Crowd of pitchers on the MLB draft watchlist
Major League Baseball will have its amateur draft this week over a three-day period starting July 11th. With more than 200 draft-ready prospects in the Cape this summer, there are several who may turn pro this week.
Georgia-based Jonathan Cannon, who appeared for Orleans this summer, is perhaps the most notable name to look out for as he is MLB.com’s top ranked Cape League player in 2021 at 89th overall. In three starts, he has a 0.69 ERA and eight strikeouts in 13 innings of work. The 6-foot-6 right-handed man hit 57 bats in 63.1 innings of work in Georgia that season, and he had a career of 3.38 ERA in two seasons for the Bulldogs.
Another pitcher who took the bump on the cape this summer and saw his name mentioned is Gordon Graceffo from Villanova. The Bourne Brave was released from his contract this week and is ranked 204 in this year’s MLB.com draft
In three seasons with the Wildcats, Graceffo pitched 179.1 innings and knocked out 145 bats, while spending only 45 walks and abandoning 169 hits. He had a career 2.86 ERA. Nick Zwack was also a draft-eligible pitcher who was released by Bourne this week. He had a 1.29 ERA in three Cape Town appearances that summer.
Cincinnati’s Evan Shawver is another name to watch out for, despite the fact that the Harwich Mariner was fired from his contract last week. He lit the Cape in his only week of pitching and was named one of Perfect Game’s Top Draft Eligible College Candidates for this year’s Draft.
Late additions in Bourne, Orleans stand out
After Bourne lost two-way player Reggie Crawford and Orleans, among others, his mid-field from Jordan Sprinkle and Jace Young to Team USA, both teams saw some delay to fill in the gaps.
The duo of Arkansas’ Cayden Wallace and Nebraska’s Max Anderson have achieved notable success for the Braves, and Ole Miss’s Peyton Chatagnier has advanced to the Firebirds middle infield.
Wallace is the earliest arrival of the three and made his Cape League debut on June 26th. Anderson made his Cape debut on June 30, but on Wednesday the duo have a combined average of .313 on the record with two homers and nine RBIs. No one has played for the Braves in more than 10 games.
Like Anderson, Chatagnier made his debut on June 30 and beats .235 in his first five games, but he’s already hit two home runs with seven knocked out. He’s also recorded five putouts and 18 assistants at second base with just one mistake.
“Chatagnier just brings us great energy and positivity,” said Orleans manager Kelly Nicholson this week. “He’s an energizer and he’s a really good player.”
This week in Cape League history
The seven home runs of Orleans in the 19: 6 win over Brewster last Friday are considered to be just under a record in the Cape League, according to league historian Mike Richard. The last team to do so much in a single game was Chatham’s 1986 squad when they hit eight against Falmouth on June 28. However, they lost this game by a score of 14-11.
While the Firebirds didn’t miss a record-breaking evening, the entire league is believed to have set a daily record for home runs on July 2, with seven different teams coming together for 15 home runs. The previous high was on June 23, 2002, when 12 home runs were hit.
Last Sunday the Yarmouth-Dennis pitcher Pat Gallagher and Ross Dunn bordered on history with a 7-1 win over Hyannis with a total of 19 strikeouts.
According to Richard, the Cape League record for team strikeouts in a single game was set before the CCBL’s modern era when Orleans pitcher Cal Burlingame knocked down 21 thugs 4-3 in an 18-inning game between the then Cardinals and Yarmouth win on June 13, 1954. This is also considered a record for a pitcher.
Sixteen years later, on June 28, 1970, Falmouth’s Jim Jachym beat 20 for a modern record for a pitcher in a game.
The record for combined strikeouts from one bar was set by another duo in 1987 when Wareham’s Mike Remlinger and Chris Burgin beat 20 thugs in an 11-4 win over Chatham.
Contact Adam Cole at [email protected].
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