Amateur Scout Will Hoefer took in over 20 Cape Cod League games this past summer and walked away with a thorough idea of who to watch for in 2022 on the college circuit.
Live Looks:
Brock Wilken (3B, Wake Forest, 2023) - #1 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/23, 7/31, 8/6, 8/7
BACKGROUND: First year sensation at Wake Forest, hit 17 home runs and was named to the Freshman All-American team.
WHAT HE SHOWED: By the time I had the opportunity to see Wilken play, most pitchers were content to work away off the plate and pitch around him--rather than risk a miss over the plate and giving up a Brocket. When Brock gets pitches to hit, he shows an ability to pull his hands in and has the bat speed to catch almost anything in the zone. His raw power is double plus, and his BPs frequently contain balls hit hard in a way that no one else on the field can replicate. Swing and miss is in Wilken's profile, particularly with offspeed stuff away, but he has a good eye and possesses a selective approach befitting of a man that abhors striking out. Wilken's defense as a third baseman is contingent primarily on his plus arm. He has solid enough hands and reacts well to batted balls, but isn't very rangey due to below average foot speed. There's skepticism about him sticking at third as a pro, but with this caliber of bat teams will run him out at third base until he becomes a liability there.
OUTLOOK: Most everyone I've talked with has come to the conclusion that Wilken emerged as the top prospect on the Cape this summer, and it's a hard point to argue. This is a top of the line power bat with an advanced approach, and a super strong arm that should keep him at third base for the foreseeable future. There's a long time between now and the 2023 draft, but Wilken's as much of a first round lock as you'll find in the college ranks.
Owen Diodati (LF, Alabama, 2022) - #48 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/12, 7/16, 7/23, 7/24, 7/27, 8/2
BACKGROUND: Middle of the order thumper for the Crimson Tide with swing and miss issues.
WHAT HE SHOWED: Middle of the order thumper for the Gatemen with swing and miss issues. Diodati is a physical presence in the batter's box at 6'3" 215 lbs. He has a wide, sturdy stance and high hand load, and can go deep on easy, conservative swings. However, an aggressive approach and struggles to identify breaking balls hindered his ability to get to his power consistently. The end result was a very streaky player; Diodati would look like the best power hitter on the Cape one week, and look completely overwhelmed the next week. Defensively, Diodati got more consistent playing time than he did at Alabama--he started every game for Wareham in left field. He has average range there with a good arm, projects as a neutral asset in a corner outfield spot.
OUTLOOK: Diodati has the physicality, athleticism and frame to project on as an offensive producer, but it's imperative that he improves his ability to recognize spin to reduce his high strikeout rates. If he shows progress in that realm, he should find himself taken within the first three rounds.
Adam Mazur (RHP, Iowa, 2022) - #31 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/16, 8/2
BACKGROUND: Staff ace for South Dakota State, possesses strikeout stuff but struggled with walks and keeping runs off the board.
WHAT HE SHOWED: Mechanically, Adam Mazur is a classic tall and fall guy that generates little downmound extension and has a fairly high release point. There's some violence in his delivery, but he generally repeats well. His four seam fastball sits in the low 90s and tops out at 95 MPH, and his two seamer is generally one or two ticks below the four seamer over the course of his starts. There's a comfort level that Mazur has with the two seam that shouldn't be ignored, but the four seam features very good ride that flashes plus, and Mazur commands both fastballs well to each side of the zone. The money secondary right now is the slider, which is a high spin offering in the low 80s that has sharp downward break. Mazur showed an ability to work this pitch to both sides of the plate as well, which gave him an ability to attack hitters from both sides of the plate in favorable counts. His curve is in the mid to high 70s, and is mainly differentiated by slightly more vertical break and less horizontal break than the slider. Mazur would sprinkle in a change in the low to mid 80s that has late tailing action and good feel, but confidence in it is still being cultivated.
OUTLOOK: Adam Mazur is right at the top of the list of breakouts on the Cape this summer, showing a promising four pitch arsenal and advanced command of his fastball and slider. Transferring to Iowa is a good developmental fit for him, as he has considerable room to add muscle, and should be the Hawkeyes' Friday night starter in 2022.
Christian Knapczyk (SS, Louisville, 2023) - #28 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/18, 7/30, 8/6, 8/8, 8/10
BACKGROUND: Everyday shortstop for Louisville as a true freshman, impressive on-base skills with good walk to strikeout ratio.
