America's League

Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

League News

Thirteen CCBL Alums Taken in Opening Night of MLB Draft

06/10/2020 9:47 PM

Article By: Taylor Viles



It’s official, the Cape League has been represented by the first overall pick in the MLB draft for three consecutive years.  

As expected, former Chatham Anglers outfielder/first baseman Spencer Torkelson was selected by the Detroit Tigers with the number one overall pick of the 2020 MLB draft on Wednesday night.  Undrafted out of high school, Torkelson played three years for Arizona State University batting .337 and clubbing 54 home runs over that time.  With Chatham, he only further cemented his place as one of the best athletes in college baseball.  In the summer of 2018, he tore up the league hitting .343 with 10 home runs and helped the A’s to the championship series.

Nick Gonzales was taken by the Pittsburg Pirates with the seventh pick.  A walk-on at New Mexico State, he immediately impacted the roster batting .347.  It was this past summer season where Gonzalez showed his potential to major league teams where he led the Cotuit Kettleers all the way to the 2019 Cape League Championship and won league MVP.  Cotuit’s drive through the postseason was highlighted by a two-run home run by Gonzalez against the Falmouth Commodores in round two which propelled them to the championship series against Harwich.

MLB.com’s top 200 rankings projected three Cape League alums within the top 10 picks and Reid Detmers completed that trend as he was selected at number 10 by the Los Angeles Angels.  The pitcher from the University of Louisville suited up for the Brewster Whitecaps in 2018.

Cape League dominance continued in the first round as 2018 YD Red Sox catcher Patrick Bailey was taken with the 13th overall pick by the San Fransisco Giants followed by another former Kettleer Bryce Jarvis selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks at pick 18.  

Former Orleans Firebird Jared Shuster was taken at 25th overall and is someone who the MLB had projected at 77th in the top prospect rankings.  He has improved each season for Wake Forest but it was his Cape League performance that confirmed his high level of play.  Shuster pitched in 7 games on Cape Cod during the 2019 season tallying four wins and a 1.40 ERA through the course of the summer.  His impressive stats earned him a spot on the East All-star team.

29 selections were made in the first round of the draft. Nine of those 29 players have suited up for the Cape League.  Eight more selections were made following the first round as part of Competitive Balance Round A, part of the MLB’s newest collective bargaining agreement the MLB that allows a bonus pick for smaller market teams. Four of those eight selections were Cape League alums which continued an impressive opening night in the MLB draft for the Cape League. Out of the 13 former Cape Leaguer’s selected on Wednesday night, nine out of the 10 teams on the Cape were represented.

Here is the breakdown of every former Cape Leaguer taken in both the first round and Competitive Balance Round A:

First Round--

1- Detroit Tigers: Spencer Torkelson, 3B, 2018/19 Chatham Anglers/ASU
7- Pittsburgh Pirates: Nick Gonzales, 2B, 2018/2019 Cotuit Kettleer/New Mexico State
10- Los Angeles Angels: Reid Detmers, LHP, 2018 Brewster Whitecaps/Louisville
13- San Fransisco Giants: Patrick Bailey, C, 2018 YD Red Sox/North Carolina State U.
18- Arizona Diamondbacks: Bryce Jarvis, RHP, 2018 Cotuit Kettleers/Duke
22- Washington Nationals: Cade Cavalli, RHP, 2018 Wareham Gateman/Oklahoma
25- Atlanta Braves: Jared Shuster, LHP, 2019 Orleans Firebirds/Wake Forest U.
28- New York Yankees: Austin Wells, C, 2019 YD Red Sox/Arizona
29- Los Angeles Dodgers: Bobby Miller, RHP, 2018 Brewster Whitecaps/Louisville

Competitive Balance Round A-

30- Baltimore Orioles: Jordan Westburg, SS, 2019 Hyannis Harbor Hawks/Mississippi State
31- Pittsburgh Pirates, Carmen Mlodzinski, RHP, 2019 Falmouth Commodores/South Carolina
32-Kansas City Royals: Nick Loftin, SS, 2019 Hyannis Harbor Hawks/Baylor
37- Tampa Bay Rays: Alika Williams, 2B, 2018/2019 Bourne Braves/ASU

Rounds 2-5 will take place tonight at 5pm on ESPN2.  Follow the Cape League social media accounts for live updates for which alumni are selected.