2018 Cape Cod League Top Prospects 31-40

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 16 innings.

CAPE COD LEAGUE 
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31. Will Robertson, OF, Cotuit (Jr., Creighton)

Robertson has been one of Creighton’s best hitters for the last two years and raised his profile nationally with a strong summer on the Cape. He hit .300/.380/.435, outperforming his more well-known teammates with similar profiles such as Michael Toglia and Thomas Dillard.

Robertson has a level lefthanded swing that is geared toward hitting hard line drives more than driving the ball over the fence. But at a listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, he has above-average raw power and will likely tap into it more in time. He has an aggressive approach, but his bat control keeps his strikeout rate manageable. He is a below-average runner and has average arm strength. He likely fits best in left field, which puts more pressure on his bat, but his performance this summer opened eyes.

32. Erik Miller, LHP, Orleans (Jr., Stanford)

Miller was a prominent prep player and ranked No. 144 on the 2016 BA 500. He’s been a part of Stanford’s rotation in each of the last two years but has never really put it all together. He showed flashes of his ability on the Cape, but ultimately struggled to produce, going 0-4, 7.71 with 32 strikeouts and 15 walks in 23.1 innings.

Miller is listed at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds and has a big arm. His fastball this summer reached 97 mph and he has some feel for spinning his slider, which is a plus pitch at its best. At his best, Miller is a big, physical lefty with two plus pitches—a profile certain to be in demand. The trouble is that he has shown very little consistency, especially when it comes to strike throwing. He’ll likely need to straighten out his mechanics to become more consistent on the mound. If Miller puts everything together, his ceiling is very high. But at this point it’s hard to know what to expect from the big lefthander.

33. Jeff Belge, LHP, Chatham (Jr., St. John’s)

Belge has been a difficult puzzle for scouts dating back to his high school days in upstate New York. He has tantalizing potential but has struggled to find consistency. That continued to be the case for the second straight summer with Chatham.

Belge has the size—he’s listed at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds—and stuff to dream on. He can run his fastball up to 96 mph and show a good four-pitch mix. But just as often, his fastball sits more around 90 mph with fringy secondary offerings and poor control. His fastball most commonly sits in the low 90s with late running action. His changeup is a good offering and his biting slider gives him another quality option. He has the makings of a starter if he can straighten out his control issues. If not, his stuff would play up out of the bullpen.

34. Austin Langworthy, OF, Falmouth (Jr., Florida)

Langworthy has been well known to scouts since his high school days and is a two-year starter for Florida. He has mostly been thought of as a hit over power corner outfielder in the past, which can make for a tough profile, but he did his best to change that perception this summer, hitting .233/.364/.422 with seven home runs in 30 games with Falmouth.

Langworthy has a smooth lefthanded swing and does a good job of putting the bat on the ball. He has walked about as much as he’s struck out throughout his college career and did so again this summer, drawing 24 walks and whiffing 29 times. His power typically grades out as fringy and at a listed 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, he isn’t built like a prototypical power hitter. His speed is also about average, so while he played a fine center field for Falmouth, he doesn’t profile there in pro ball. While he doesn’t neatly profile, Langworthy’s hittability makes him an intriguing prospect, especially if his power surge carries over to next spring.

35. Austin Shenton, 3B, Wareham (Jr., Florida International)

Shenton this spring hit .344/.417/.524 with nine home runs in his first season after transferring to FIU from Bellevue (Wash.) JC. He had a standout summer on the Cape and hit .372/.423/.558 with seven home runs between the regular season and the playoffs. He homered three times in the playoffs to lead the Gatemen to their first league title since 2012 and earn championship series MVP honors.

Shenton stands out most for his hittability. The lefthanded hitter consistently barrels balls and did a good job controlling the strike zone. Listed at 6-foot, 200 pounds, he has the potential to hit for average pop, though he’s more hit over power at this point. Shenton is a fringy athlete, raising questions about his ability to stay at third base. He doesn’t fit a traditional corner profile, but his hittability from the left side is intriguing.