WHAT HE SHOWED: Simple swing that stays short to the ball and is geared for line drive contact. Shows good plate coverage and works counts to find pitches that he can drive into the gaps. Power is almost non-existent, hasn't hit a homer in college yet and his approach is very contact oriented. Struggled a bit with high and away fastballs towards the end of the season, but right now that should be chalked up to fatigue after a long first year in college ball. Put up a few 70 grade run times, speed is going to be a huge part of his game. Mostly played shortstop for Bourne, athletic defender that can make plays with his range and his arm. Has soft hands, a good internal clock, sound footwork, and surprising arm strength and utility for a guy that's 5'9'' 155 lbs. Will be an asset defensively as a middle infielder, has all the tools to be a MLB-caliber shortstop.
OUTLOOK: Knapczyk doesn't bring a lot of power to the table, but has some of the best bat to ball skills on the Cape and is an above average defender at both middle infield positions. He will be a top follow for Midwest scouts this spring, and possesses one of the highests floors for the 2023 draft class.
Teddy McGraw (RHP, Wake Forest, 2023) - #12 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 8/7
BACKGROUND: Big armed freshman that pitched sparingly for Wake Forest during his true freshman season. Was picked up by Brewster after multiple strong outings in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.
WHAT HE SHOWED: McGraw works from a 3Q armslot with powerful, fluid lower half mechanics. He gets to his velo easily, and has a physical presence on the mound that was rivaled by few on the Cape this summer. His fastball was 91-95 MPH and touched 96, and he maintained that velocity throughout his six innings of work. He has two different fastballs; a two seamer that features big sink, and a four seamer with good flat shape that works at the top of the zone. The slider is his main out pitch, low to mid 80s with sweeping shape and command to both sides of the plate. He can rely on it in big spots, and it projects as a plus pitch. Integrated a changeup later in the outing that has good shape, 86-88 MPH. It matches his two seamer's movement well, and it flashed plus late into his outing.
OUTLOOK: McGraw has top of the rotation potential, with an arsenal that sports two effective fastballs and two out getting secondaries. He is emerging as the next great pitcher developed by the Demon Deacons program, and is tracking as a top pitching prospect in the 2023 draft class.
Zach Neto (SS, Campbell, 2022) - #9 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 8/6, 8/7, 8/10
BACKGROUND: Shortstop that absolutely crushed Big South pitching in his second year at Campbell, routinely filling up the stat sheet with extra base hits and stolen bases.
WHAT HE SHOWED: First thing that stands out in Neto's swing is his big, pronounced leg kick. He will shorten it to a small front step with two strikes (while still retaining a lot of his raw power), but in all other counts you'll see Neto draw his left leg so far back that his knee is nearly touching his left elbow. This allows Neto to not only drive forward with significant force, but really wait back and see secondary offerings. It's a high maintenance swing, but Neto's regularly on time with pitches and can barrel up balls at all levels of the strike zone. Defensively, Neto is a natural shortstop with a strong arm that's capable of all the throws at SS. His arm is accurate from multiple angles and armslots, and possesses smooth actions with good range and soft hands.
OUTLOOK: Zach Neto looked every bit as good as advertised against Cape competition, and his physicality and athleticism stood out amongst the creme de la creme. Expect the do everything Fighting Camels' shortstop to not only be a first round pick in the 2022 draft, but top Seth Johnson as the highest draftee from Campbell University in program history.
Adam Maier (RHP, Oregon, 2022) - #16 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/24
BACKGROUND: Maier did not pitch in 2021 prior to arriving on the Cape, as British Columbia did not play baseball this past Spring.
WHAT HE SHOWED: Maier works out of a low 3Q armslot, with smooth mechanics at all points of his delivery. Everything moves forward, and he gets to his velo easily. Two-seam fastball was 90-93 MPH and touched 94, with elite horizontal movement and sharp command of the pitch. Changeup was in the mid 80s and showed plus, with a very similar spin axis to the two seam and a few inches of additional drop due to Maier's ability to kill its spin. The main event is the slider, a low 80s pitch that might end up being a double plus offering. It sits in the 2800-3000 RPM range of spin rate, which helps it generate big sweeping shape and big whiff rates. Maier can alter his slider's shape to get more downward movement, which only added to the consternation of hitters on the Cape.
OUTLOOK: Maier arrived on the Cape with little known about him, and left with everyone talking about him. His velocity did vary start to start, but even the low 90s version that I saw is a pitcher with an above average fastball, two plus secondaries, and smooth mechanics with a very easy overall operation. He's transferring to Oregon for this upcoming season, and should be a hot commodity as one of the younger college pitchers in the 2022 draft class.
Jace Grady (CF, Dallas Baptist, 2022) - #25 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/18, 8/1, 8/6, 8/8
BACKGROUND: Big performer at Dallas Baptist this spring, with an advanced hit tool and sneaky pop.
