Welcome to the third edition of Cape League notes. In case you missed weeks one and two, I’ll be spending all summer on the Cape as an intern, getting in-person looks at some of the nation’s top collegiate players. Given the multi-faceted confusion around Covid-eligibility and the draft being pushed back, there is a lack of high-profile 2021 draft prospects on the Cape this year. That said, there is a very strong contingent of ’22 and ’23 eligibles to pick up the slack. Each week I’ll share highlights and scouting reports from players I’ve seen in the past week.
Between the Futures Game and Amateur Draft beginning on Sunday, and other All-Star festivities kicking off in Colorado on Monday, the Cape Cod Baseball League is certainly not the most pressing concern in the eyes of baseball fans. Fittingly, it was a relatively quiet week as players began to leave for the draft and Tropical Storm Elsa washed out a chunk of midweek games league-wide. That schedule made it hard to get extended looks, so this week’s notes will feature a mixture of full reports, small tidbits (both from my looks this week and some notes that missed the cut in previous weeks), and updates from previous reports. Weather permitting, this week’s slate will give me 3 games from Bourne and another look at Harwich so next week’s notes should be back to normal. In the meantime, I will continue to post assorted highlights on Twitter (@natan_cd) throughout the week.
Michael Prosecky, LHP, Brewster/Louisville
FB: 91-93 T94 SL: 82-84
I saw Prosecky pitch for the second time on 7/7 and once again came away with a positive report. He has smooth, no-nonsense mechanics, pitching from the stretch even without runners on base. That paired with his projectable 6’3” frame gives Prosecky a shot at starting long-term. The only thing preventing him from that is the lack of a third pitch. His FB sat 90-93 in my first look but was comfortably 92-93 with a few 94s in my second look. He has a sharp breaking ball that I will call a slider for now but has quite a bit of drop and really acts as more of a slurve. He has pitched multiple innings in relief of Teddy McGraw* (who I wrote about last week) in both of my looks and was split between the rotation and bullpen in both of his seasons at Louisville. Previously drafted in the 35th round by the Phillies in 2019, the Illinois native will become draft-eligible once again in 2022. With the addition of a third pitch, he could blossom into a true mid-rotation starter. The more likely scenario is a multi-inning reliever, with his strong two-pitch combo optimized in a Rays-ian middle relief role.
*McGraw breezed through 4 shutout innings, albeit against a struggling Hyannis team. His sinker was 92-94 once again, with a good changeup and more slider utilization than his last time out. As mentioned, the gyro gives it more of a slutter profile and was generating weak contact rather than whiffs. He had barely broken a sweat upon exiting and probably could’ve thrown a CG had he been allowed.
Chase DeLauter, OF/LHP, Orleans/JMU
In addition to pitching a scoreless inning as Orleans’ opener on 6/29, DeLauter is perhaps the hottest hitter on the Cape, going 7-for-15 last week en route to winning Player of the Week. DeLauter finished a triple shy of the cycle against Hyannis on Thursday, with an RBI double and long homer being clocked with exit velos of 104 and 106mph, respectively. He has a mighty left-handed swing that generates lots of torque and plenty of loft from a picturesque swing path. The redshirt freshman put up gaudy numbers at JMU in 2021, with a .386/.508/.723 slash line and almost twice as many walks as strikeouts (25BB, 14K). With all due respect to Colonial Athletic Association pitchers, the pitching DeLauter has faced on the Cape is a much bigger test. While that is reflective in his K%, he has also matched his college HR total (6) in half as many games. Though he is unlikely to make much of an impact on the mound, DeLauter’s arm will be an added benefit to a potentially monstrous power-hitting corner OF prospect.
