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Cape League Dominates 2016 MLB First - Year Player Draft

Rnd 1 #2 overall: Nick Senzil Brewster, Whitecaps / photo by SportsPix
06/10/2016 8:54 AM

Article By: CCBL Public Relations Office

     HYANNIS, Mass. – The first round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was dominated by Cape Cod Baseball League alumni with 14 of the top 34 picks in the first round - and three additional selections in the lottery round – having donned a Cape League uniform the year before they were drafted.

     “On behalf the entire League, we congratulate these young men as their dreams become reality. What an exciting day for them, their families, and for the Cape League as a whole,” said Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) Commissioner Paul Galop.

     “For decades now, the Cape League has helped top college prospects develop into Major League ball players, and it’s gratifying to see our League continue to be the crucible through which the best amateurs enter the Big Leagues,” Galop said.

Rnd 1 #5 overall: Corey Ray, Wareham 2014 / photo by SportsPix

     The first Cape Leaguer to be selected in the first round Thursday night was Nick Senzel, an infielder from Tennessee who played for the Brewster Whitecaps in the summer of 2015. He was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round as the 2nd overall pick. Senzel, who was the Cape League’s 2015 MVP and recipient of the Robert A. McNeece Outstanding Pro Prospect Award, is considered one of the best hitters in the draft class. He batted .364 with a league-leading 33 RBIs for Brewster.

     Corey Ray of Louisville, a 2014 member of the Wareham Gatemen, was the second Cape Leaguer selected in the first round by https://twitter.com/Brewersthe Milwaukee Brewers as the 5th overall pick. After playing for the Wareham Gatemen two summers ago, Ray played with Team USA in 2015.

     CCBL All Star Kyle Lewis, who played for the Orleans Firebirds last summer and was named MLB.com’s best college prospect, was the 11th overall pick by the Seattle Mariners in the first round. During his 2015 All Star season in the Cape League, Lewis hit .300 with 7 homeruns and 24 RBI.

     The following is a complete list of Cape League players selected in the first and lottery round Thursday night:

First Round

  • Nick Senzel (Brewster '15), Tennessee, selected by Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round, 2nd overall pick.
  • Corey Ray (Wareham '14), Louisville, selected by Milwaukee Brewers in the 1st round, 5th overall pick.
  • Zack Collins (Cotuit '15), Miami, selected by Chicago White Sox in the 1st round, 10th overall pick.
  • Kyle Lewis (Orleans '15), Mercer, selected by Seattle Mariners in the 1st round, 11th overall pick.
  • Matt Thaiss (Hyannis '15), Virginia, selected by Los Angeles Angels in the 1st round, 16th overall pick.
  • Justin Dunn (Cotuit '15), Boston College, selected by New York Mets in the 1st round, 19th overall pick.
  • TJ Zeuch (Chatham, '15), Pittsburgh, selected by Toronto BlueJays in the 1st round, 21st overall pick.
  • Will Craig (Chatham '15), Wake Forest, selected by Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1st round, 22nd overall pick.
  • Eric Lauer (Orleans '15), Kent State, selected by San Diego Padres in the 1st round, 25th overall pick.
  • Zack Burdi (Chatham '14&'15), Louisville, selected by Chicago White Sox in the 1st round, 26th overall pick.
  • Cody Sedlock (Bourne '15), Illinois, selected by Baltimore Orioles in the 1st round, 27th overall pick.
  • Anthony Kay (Wareham '14 & '15), Connecticut, has been selected by the New York Mets in the 1st round, 31st overall pick.
  • Will Smith (Brewster '15), Louisville, has been selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1st round, 32nd overall pick.
  • Dakota Hudson (Hyannis '15), Mississippi St, selected by St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round, 34th overall pick.


Lottery Round A

  • Jordan Sheffield (Brewster '15), Vanderbilt, selected by Los Angeles Dodgers as the 36th overall pick.
  • Daulton Jefferies (Wareham), California, selected by Oakland Athletics as the 37th overall pick.
  • Robert Tyler (Bourne '15), Georgia, selected by Colorado Rockies as the 38th overall pick.


To stay up to date with all the news about the Cape League and the 2016 MLB draft go to www.capecodbaseball.org.
 

Rnd 1 #11 overall: Kyle Lewis, Orleans Firebirds / photo by SportsPix

About Cape Cod Baseball League:
     The premier collegiate summer league in the nation, the Cape Cod Baseball League attracts players from across the country, representing all college divisions to play in the 10-team loop. Tracing its roots back to 1885, the Cape League embarks this June on one of its most exciting slates to date, featuring a 44-game regular-season schedule and an action-packed postseason. Among the highlights will be the 2016 Cape League All-Star Game on Saturday, July 23 at Veterans Field, home of the Chatham Anglers, and the induction of the 16th Hall of Fame class during a ceremony at the Chatham Bars Inn in November. As the league celebrates its 131st year, it counts more than 1,100 all-time alumni performing at all levels of professional baseball with a record number (292) former Cape Leaguers on Major League rosters. For more information visit www.capecodbaseball.org

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Sean Gonsalves, Regan Communications
(508) 420-5566 ext. 118 (w) 617-308-8393 (c)
[email protected]