WHAT HE SHOWED: Grady has a swing that's optimized to lift the ball, and he might have the quickest hands of any player on the Cape this year. His raw power grades out at average, but with his swing and ability to drive the ball from both sides of the plate, he might be one of the rare players with more game power than raw power. There's possibly some minor quibbles about his lack of walks due to an aggressive approach, but that's mostly because Grady is capable of driving a variety of pitches and will just jump one as soon as he sees it. As a runner, Grady has above average speed and has the instincts to utilize it for the extra base. He's an all around good defensive outfielder and should be a fine center fielder for the majority of his career.
OUTLOOK: One of the more potent combinations of hit and power on the Cape, Jace Grady rewarded scouts that stuck around in the second half of the season. With a bevy of above average tools and a burgeoning track record of performance, Grady fits the mold of a late 1st round college bat.
Quick Hits:
Zach Maxwell (RHP, Georgia Tech, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/17
Listed at 6'7", 275 lbs., Zach Maxwell checks the boxes of presence and intimidation factor on the list of closer traits. Turns out his stuff is really good too. Maxwell possesses a mid 90s fastball with elite IVB data, and utilizes a plus mid 80s slider as his strikeout secondary pitch. The end result was an eye popping 44.6% strikeout rate in 11.2 innings on the Cape for Maxwell this summer, with improved but still very spotty command. He will need to cut down his walks and hit his spots more consistently to cement his status as a top tier relief prospect in the 2022 draft.
Peyton Chatagnier (2B, Ole Miss, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/16, 7/24, 7/31
Peyton Chatagnier has shown an explosive barrel through the zone on the Cape at times, but an aggressive approach at the plate resulted in spotty contact quality. Defensively, smooth actions and good arm utility at second base project towards an asset defensively at the keystone. If Chatagnier starts to barrel balls with more consistency, he could start to establish himself as a good option for teams looking for college bats as early as the third round.
Michael Curialle (2B/OF, UCLA, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 8/1, 8/2
A well-heralded prep from JSerra Catholic HS, Michael Curialle was looking to build off a solid 2nd season at UCLA with a strong Cape performance at Falmouth. However, Curialle experienced a lot of swing and miss issues, particularly with sliders. On many occasions, the tools still shone through—particularly his above average raw power, and there's plenty of opportunity this spring for Curialle to establish himself as a top 100 prospect in this year's draft.
Brooks Lee (SS, Cal Poly, 2022) - #2 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/24
Unfortunately, I got to see Brooks Lee just once on the Cape. His advanced approach was the main facet on display in that game, as he did a good job shortening up with two strikes and going the other way with a pitcher's pitch. Overall, Lee possesses physicality and an advanced feel for the barrel from both sides of the plate, with strong defensive instincts that give him a shot to stick at shortstop even with average at best foot speed. Barring calamity or bonus concerns, he will be a top 10 selection in the 2022 draft.
Michael Prosecky (LHP, Louisville, 2022) - #40 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 8/6, 8/10
Prosecky primarily served as a multi-inning reliever for Brewster down the stretch, and pitched very well in that role. Features a low 90s MPH fastball that touches 95 with good riding action and high spin rates, a firm mid 80s change with good tumbling action, and a breaking ball at 78-81 with good vertical break. Should be an impact arm for Louisville in 2022 and a coveted left handed pitcher in this draft class, even if his present role is nebulous.
Nolan McLean (3B, Oklahoma State, 2022) - #21 in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/27, 7/31
McLean was a late arrival to the Cape after playing for the CNT, and after a cold first game at Wareham he heated up and barrelled balls with increasing regularity during his two week stay at Chatham--mirroring his production at Oklahoma State. In my looks he showed good range, soft hands and a strong arm at third base, and had some of the louder BPs on the Cape this summer. He's a draft eligible sophomore next year that should be off the board no later than round two, as he passes the smell test for models and traditional scouting evaluation.
Cade Fergus (CF, George Washington, 2022) - NR in Prospects Live CCBL Top 50
Dates Seen: 7/12, 7/23, 8/2
Cade Fergus didn't get as much playing time on the Cape as most of his cohorts, as swing and miss issues led to him splitting playing time at Wareham with Ohio State freshman outfielder Kade Kern. But in limited looks, Fergus was able to provide flashes of his impressive power and speed combo that have interested scouts since his prep days. This upcoming season is vital for him to show improvement in his strikeout rates, as he will still be under the age of 22 come draft day and could climb into top 5 round discussions. Profiles similarly to Michael A. Taylor or Drew Stubbs.