Welcome to the second edition of live looks from Cape Cod this summer. For this review, I’ll look at LHP Carson Whisenhunt, RHP Jacob Watters, 3B Brock Wilken, SS Ryan Ritter, and LHP Joe Miller.
Carson Whisenhunt, LHP, East Carolina, Chatham Anglers
Game Line (6/20): 4 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 ER, 7 K
Top prospect Carson Whisenhunt looked sharp in his highly anticipated start Monday afternoon. The lefty hurler worked with a two-pitch mix of a fastball (90/94) and change (84/86)-- he showed a curveball twice. For the most part, he got ahead of hitters with early fastballs that had arm-side run and would put them away with a plus change-up.
Working with only a two-pitch mix, Whisenhunt’s sequence became predictable at times. Later in the count, hitters could count on him throwing the change-up and the two hardest hit balls (one homer) came on changes late in the count that caught too much of the zone. Adding in a third pitch, like his curve, could have alleviated this issue, but he did not show the curve until the fourth inning. Early in the game, hitters could not touch his fastball, which generated a lot of swings and misses; however, later in the fourth, his command falter when it seemed as if his arm began to drag behind and was no longer on time. The lefty showed the ability to locate his fastball east-to-west and threw a couple of good front-door fastballs to righties. His change serves as his best offering and has good separation from his fastball. When he keeps the pitch low in the zone, hitters will either swing through or roll over it.
Whisenhunt already features two plus pitches and projects to be a starter for the long term. His 6-foot-3-inch, athletic build indicates that there may be more room for him to add velocity down the road. In future starts on the Cape, Whisenhunt would be well served by mixing in the curve more often and developing his third offering. In the upcoming July draft, he will break into the backend of the first round if he continues to pitch successfully like this in the Cape.
Jacob Watters, RHP, West Virginia, Chatham Anglers
Game Line (6/20): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 4 K
Following Whisenhunt’s start, Jacob Waters, Prospects Live 93rd ranked prospect for the 2022 draft, took the mound for the second game of the doubleheader and turned in a strong performance of his own. The 6-foot-4-inch righty sat 93/96 with his fastball that he paired with an 83/85 mile per hour curveball. Both pitches worked well in the bottom of the zone where he forced a good amount of groundouts.
In his first three innings, Watters cruised forcing weak contact and only allowing a runner on base after a dropped third strike. Early, he pounded the bottom of the zone with his fastball and curve. When he came back out for the fourth, his fastball velocity hovered around 90/93 and he lost command of both his four-seam and his breaking ball. Throughout the outing, his curve outperformed his fastball. Though he generated weak contact with the fastball that had some sink, it did not appear explosive, only getting three swinging strikes. In regards to his curveball, Watters seemed to manipulate the shape later in the count, giving the pitch more glove-side movement which led to more swings and misses; early in the count, he threw a more vertical breaking curve over the plate for strikes.
Going forward, Watters expects to be a key contributor in the back-end of a bullpen rather than a starter. His velocity in shorter spurts will clock in higher and will lead to more swing and miss. His power curveball acts as a strong secondary. In this outing, he flashed a change-up twice. Though not necessary for success out of the pen, developing this pitch further will give him another weapon. In July, he should be one of the first relievers taken off of the board.
Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest, Harwich Mariners
Game Lines (6/18 and 6/21): 2 hits in 6 ABs, 1 double, 3 strikeouts
Standing 6-foot-4-inches at the plate, Brock Wilken pounds the ball. The big righty shows great power and extremely fast hands, punishing the pitches he connects with. However, swing and miss exists in his game. In the looks I got at him, breaking balls fooled him a couple of times, and even when he made contact with them, he was out in front. For the most part, his timing seemed off. In the box, he has a small leg kick, and he seemed late getting the foot down a couple of times. Both his single and double were ripped, one to right field and one to left, showing his ability to barrel up a ball. Whenever he figures out his timing, he should break out and put his power to use in the Cape.
In the field, Wilken lacks mobility but has a cannon of an arm. He projects as a corner infielder, and for the time being, his arm will allow teams to slot him into third base. Next week, he will be heading to team USA but hope to get another look at him later in the summer to see if he locks in at the plate. In the 2023 draft, Wilken’s skill and prodigious power at the plate should boost him into the first round.
Ryan Ritter, SS, Kentucky, Harwich Mariners
Game Lines (6/22 and 6/23): 3 hits in 7 ABs, 1 double, 1 strikeout
At the plate and in the field, Ryan Ritter has impressed at the Cape. Off to a strong start posting 1.102 OPS to date, he continues to hit for both power and contact. Ritter’s quick hands have allowed for good bat-to-ball skills and have led to some impressive displays of hitting. At times, however, he seems to be selling out for power and hunting fastballs, the pitch that he has caused the most damage against. This approach has left him susceptible to breaking balls, which he struggles to recognize. Overall as a hitter, he shows the potential for power, which if he continues to develop he would be an above-average hitter, especially at short.
In the field, Ritter has been one of the, if not the, smoothest defenders in the Cape. He moves extremely fluidly and pairs that with great instincts; he cut down a go-ahead runner at the plate when the infield was positioned in. With his strong arm, he will have no trouble sticking at short for the long haul. In July, a team will jump in the early rounds to grab this premium defender with potential at the plate.
Joe Miller, LHP, UPenn, Chatham Anglers
Game Line (6/23): 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 ER, 6 K
The Ivy League lefty took the bump for Chatham and looked more intriguing than his line suggests. Miller worked a three-pitch mix of a fastball (89/92), curveball (77/80), and slider (79/82). For the first two innings, Miller cruised, only allowing one base runner due to a HBP.
Miller, who throws from a ¾ slot, set up batters with the fastball but put them away with the breaking balls (5 K’s on them). The curveball and slider show similar shapes, but he takes some velocity off of his curve and generates more downward movement. Both of the offerings caused hitters to swing and miss. In the third inning, his command faltered, leading to his troubles. On top of that, hitters seemed to see him better the second time through the order. After allowing no hard contact in the first couple of frames, hitters tagged him for a couple of sharp hits.
The 5-foot-10-inch lefty shows two impressive breaking balls that complement his firm fastball well. Going forward, teams can certainly allow him to try to work as a starter, but if that does not work, he would be an extremely effective reliever. He deserves consideration in the late rounds of the draft.