hard ground ball contact than for clearing fences. What drives his offensive profile is plus plate discipline, and while his upside may be limited to a left handed bench bat, the floor is still high enough to get him to the upper minors. Projects very similarly to John Nogowski.
Lucas Gordon (LHP, Texas, 2023) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 8/1
Lucas Gordon acquitted himself very well in a multi inning relief role for Falmouth, with good pitchability for a 2023 arm. He has a high 80s fastball that topped out at 91, a high 70s change with above average feel and shape, and a fringey low to mid 70s curveball. The stuff is okay and there's not a lot of projection on the frame, but Gordon's good extension and low release height makes the fastball play up and the change could be a real weapon. A step forward with command is probably imperative for Gordon to be considered a starting prospect, but time is on his side.
Danny Wilkinson (LHP, Villanova, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/31
Wilkinson is fun to watch due to a high overhead arm slot and a very unorthodox mechanical feature. Halfway through his delivery, he turns his head away from the plate, then fires it back through his finish to the plate. The stuff is unique and effective; a low 90s fastball with near perfect backspin and a big 12-6 curve in the low to mid 70s, complimented by an occasional slider at around 80 MPH. Consistency with his delivery will determine whether the premature head whack is an issue or a quirk, but this is definitely an intriguing strikeout heavy relief prospect for the 2022 draft.
Cade Winquest (RHP, Texas Arlington, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/17
Winquest possesses a mid 90s fastball and a hammer curve, which each show plus when he’s able to command those offerings. When I saw Winquest he had his good command and was able to carve up a decent Hyannis lineup, and it’s imperative that he shows more consistency hitting his spots for his fourth year at UT-Arlington.
Johnny Castagnozzi (3B, North Carolina, 2023) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/17
I caught Castagnozzi just before he left the Cape, but unfortunately did not get to see him play in the field. He has a lean athletic build with good bat speed, and while he did struggle to make contact, his contact quality was strong enough to keep his head above water as a freshman on the Cape. Definitely an interesting follow for mid-Atlantic scouts over the next two years at Chapel Hill.
Dominic Keegan (1B/OF, Vanderbilt, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/24
Keegan chose not to sign with the Yankees after being selected in the 19th round, and arrived on the Cape shortly after the draft. In my sole look, Keegan barreled a lineout to CF, then in his next AB hit a rocket well over the left center fence that was estimated to have gone over 460 feet and had 109 MPH exit velocity. Defensively, he’s a bit of a plodder but was able to make the plays necessary to give you confidence that he’s playable in LF. He’s right-right and undersized for 1B, so it will be imperative for Keegan to continue to develop as a corner outfielder and mash at Vandy this upcoming season to get into top five round discussions.