 

 

36. Mitchell Senger, LHP, Orleans (Jr., Stetson)

Senger excited this spring while pitching behind first-round pick Logan Gilbert in Stetson’s rotation. The lefthander went 9-2, 2.51 with 114 strikeouts in 93 innings and earned an invitation to USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team. He made two appearances with Team USA but largely spent the summer with Orleans, where he went a disappointing 2-2, 9.29 with 19 strikeouts and 10 walks in 20.1 innings.

Senger has a great frame at a listed 6-foot-6, 230 pounds and a quality arsenal. His fastball sits in the upper 80s to low 90s but plays up thanks to his deceptive arm angle. His breaking ball can generate swings and misses, and he works in a changeup. At his best, Senger is unhittable and he was a part of two no-hitters this year—a solo effort in the spring and a combined one with Orleans. But he also was hit hard at times, and without overpowering stuff he must be fine to succeed. Some aspects of his disappointing summer performance may owe to him being tired after a long year, but he’ll need to sharpen some aspects of his game next spring when he’s leading the Stetson rotation. 

37. Gabe Holt, 2B/OF, Bourne (So., Texas Tech)

Holt this spring earned Freshman All-America honors at Texas Tech and provided a sparkplug at the top of the Red Raiders’ lineup. He kept hitting in a brief stay on the Cape and has an exciting tool set.

Holt is a plus runner and his approach is suited to get the most out of his speed. He has an unconventional swing but makes a lot of contact. Between his swing and size (listed at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds), he doesn’t hit for much power, instead opting to hit the ball on the ground or into the gaps and let his speed play. Holt is still working to find a defensive home. He started the spring at second base for Texas Tech before moving to the outfield late in the season. His speed and raw infield actions makes it likely that he ends up in the outfield, but he’s still a work in progress there. Holt this spring will be a draft-eligible sophomore. 

38. Spencer Brickhouse, 1B, Bourne (Jr., East Carolina)

Brickhouse returned to Bourne this summer after a solid sophomore season at East Carolina. After the big lefthanded hitter produced just a .069 ISO last summer on the Cape, he this year hit five home runs (including one at the all-star game that earned him MVP honors).

Brickhouse is listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and has the big raw power to match that frame. The lefthanded hitter has plus raw power and can drive the ball out to all fields. That power comes with a lot of swing and miss, and he struck out in a quarter of his plate appearances this summer. Brickhouse is limited to first base defensively.  

39. Andrew Daschbach, 1B, Yarmouth-Dennis (Jr., Stanford)

Daschbach this spring took on an everyday role for Stanford and became the Cardinal’s leading power threat, hitting more home runs (17) than any Stanford player in a decade. He continued to show off his power on the Cape, slugging 13 doubles, five home runs and posting a .209 ISO in 40 games.

Daschbach has stood out for his righthanded power since his prep days. Listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he has easy plus raw power and he can drive the ball out of any park. With that power, however, comes a lot of swing and miss. He whiffed in a quarter of his plate appearances this spring, though he cut that number to 19 percent over the summer. How much of his power he’ll be able to get to will be one of the central questions for scouts evaluating him. Daschbach is athletic for his size (he was an all-American tight end in high school), but likely will end up at first base, where he played this summer. If he does stay at first base, he’d be facing a tough profile, but his offense potential is significant. 

40. Kyle Hurt, RHP, Chatham (So., Southern California)

Hurt had mixed results this spring as a freshman at USC before turning in a solid summer with Chatham. He went 1-1, 3.38 with 27 strikeouts and 11 walks in 26.2 innings between the regular season and the playoffs.

Hurt, listed at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, has the makings of a solid starter. His fastball sits in the low 90s and reaches 95 mph. His changeup has sharp sinking action and he also works in a solid curveball. Hurt this spring had control trouble—he walked 6.42 batters per nine innings—but this summer did a better job of throwing strikes. He’ll look to carry that into next spring when he’ll be a draft-eligible sophomore.