Cape Cod League All-Star Game Notebook

WAREHAM, Mass.—Dozens of scouts converged at Spillane Field, the home of the Wareham Gatemen, on Saturday for this year’s Cape Cod League all-star game. The East team took a 5-3 win over the West. Duke outfielders Jimmy Herron (East) and Griffin Conine (West) were named the MVPs of the game.

The Cape hosts many of the top college draft prospects each summer, and the all-star game allows scouts to check in on many of the top players in the league in one game. Here’s a breakdown of five standouts from the game.

Ryan Rolison | LHP | Orleans Firebirds | Mississippi

Rolison was the No. 110 prospect in the 2016 BA 500. He enrolled at Ole Miss, where he had success as a freshman, striking out 64 batters and walking 24 in 61.2 innings, pitching to a 3.06 ERA. College lefthanders with Rolison’s command and stuff tend to fly off the board, and Rolison has a chance to be a first round pick in 2018 as a draft-eligible sophomore.

In his lone inning on Saturday, the southpaw showed a short arm action and pounded the strike zone with his fastball at 89-93 mph. Rolison battled against John Toppa (UConn) to lead off the inning, working the corners of the zone as Toppa fouled off several pitches. Rolison got Toppa to line out with a 93 mph fastball on the outer half, then got a ground ball from Zac Susi (UConn) with a sharp three-quarter breaking ball than ran away from the lefthanded hitting Susi. Rolison finished the inning with a strikeout of lefthanded hitting Kyle Kasser (Oregon), locating his fastball above Kasser’s hands for a chase swing-and-miss.

Alec Bohm | 1B | Falmouth Commodores | Wichita State

Bohm established himself as a top 2018 prospect last summer in the Coastal Plains League, where he smashed 11 home runs, batted .330 and was the No. 1 prospect in the league. This summer, Bohm’s success has continued. Through 147 plate appearances in the Cape League, he’s batting .368/.408/.522.

Bohm is a physical specimen, listed at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. He showed easy plus raw power in batting practice, with excellent bat speed and a swing that should allow him to hit for plenty of contact at the professional level, with minimal moving parts and his barrel driving through the zone for a long time. In the game, Bohm went 1-for-4, driving a 93-mph fastball from Tyler Baum (North Carolina) deep to center field for a double in the second inning.

Griffin Conine | OF | Cotuit Kettleers | Duke

The son of longtime big leaguer Jeff Conine, Griffin should have a long career of his own. He’s an aggressive hitter who’s not afraid to swing and miss, and he has present game power from the left side of the plate. Conine erupted last summer in the Northwoods League, where he hit 16 home runs. This summer, he’s leading the Cape League with eight home runs so far, and he homered on Saturday as well.

Conine showed above-average arm strength in the outfield prior to the game. He’s not a burner, but he runs athletically and takes promising routes in the outfield. His lefthanded power bat will always be his best attribute, but he has the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways.

Logan Gilbert | RHP | Orleans Firebirds | Stetson

Gilbert posted a 2.02 ERA in 89 innings for Stetson this spring, and he’s got a 0.71 ERA through 25.1 innings on the Cape this summer.

The righthander showed off explosive arm speed on Saturday, with his fastball working at 92-94 and once touching 96. He threw a handful of curveballs, sometimes showing long 12-to-6 break, and sometimes hanging the pitch up in the strike zone with minimal break.

Gilbert has a full arm circle and throws from a three-quarter arm slot. He has a long stride off the rubber and gets his torso deep out over his front side, finishing with a head whack as he releases the ball. Gilbert creates impressive extension and deception, and his arm speed and physical 6-foot-6 frame point to a future mid-to-upper 90s fastball.

Nico Hoerner | MIF | Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox | Stanford

Hoerner is a two-year starter at Stanford, and he batted .307 as a sophomore this spring. Hoerner has plus bat speed and showed pull power in batting practice. He lead off the game with a hard lineout to left center field, then hit a slow ground ball through the right side of the infield for a single in the third. He struck out in the fifth. Hoerner has the bat speed and raw power to be an early draft pick in 2018.