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Sabermetric Stars: CCBL Hitters

Kurtis Byrne - Photo: Samantha Frank
08/05/2022 10:05 PM

Article By: Ethan Kagno

As the regular season has passed, we take a look at some of the most statistically impressive Cape League bats; the sabermetric stars, if you will, with some of their jaw-dropping numbers that left scouts enamored. Thank you to Jarred Kostas for putting this data together, all data courtesy of TrackMan!

Chris Brito (Rutgers/Bourne ‘22) has been one of the best bats on the Cape this season. He led the league with 14 doubles and his 29 walks ranked second. While his .410 OBP was impressive, Brito ranked first on the Cape with the hardest average exit velocity (86.99 mph) and owns the furthest projected home run at nearly 455 feet which hit almost 104 mph off the bat. This has been a regular occurrence for the New Jersey native – he has four barrels for the Bourne Braves – paired with the league-leading hard hit rate in the Cape League (41.38%). To put that into perspective, Anthony Santander of the Baltimore Orioles currently has a 41.40% hard hit rate in the MLB this season. Brito was not selected in the 2022 MLB Draft, but after having a successful Cape League campaign, it would be surprising if he doesn’t end up signing with an MLB team. 

Kurtis Byrne (TCU/Brewster ‘21,’22) had some of the hardest exit velos on the Cape in 2022. Balls in play with launch angles greater than -10°, Byrne owned the first and third highest exit velocities – 115.14 mph and 111.63 mph, respectively. This compares to Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners and Ketel Marte of the Arizona Diamondbacks, whose hardest hit ball in the MLB this season is 115 mph. The catcher from TCU also ranked sixth in hard hit rate (29.55%). Byrne was a large part of Brewster’s success in 2021, ultimately winning the championship over Bourne. He was given the Daniel J. Silva Award, which recognizes outstanding sportsmanship. This postseason, Byrne will continue to be a mainstay in the Whitecaps’ lineup as they eye a repeat of last year.

 

Brayden Taylor (TCU/Falmouth ‘21,’22) averaged the highest launch angle (23.39°) on the Cape (min. 40 plate appearances). This meant Taylor was able to hit more line drives and fly balls than grounders, on average. The Horned Frog collected three home runs in 33 at-bats after launching just two last summer in more than 100 AB. Taylor’s average launch angle compares to Adam Duvall, of the Atlanta Braves, who sits at 23.4° this season.