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All-Time Cape League Outfield

08/07/2020 12:06 PM

Article By: John Garner Jr.



            During its long history, the Cape Cod Baseball League has enjoyed several positions of prominence, including outfielders. Here are 29 of the top flycatchers:

 Outfield

William Walker, Chatham – The hard-hitting Wesleyan star led CCBL with a .432 batting average in 1957 and led all New England college batters in home runs in 1960. After graduating, Walker worked in Nixon and Ford White Houses and authored three novels about inter-war Europe. He is retired and living in West Yarmouth.

Ken Voges, Chatham – The Texas Lutheran star got the modern era off in 1963 with a bang batting a league record .505 for the A’s. He was signed by Chicago Cubs. Ken was inducted into the Cape League Hall of Fame in 2005.

Harry Nelson, Bourne – The Wagner standout won the league batting title in 1964 with a lusty .390 average. He was signed by the New York Yankees. Harry will be inducted into the Cape League Hall of Fame in 2020.

Jim Norris, Orleans – The UMaryland Terrapin was named league MVP in 1969 for the Cardinals. Jim was inducted into the Cape League Hall of Fame in 2004.

Ken Doria, Chatham – The Florida State Seminole led the CCBL in batting for the A’s in 1971, with a .346 average.

Steve Newell, Wareham – The UMass Minuteman was named league MVP in 1973 for the Wareham Gatemen. Steve was inducted into the Cape League Hall of Fame in 2017.

Nat “Buck” Showalter, Hyannis – The Mississippi State star batted a league-high .434 during the Mets’ inaugural season and named CCBL MVP. After playing in the New York Yankees minor leagues, Showalter is three-time AL Manager of the Year, leading the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Orioles. Buck was inducted into the Cape League Hall of Fame in 2002.

John Morris, Wareham – The Seton Hall product enjoyed an MVP season for the Gatemen in 1981, hitting .410 and scored a league-record 50 runs. He played seven seasons for Cardinals, Phillies and Angels. John was inducted into the Cape League Hall of Fame in 2007.

Greg Lotzar, Cotuit – The Central Michigan standout was named league MVP for the Kettleers in 1983, leading the league in batting with a .414 average. He was drafted by the Red Sox.

Greg Vaughn, Cotuit – The Sacramento CC star was named league MVP for the Kettleers in 1985. Greg was drafted by the Brewers and played

Scott Hemond, Harwich – The South Florida outfielder/catcher was named Cape League MVP in 1986, winning league batting title with a .358 average. He was signed by Oakland and played six years in major leagues for the A’s. White Sox and Cardinals

Mark Smith, Wareham – The USC Trojan was named league MVP and won the batting title for the Gatemen in 1990, hitting .408. Mark was drafted by Orioles and inducted into Cape League Hall of Fame in 2011.

Darin Erstad, Falmouth – The Nebraska Cornhusker played for Commodores and was CCBL All-Star in 1993 when he hit .302 and League MVP in ’94 when he batted .340. Signed in 1995 as first round pick of Angels, he won Gold Glove in 2000, became first MLB player to drive in 100 runs as leadoff hitter and collected a league-leading 240 hits and batted .355. Erstad played 14 years in major leagues (1995-2009), batting .282 with 124 homers and 699 RBI. Darin was the first outfielder inducted into the Cape League Hall of Fame in 2001.


Jon Petke, Yarmouth-Dennis – The Cal-Berkley standout won the Cape League batting title in 1994 with a .379 average. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians and played two seasons in the minor leagues.

Josh Paul, Cotuit – The Vanderbilt star was named Cape League MVP in 1995 and won batting title with a .364 average. He was drafted by the White Sox and played nine seasons in the major leagues, hitting .244 with 10 HR and 73 RBI. Josh was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2006.

Bobby Kielty, Brewster – The Ole Miss standout was named Cape League MVP and won batting title in 1998 with a .384 average. He was drafted by Twins and played seven years in the major leagues. Bobby was inducted into the CCBL Hall o Fame in 2005.

Matt Murton, Wareham – The Georgia Tech Bulldog was named league MVP for the Gatemen in 2001, batting .324 with two homers and 28 RBI. He returned in 2002 in a shortened season batting .400 and won CCBL Home Run Derby. He was drafted by the Red Sox and played five seasons in the majors for the Cubs, A’s and Rockies. Matt was inducted into Cape League Hall of Fame in 2008.

Pete Stonard, Cotuit – The Alabama Crimson Tide won the Cape League batting title in 2002 with a .348 average. Pete was drafted by the San Diego Padres.

JC Holt, Brewster – The LSU Tiger won the 2003 batting title with a .388 average. He was signed by Atlanta and inducted into Cape League Hall of Fame in 2016.

Sam Fuld, Hyannis – The Stanford Cardinal batted .361 for the Mets in 2003. He was signed by the Cubs and played eight years in major leagues. Sam was inducted into the Cape League Hall of Fame in 2015.

Daniel Carte, Falmouth – The Winthrop star was named league MVP for the Commodores in 2004, hitting .308 with a league-leading 11 homers and 38 RBI. Daniel was signed by Colorado and inducted into Cape League Hall of Fame in 2013.

A.J. Pollock, Falmouth – The Notre Dame standout was named league MVP for the Commodores in 2008, hitting .377. A.J. was drafted by the Diamondbacks and has played nine years in the major leagues, hitting .281 with 90 homers and 313 RBI. In 2015 he was named to NL All-Star Team, hitting .315 with 20 HR and 76 RBI and won a Gold Glove for Arizona.

John Ruettiger, Hyannis – The nephew of former Notre Dame football walk-on “Rudy” Ruettiger led the CCBL with a .369 batting average for the Harbor Hawks in 2011. John was drafted by the Orioles.

Travis Jankowski, Bourne – The Stony Brook star was named Cape League MVP in 2011, batting .326 with 22 RBI. Travis was drafted by Padres and has played six seasons in major leagues.

Phil Ervin, Harwich – The Samford products was named Cape League MVP in 2012, batting .323 with 11 homers and 31 RBI. Phil was drafted by the Reds.

Andrew Calica, Wareham -   The UC/Santa Barbara star captured the league batting title for the Gatemen in 2015 with a superb .425 average. Andrew was drafted by the Cleveland Indians.

Greyson Jenista, Cotuit – The Wichita State Shocker was named league MVP for the Kettleers in 2017, batting .310 with three homers and 16 RBI. Greyson was drafted by the Atlanta Braves.

Griffin Conine, Cotuit – The Duke Blue Devil was named Outstanding Pro Prospect for the Kettleers in 2017, batted .333 and led the league with nine homers and droved in 28 runs.

Matthew Barefoot, Hyannis – The Campbell star captured MVP and the league batting title at .379 for Harbor Hawks in 2018. Matthew was drafted by the Houston Astros.

Zach Doloach, Falmouth – The Texas A&M Aggie led the CCBL in 2019 with a .353 average and belted five homers and 23 RBI.