Welcome to my first edition of live looks from the Cape Cod League. I will be covering some of the best collegiate talents in the nation throughout the summer, featuring several players who will go on to be selected early in the next couple of drafts. This piece will include looks from the following games:
6/10: Orleans Firebirds at Hyannis Harbor Hawks
6/11: Hyannis Harbor Hawks at Wareham Gatemen
6/12: Chatham Anglers at Hyannis Harbor Hawks
6/13: Hyannis Harbor Hawks at Brewster Whitecaps
I currently intern in the Harbor Hawks Baseball Operations department, so the majority of my looks will be from Hyannis games. However, I will be covering all teams throughout the season.
Austin Overn, OF, Southern California, Orleans Firebirds
Game line (6/10): 0-4, BB
Overn had a ton of hype coming out of high school as an incoming two-sport recruit and has completely lived up to it so far. The 6’1”, 175 lb. twitchy centerfielder is a mature hitter with poise beyond his years. Though he has an unconventional approach in which he steps in the bucket during his leg kick, he still manages to maintain a fairly low strikeout rate (16.7% in the Pac-12) with controlled aggression in his swing. He has more gap power than home run power at the moment, but he has plenty of room to fill out which should lead to significantly more homers as he matures. He went hitless when I saw him, but I was impressed with his approach nonetheless. His above-average speed and range should allow him to stick in center field long-term as well. He’s a projected top pick going into the 2024 draft with the ceiling of an elite top-of-the-order guy at the highest level.
Sean Matson, RHP, Harvard, Orleans Firebirds
Game line (6/10): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K
Though he’s coming off a mediocre year on paper this past season at Harvard, Matson’s stuff alone could get him drafted. The fastball consistently sits around 90 MPH, topping out around 92. He pounded the zone with it in this outing, throwing nine out of ten of them for strikes with two whiffs. The slider is his true weapon, though. It’s a tight, true sweeper that serves as a great out pitch, especially when thrown away to get hitters to chase. He also has a changeup that lags behind his other offerings, but it’s an effective pitch to lefties nonetheless. It was clear that hitters were not seeing the ball well out of his hand in this outing. His compact, repeatable delivery with a consistent 3/4 arm slot makes it difficult for hitters to determine what pitch is being thrown until it is already out of his hand. Matson’s value could soar if he adds a few more MPH to his fastball.
Chris Clark, RHP, Harvard, Orleans Firebirds
Game line (6/10): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get video of Clark, but he needs to be mentioned because of how much he stood out in his short stint. He is an analytically-driven team’s dream; his sinker features heavy arm side run from a funky 3/4 slot. It sat around 95 MPH, running it up to 97 in this outing. The pitch profiles incredibly well, but got hit more than one would anticipate given the movement and velocity. This fix could be as simple as locating better and not throwing it over the middle of the plate as often. His slider, though only thrown a few times in this outing, was extremely effective for him throughout his college season. It has two different profiles; one with cutting action and the other more of a gyro-type. Both are effective, so having both of these in his arsenal only makes it harder for hitters to pick up. He rarely throws his changeup, but he has good feel for it, and could be something a pro team works to incorporate into his arsenal. He recently left the Cape, so he will likely not pitch again until after the draft. He looks like a day 2 arm.
Daniel Avitia, RHP, Grand Canyon, Orleans Firebirds
Game line (6/10): 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 6 K
Avitia didn’t mess around in his first start of the year. He had good feel for all three of his pitches that could arguably all be graded as plus at their best. His low 3/4 slot allows him to get great separation and make the most out of his long limbs. He filled up the zone with his fastball, which showcased great run, and sat in the low-90s consistently throughout his outing. The slider has tons of sweep across the zone, leading to chases on the outer half and off the plate. His changeup impressed me the most, though. He racked up a 55% whiff rate on the pitch here, primarily using it to get hitters to chase low due to its late fade. Three of his six strikeouts came on the pitch, all via the swing and miss. He unsurprisingly located well, too. He posted walk rates right around two per nine in two full college seasons, so control is a non-issue for him. He’s projectable at 6’4”, 200 lb. and could have his stock shoot up if he adds more muscle.
