2018 Cape Cod League Top Prospects 11-20

Wareham swept through the Cape Cod League playoffs to win its first championship since 2012, defeating Chatham in the finals.

The Gatemen went 6-0 in the playoffs, led by third baseman Austin Shenton (Florida International). He homered three times in six playoff games and was named MVP of the championship series.

The Cape’s strength was sluggers at corner positions. Andrew Vaughn, Spencer Torkelson and Matt Wallner were just a few of the league’s standouts who fit that profile. Pitching was down this summer, a reflection in part of the overall 2019 class. Still, the league figures to again produce several first-round picks for the 2019 draft.

To be eligible for this ranking, position players must have played 15 games or taken 50 plate appearances, and pitchers must have appeared in at least five games or thrown 15 innings.

Cape Cod League Prospect Rankings
1-10

11. Logan Wyatt, 1B, Orleans (Jr., Louisville)

Wyatt this spring took over as Louisville’s starting first baseman, replacing Brendan McKay. Wyatt isn’t a two-way superstar like the 2017 Player of the Year, but he did a good job filling McKay’s hole in the lineup and was the Cardinals’ leading hitter. He carried that momentum into the summer, where he hit .305/.458/.438 with four home runs, led the league in walks (29) and ranked second in on-base percentage.

Wyatt is an extremely disciplined hitter. He walked more than he struck out this summer, a continuation from the spring, when he walked 63 times and struck out 37. The lefthanded hitter is listed at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, and his power will come as he refines his swing and learns to tap into his raw juice. He’s limited defensively to first base, but if his power comes, he’ll profile well at the position.

12. Michael Busch, 1B, Chatham (Jr., North Carolina)

Busch this spring was a key piece of North Carolina’s College World Series team and continued to stand out at the plate after arriving on the Cape at the start of July. He hit .322/.450/.567 with six home runs in 27 games for Chatham, further bolstering his credentials as one of the class’ better hitters.

Busch has an excellent feel for hitting. The lefthanded hitter walked more than he struck out both for UNC and Chatham (though he swung and missed a lot more during the playoffs) and consistently barrels up balls. He generates impressive bat speed, which leads to plus power that he gets to well in games. Busch’s biggest drawback is that he’s a slightly undersized first baseman at a listed 6-foot, 207 pounds. But if he keeps hitting the way he did this year his size and position won’t matter.

13. Greg Jones, SS/OF, Chatham (So., UNC Wilmington)

Jones ranked No. 75 on the 2017 BA 500 when he was coming out of high school. He reported to Chatham after a solid freshman year at UNC Wilmington and established himself as one of the most exciting players on the Cape. He hit .259/.374/.353 with three home runs and a league-best 20 stolen bases.

Jones has elite speed and his game is built around it both offensively and defensively. Jones is a switch hitter and is at his best when he stays back and sprays line drives to all fields. He has more power as a righthanded hitter and while he’ll probably always have below-average pop, he has room to fill out his 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame and, when he does, he should start driving the ball with more authority. He is aggressive at the plate and there are concerns about how much he swings and misses—he struck out in 29 percent of his plate appearances this summer. Jones this summer mostly played shortstop but also saw time in center field. Observers preferred him in center field, where he runs down balls with ease and has a plus arm. His hands and infield actions will need work if he is to stay at shortstop. Jones will be a draft eligible sophomore next spring and even with some concerns about the rough edges of his game, his raw tools remain exciting.

14. Kyle Stowers, OF, Falmouth (Jr., Stanford)

Stowers this spring emerged as one of the power threats in Stanford’s lineup and he continued to hit on the Cape, batting .326/.361/.565 with six home runs. He earned all-star honors and homered again in the event.

Stowers’ excellent summer help him significantly raise his profile. The lefthanded hitter has a smooth swing and generates impressive bat speed. He is listed at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds and has above-average power and ranked second in the league in doubles (13). That power does come with a healthy dose of swing and miss, and he struck out in 23 percent of his plate appearances. Stowers has mostly played in the outfield corners and his speed and arm strength fit well there, though he is also a solid defender at first base. Stowers has also pitched sparingly for Stanford, but his future is as a hitter.

