2009 Cape League All Star and 2010
MLB draft hopeful Mickey Wiswall
(Photo: Andrea LaFrance)
One week before the Cape Cod Baseball League opens its 2010 season, major league baseball is getting ready for the start tonight of its first-year player draft. While surely coincidental, the timing of the two events couldn’t be more appropriate because showcasing themselves for the draft is why most players pine to play on the Cape in the first place.
Baseball fans need look no further than the Boston Red Sox to see the direct connection between the nation’s premier summer college league and The Show, and the draft’s role as the pivotal point of transition between them. Specifically, here’s a list of seven prominent Red Sox of recent vintage, the Cape League teams they played on, and their draft positions in the years they turned pro:
Daniel Bard – Wareham 2005 – #28 overall 2006 (Boston)
Jason Bay – Chatham 1999 – #645 overall 2000 (Montreal)
Jacoby Ellsbury – Falmouth 2004 – #23 overall 2005 (Boston)
Mike Lowell – Chatham 1994 – #562 overall 1995 (NYY)
Justin Masterson – Wareham 2005 – #71 overall 2006 (Boston)
Jason Varitek – Hyannis, 1991 & 1993 – #14 overall 1994 (Seattle)
Kevin Youkilis – Bourne 2000 – #243 overall 2001 (Boston)
What’s interesting is that there are about as many high picks as there are low picks on this list, which means simply that getting the opportunity to play professionally is what’s important. Sure, the money of a top-round selection is nice – just ask Buster Posey (Y-D 2006 & 2007 – #5 overall 2008), who signed with the Giants for a club record $6.2 million and never looked back. But the betting here is that the guys who were on Cape last summer, as every year, will be happy just to get a contract if that’s the best outcome they receive.
So tonight’s a big night for anyone with a rooting interest in Cape League baseball and the players who perform there – players like Boston College’s Mickey Wiswall and Cape League All Star MVP Chris Sale, both of whom played for Y-D last year and will certainly be glued to their TVs, cellphones, and Internet connections until the draft dust settles 50 rounds from now. Their future is about to begin, and we’ll all look forward to seeing how things work out.
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