@JMUBaseball OF Chase DeLauter crushed his 6th HR of the season. The reigning @OfficialCCBL Player of the Week finished a triple shy of the cycle and added a SB for good measure. pic.twitter.com/R4ruUQDcUD
— Natan Cristol-Deman (@natan_cd) July 9, 2021
Adrian Siravo, RHP, Hyannis/Weatherford CC
FB: 91-93 T94 SL: 77-79 FS: 84-85
Siravo is a ’21 draft-eligible JUCO arm who has worked extensively over the past year to develop the tools of a starting pitcher. The 6’4” righty works in the low-90s with his FB, reaching 94 a few times on Saturday, which is the hardest I’ve seen from him in his 3 appearances. Siravo mixes in a high 70s SL as well but his newly developed splitter already has the potential to be his best pitch. He has steady control and pitches to contact somewhat effectively, struggling more from the stretch, where his loose mechanics show inconsistencies. He is extremely personable and has made continual strides since the shortened 2020 draft eliminated his draft hopes out of high school. He would be a worthy late-round flier and could thrive in a data-driven organization that has a strong history of pitching development.
Other Notes
- Hyannis LHP David Furtado (mentioned week 1) showed much-improved CU command in his 4 innings of work on Saturday. It’s a big looping curve that he was using early in counts for looking strikes rather than burying in the dirt for whiffs. He worked efficiently through 3 innings, facing the minimum with 3 strikeouts, but came apart in the 4th as Wareham sat on the curve and made loud contact.
- Adam Tulloch made his first start of the season for Chatham on 7/5. The West Virginia lefty worked from a modified windup and mainly sat 89-91, but had good command and a solid breaking ball. He has 0ER and 16Ks in 11IP so far.
- Tulloch was followed by WVU teammate Jacob Watters, who was easy 96-98, didn’t throw a FB below 95 and hit 99 twice. He mixed in a vicious mid 80s curve with plenty of vertical movement. His high-effort cross-body delivery has a relief pitcher look as did the lack of command in his third inning of work, ending with 3BB and 5K in 3IP. Watters has a relief profile, with good enough stuff for a high leverage role if he can command it.
- Brewster added two top prospects to their roster this week, activating Texas SS Trey Faltine and Vandy 1B/LHP Spencer Jones last Sunday. Faltine looks like the prototypical big-frame modern SS, with good enough defense to stay for now. His bat is good enough to play at 3B if he ends up there, but guys like Corey Seager and Carlos Correa prove that he may not have to.
- Speaking of height, Jones is built like an NBA wing. He is listed at 6’7″ and 225 pounds but somehow looks even taller. He has sneaky athleticism for someone with his frame and already has a few games in the RF for Brewster through his first week. He is a towering presence at the plate and has a longer swing path that might struggle against upper velocity, but his long reach can hit just about anything close to the plate. He didn’t pitch in 2021 as he recovers from TJS, though with his unique size, athleticism, and two-way prowess he is the unicorn of the ’22 draft class.
- Wareham added two Mississippi St. players to their roster, with 1B/OF Kellum Clark and INF Kamren James joining the team fresh off their College World Series title. James has yet to appear, but I’ve seen 10 AB from Clark over his first two games. He has an aggressive left-handed swing with a fierce uppercut tailored for power, plus speed and athleticism for a 1B, and should be able to handle a corner OF spot fairly well.
- Last interesting tidbit on a pair of Stanford players on Y-D: ’23 eligible infielder Drew Bowser is listed at SS/3B but has more of a 1B profile. Despite the tall and lanky corner build, Bowser has a short swing path and minimal load aimed at contact. His quiet lower half is reminiscent of Jose Altuve’s scissor kicking motion, which does work well in tandem with his fast hands and swing mechanics but is still unique to see on a player of his size.
- Stanford/Y-D teammate Kody Huff is much smaller (listed at 5’10” 180lbs) and has a similarly contact-oriented profile. Huff holds the bat upright with hands nearly below his belt but utilizes a high leg kick to load. He lacks power but was hitting solid line drives up the middle in BP and in-game. He was Stanford’s primary catcher in 2021 but has the experience and athleticism to play 2B and 3B as well.
Featured Image by Jacob Roy (@jmrgraphics3 on IG)