14 July, 2005

Cream starts rising to the top of Cape League

Now that the Cape Cod Baseball League season is in full-tilt, the scouts are coming out of the woodwork. The radar guns and stat sheets are quickly filling up with Cape League notables, and the players know who's being watched.

"You see them more and more now," says Andy Goff of the Bourne Braves. "You can't think about it because that's not what you should be concentrating on. Most times they don't even stay the whole game. They'll come to see a few players and they're off. It's just not something you can worry about."

Having seen what the league's made of over the last month, players are able to pick the guys they think rise above the rest. Whether they're teammates or opponents, players have their own idea of who the top prospects are in the league.

"There are so many good players here that it's difficult to pinpoint just one. The best defensive center fielder I have seen has been our own Mike McBryde," says Goff. "There have been some balls that he has got to that just wow me. He runs like a deer and has a cannon for an arm.

"Orleans' shortstop [Steve] Singleton is the best infielder I've seen. He's very smooth and has an A-plus arm."

Known as a pitcher's league, the CCBL line-up has not disappointed this year, says Goff, who wasn't sure what to expect off the mound when he got here. Talent, sure, but this much talent every night?

"It seems like every day now we're facing another school's ace. The best pitcher we've faced so far was Falmouth's Dallas Buck," says Goff. "We did touch him up a little, but once he got his breaking stuff working, he was very effective.

"Cotuit's Clay Dirks was also pretty dirty," he adds. "He didn't throw very hard but his off-speed pitches made his 84-86 mph fastball look like 94-96. He had great control and great stuff."

Bourne has risen to the top of the league standings, going head-to-head with Wareham. The Braves, once a bunch of guys from different parts of the country, are now a team vying for a league crown.

"Now that we are pretty much halfway through, I think each guy on the team knows his role. The line-up hasn't really changed in a couple of games as far as the batting order goes. I believe each guy knows where he stands," says the Wake Forest standout.

"We've been able to put streaks together and things are going well for us now. We don't really have any big names but we seem to find a way to win, and that's a credit to Coach Shapiro and the other coaches. Everyone is buying into their coaching. That's why we're where we are. Do we want to win the championship? Who wouldn't?"

The 44-game season will continue to separate the men from the boys, as players find out first-hand what the rigors of a life in pro baseball might demand of them. As of now, Goff remains more than pleased that he's here.

"Off the field, I am missing home," says Goff. "I miss my family, of course, and my mom's cooking, but I also just miss Pittsburgh and I never thought I would say that.

"I miss going to Pirate games and going to see my little brother play on fields that I played on when I was little. My dad actually surprised me this week and was able to see two games. It was great to see him and he loved every minute of it up here."