15. Michael Toglia, 1B/OF, Cotuit (Jr., UCLA)

Toglia was a well-regarded recruit coming out of the Washington prep ranks and he’s built a solid track record for hitting throughout his college career. Though he hit .209/.323/.388 this summer, he also hit eight home runs (including the playoffs) and has hit 15 home runs in 75 games on the Cape over the last two years.

Listed at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, Toglia has a big, projectable frame and is a switch hitter. He has an easy swing with natural loft, and when he’s in sync his power comes easily. He’s a patient hitter, sometimes to a fault, and his power comes with a fair amount of swing and miss. Toglia has mostly played first base over the last year, both for Cotuit and UCLA, and he has the ability to become an above-average defender at the position. He also has experience as a corner outfielder and he could play left field in pro ball, but his range is limited in the outfield.

16. Ricky DeVito, RHP, Harwich (Jr., Seton Hall)

DeVito this spring was named Big East Conference pitcher of the year after going 6-3, 1.88 at Seton Hall and he carried his impressive performance into the summer with Harwich. He went 1-1, 2.45 with 35 strikeouts and 13 walks in 29.1 innings for the Mariners and established himself as one of the better pitchers in the league.

DeVito, listed at 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, throws his fastball in the low to mid-90s, running it up to 96 mph. Both his changeup and curveball have the makings of above-average offerings and he threw all three of his pitches effectively for strikes. He comes right after hitters and creates some deception with his arm action. DeVito pitched all summer as a 19-year-old, adding to his intrigue as a prospect.

17. Bryant Packard, OF, Wareham (Jr., East Carolina)

Packard was an All-American this spring at East Carolina, where he hit .406/.462/.671 with 14 home runs. He carried that performance over with Wareham and hit .305/.421/.576 with four home runs in 18 games before getting a late call-up to USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team.

Packard is a patient hitter with a good feel for the barrel. Listed at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, the lefthanded hitter produces solid power and he is starting to learn to tap into it consistently. Packard profiles well as a corner outfielder. He’ll look to continue to develop his power, but he’s already establishing himself as a solid all-around hitter.

18. Steven Williams, OF, Falmouth (So., Auburn)

Williams was ranked No. 114 on the 2017 BA 500 and this spring earned Freshman All-American honors. He continued to impress with Falmouth, where he hit .303/.477/.394 and made the all-star team.

Williams has a mature, disciplined approach at the plate and walked more often than he struck out on the Cape (21 walks to 19 strikeouts), a rarity for a freshman. The lefthanded hitter has a simple swing, gets into hitters counts and consistently hits the ball hard. He has above-average raw power, though he didn’t get to it as much in the summer. Williams was mostly a catcher growing up and may return to the position next year for Auburn, but primarily played outfield this year. Scouts had questions about his ability to stay behind the plate when he was coming out of high school, but he’s athletic enough to play in an outfield corner if the book is totally closed on catching.

19. Adam Laskey, LHP, Falmouth (Jr., Duke)

Laskey was a prominent player coming out of the New Jersey prep ranks in 2016 but hadn’t really put everything together in college before this summer at Falmouth. He went 5-0, 1.49 with 30 strikeouts and 12 walks in in 36.1 innings between the regular season and playoffs. He was named the league’s pitcher of the year.

Laskey, listed at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, has good size, a solid arsenal and this summer showed better pitchability than he has for Duke. Laskey’s fastball sits in the upper 80s to low 90s and he located the pitch well. His slider was considered his best secondary pitch in high school, but his changeup has become the more consistent of his offspeed offerings. All three of his pitches grade out around average. Laskey gets the most out of his stuff and if he carries his success from the summer into next spring, he figures to be a Day 1 draft pick.

20. Matt Canterino, RHP, Falmouth (Jr., Rice)

Canterino emerged as Rice’s ace over the last two years and continued to pitch well over the summer. He started the all-star game and went 2-1, 2.58 with 29 strikeouts and 10 walks in 24.1 innings for Falmouth.

Canterino is listed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, and he pitches with a solid four-pitch arsenal. He throws his fastball in the low 90s, touching 95 mph. He throws both a big curveball and a slider, and also works in a good changeup. His delivery is funky mechanically, which leads some to wonder if he’ll have to move to the bullpen. But he halved his walks this spring and pitched with average control over the summer. Canterino is positioning himself to be the next high-end pitcher in the Rice pipeline.