Eldridge Armstrong, RHP, San Diego State, Wareham Gatemen
Game line (6/11): 3 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 2 K
Armstrong was not at his best in this outing, but still showed flashes of what makes him a highly regarded prospect about to head to Team USA training camp. His smooth and repeatable delivery makes it possible for him to start long-term, but he is currently a multi-inning reliever at school. His fastball typically sits in the low-90s, reaching the mid-90s when he needs to. It has above-average run and ride, but it can get dangerous for him when its shape gets too close to the “dead zone”. He needs to be careful not to throw it over the plate too often because it will stay on plane with the barrel of the bat. The pitch that separates Armstrong from most other college arms is his slider. He gets tremendous whiff and chase rates on the offering while being able to throw it for a strike more often than not. He simply did not have this pitch working here, though, as he gave up three out of the four hits he allowed on the pitch. It is a plus-plus pitch at its best, but it did not miss as many bats, as usual, this time around. He is usually a two-pitch guy but mixed in a couple of changeups that will need to become a more consistent third offering for him if he wants to start in pro ball.
Ben Williamson, UTL, William and Mary, Hyannis Harbor Hawks
Games I saw (6/10-6/13): 8-17, 2 doubles, 1 BB, 2 K
I have been fortunate enough to watch all of Ben Williamson’s at-bats this year, which have been nothing short of spectacular. He possesses elite bat-to-ball skills that have led him to a sub-10% strikeout rate thus far. He put on significant muscle over the offseason, which led to his bat speed and exit velocities taking a huge jump. It’s a unique setup in the box before the pitch is thrown, where his hands are almost completely upright with a very loose grip on the bat. This quickly changes when he loads, with his high leg kick and high hands leading to elite separation to generate good bat speed. An elite athlete, he can play anywhere on the diamond besides first base, catcher, and pitcher. He’s a high-intensity player who will take an extra base on you if you aren’t paying attention. He profiles as a Chris Taylor-type player at the next level given his versatility and offensive profile. The only thing holding Williamson back in the draft is his age is that he turns 23 in November, but that shouldn’t prevent him from going as early as the beginning of day two of the draft in July.
Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State, Hyannis Harbor Hawks
Game line (6/11): 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 6 K
Arnold immediately made his presence known when he entered the game in relief last week. The southpaw throws from a true sidearm slot, forming a nearly perfect ninety-degree angle between his head and his arm. This gives him a horizontal profile that leads to tremendous arm-side run on his fastball. It can almost be classified as a sinker due to its late drop. Hitters simply could not pick it up out of his hand, inducing six whiffs out of eight swings on the pitch. It sat 89-91 MPH in this outing and has been up to 92 this year. He barely needed to throw any secondary pitches, but he also features a frisbee slider in the upper 70s that garnered elite chase rates in college. He throws it from the same arm slot as his fastball, creating a large movement differential between pitches in polar opposite directions. He also has a changeup, which is more of an experimental pitch at the moment. This was the most dominant outing I have seen on the Cape so far.
Jay Driver, RHP, Harvard, Hyannis Harbor Hawks
Game line (6/12): 5 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 5 K
This was a big start for Driver after coming off a down year at Harvard compared to his 2022 numbers, but he did not disappoint in this one. He comes at the hitter with an unconventional arm action that can cause some inconsistencies due to it being difficult to repeat. He uses his legs well, which is where a lot of his power comes from with his back knee nearly touching the ground during his delivery. He sat in the low-90s with his fastball, hitting 93 MPH on occasion. Similar to Armstrong, Driver has to be careful about his fastball getting too flat with similar amounts of horizontal and vertical break. When he throws it well, he gets significantly more horizontal movement than vertical movement which keeps him out of the “dead zone.” However, he has never gotten very good whiff rates on the pitch, so it is important that he keeps it out of the middle of the zone, which he did well in this outing. His bread-and-butter pitch is his slider, though. It racked up elite whiff rates throughout his college career with its sweeping action across the zone. It generated four whiffs on seven swings in this game. He typically uses it to get hitters to chase away, but can also use it as a get-me-over pitch due to it having a similar strike percentage compared to his fastball. He rarely throws his changeup, but it has proven to be effective at the college level and will likely increase in usage if a professional organization tries to develop him as a starter. This outing was incredibly beneficial to Driver’s draft stock, where he will likely go sometime on Day 2 in July.