SUMMER 16

Cape’s Cotuit Opens No. 1

With several potential 2009 first-round picks on its roster, USA Baseball’s national team has again assembled the best collection of college talent among all summer-league clubs. But that didn’t stop two New England Collegiate League teams from knocking off the powerful national team twice in Team USA’s season-opening tour of NECBL teams.

The two wins point out the depth of talent that exists in the nation’s summer collegiate leagues, which all began play at one point or another in the last three weeks—from the Northwoods League on May 29 to the Cape Cod League on June 13. The 12-team NECBL officially opened June 6, with several of its teams building a date with Team USA into their early schedules. Interestingly, the Keene (N.H.) Swamp Bats were drubbed 11-0 by the national team, only to run off seven straight wins against league competition and remain as the NECBL’s only unbeaten team.

PG Crosschecker begins its weekly Summer 16 ranking of summer college teams, with 12 different leagues represented in the initial ranking. Team USA, which will play primarily an international schedule, is not eligible. Typically, the Cape Cod League, which produced 217 players who were selected in this year’s baseball draft, dominate the rankings, but only two Cape teams—unbeaten Cotuit and Harwich, both 3-0—are represented this time. Cotuit begins the season at No. 1.

The Cape’s overall impact on the Summer 16 rankings is expected to change as the 2008 season progresses and a talented team like Chatham, losers of its first three games, assembles its full roster and gets untracked. The A’s roster includes at least two potential 2009 first-rounders in shortstop Grant Green (Southern California) and outfielder Aaron Miller (Baylor), and could welcome two more potential first-rounders once North Carolina concludes play in the College World Series and righthanders Alex White and Matt Harvey join the Chatham lineup.

Not only will we provide a Summer 16, a weekly ranking of the top 16 summer league teams, but we’ll also provide a weekly checklist of the top 10 players in summer league competition (beginning next week). We’ll recap the summer with extensive season-ending rankings and scouting reports on the top prospects in all the recognized summer leagues in early August. Last year, we ranked and wrote reports on 430 players from 20 different leagues. Click here for a recap of last year’s Cape Cod League Top 100 prospects.

The 2008 summer league season offers plenty of excitement and intrigue, from Team USA’s participation in the World Collegiate Baseball championship in the Czech Republic from July 17-27, to the 103^rd annual Midnight Sun Game in Fairbanks, Alaska, on June 21; to the return of former big league skipper Mike Hargrove as manager of the Jayhawk League’s Liberal Bee Jays. You can follow a lot of the action with one-stop shopping by simply linking to all the various leagues from PG Crosschecker’s summer league link.

PG Crosschecker’s initial ranking of the top 16 summer league teams in 2008 (records through June 17):

Rank	Team	League	Record
1.	Cotuit Kettleers	Cape Cod	3-0
	Tennessee soph LHP Nick Hernandez (1-0, 1.29), Auburn freshman 1B Kevin Patterson (.500-0-4) instrumental in fast start.
2.	Vienna (Va.) Senators	Clark Griffith	13-0
	Unbeaten Senators produced six '08 drafts, rolling again behind George Washington freshman RHP Eric Cantrell (2-0, 0.82).
3.	Wisconsin Woodchucks	Northwoods	15-3
	Ten-game winning streak, bat of Kentucky sophomore OF Troy Frazier (.333-3-13) propels Woodchucks to top of NWL.
4.	Keene (N.H.) Swamp Bats	New England	7-0
	St. Petersburg CC soph RHP Tommy Meagher (1-0, 0.75), Clemson soph OF Alex Lee (.375-2-9) keys to unbeaten start.
5.	Florence (S.C.) Redwolves	Coastal Plain	13-3
	Mercyhurst (Pa.) soph RHP Steve Grife (3-0, 0.43) is big arm on staff with 2.11 ERA-0.95 better than next-best club.
6.	Peninsula Oilers	Alaska	8-0
	Orange Coast (Calif.) College LHP Brandon Dixon started joint no-hitter as Oilers won eight straight vs. California competition.
7.	Harwich (Mass.) Mariners	Cape Cod	3-0
	Northeastern soph LHP Ryan Quigley (1-0, 0.00) gave Mariners reason for hope with six scoreless innings, 11 SO in debut.
8.	Newport (R.I.) Gulls	New England	7-2
	Elon soph C Mike Melillo (.545-1-10), UConn freshman RHP Dan Mahoney (1-0, 0.00, 8 IP/14 SO) keys to fast start.
9.	Mankato (Minn.) Moondogs	Northwoods	14-4
	Concordia (Minn.) soph RHP Blake DeVries (2-0, 0.92, 20 IP/28 SO), Arizona State-bound C Carlos Ramirez (.422-2-17) on fire.
10.	Edenton (N.C.) Steamers	Coastal Plain	14-4
	Junior RHPs Joe Key (3-0, 0.37, 24 IP/20 SO) of Angelo State, Luke Demko (2-0, 0.00, 7 SV) of Rhode Island kings of hill.
11.	Youse's Maryland Orioles	Cal Ripken Sr.	7-1
	Defending AAABA champions off to fast start behind Navy junior RHP Oliver Drake (2-0, 0.00, 12 IP/2 BB, 6 SO).
12.	Corvallis (Ore.) Knights	West Coast Collegiate	4-0
	Oklahoma State freshman 1B Dean Green (.444-0-5), Sierra (Calif.) JC soph OF Logan Lotti (.412-0-3) big bats in lineup.
13.	Winchester (Va.) Royals	Valley	9-4
	Florida International soph 1B Tyler Townsend (.390-4-12), Charleston Southern junior LHP Andrew White (2-1, 2.41) lead Royals.
14.	McKinney Marshals	Texas Collegiate	5-2
	Alabama duo of freshman RHP Jimmy Nelson (2-0, 0.90), soph LHP/1B Del Howell (0-0, 3.18; .273-1-4) should be key pair.
15.	Derby (Kan.) Twins	Jayhawk	6-1
	Jacksonville 1B Alex Martinez (.409-3-4), Yavapai (Ariz.) JC SS Louie Templeton (.444-2-5) lift '07 Jayhawk champs to fast start.
16.	Delaware (Ohio) Cows	Great Lakes	4-1
	Freshman IF Logan Williams (.471-1-2), one of four Mississippi players on roster, keys Cows to promising start.