BOSTON — Many players in the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) hope to one day be selected in the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.
Some will have that happen — others won’t. While the uncertainty of making it to the big leagues still hangs in the air for these players, an opportunity on Wednesday gave them a taste of playing baseball at the highest level.
All 10 teams in the CCBL shipped up to Boston to showcase their skills at Fenway Day, the longstanding tradition where players can play at the home of the Boston Red Sox and hopefully make a name for themselves in front of MLB scouts.
It started as mainly scouts from the Red Sox hand-picking players in the Boston area to test their skills, but now it’s expanded into everyone in the league having the opportunity to put their talent on display.
That opportunity came for the Bourne Braves at 8 a.m. Wednesday morning, being the first team to take the field on a gloomy day with light rain coming down. The Braves took the field alongside the Brewster Whitecaps, following a loss to them on Tuesday, 4-3, after eight innings of play due to darkness and no lights at Stony Brook Field.
Despite the drizzle and less-than-ideal conditions, the tarp eventually got taken off the infield as the rain began to stop so Bourne could finally play baseball. While the weather wasn’t picture-perfect, that didn’t dampen the moods of the players, as the bright smiles and positive energy were on full display, being able to play in one of the most historic ballparks in MLB history.
The Braves and Whitecaps took reps in the infield together. Bryce Molinaro (Penn State) showed off his arm strength at third base while Ryker Waite (Vanderbilt) flashed the leather at shortstop. Weber Neels (Minnesota) showed off his skill from behind the plate, fielding a slow roller in front of him, then firing off a missile to second base.
After taking the infield, it was the Braves turn to take batting practice while the Whitecaps went to shag balls. Jimmy Keenan (Wake Forest) had the most success at the plate for Bourne, driving three hard-hit balls over the infamous Green Monster, including two consecutive blasts after his first set of swings, which sparked lots of cheering from his teammates waiting in line behind him.
Molinaro, Neels, and Braden Holcomb (Vanderbilt) all found success with the long ball as well, sending shots over the green wall. After Holcomb had come close a few times, his final swing of his set of attempts was the one that cleared the fence, unleashing a big smile from the second-year Brave.
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Campbell Smithwick (undecided) sent a home run as well, being the lone player from Bourne to not send it over the Green Monster, instead driving it over the right-field wall. Peyton Bonds (Rutgers) didn’t send any out of the park, but he was able to showcase his power from the batter’s box, hitting several bombs off the Green Monster.
Bourne then shagged balls for Brewster when it was time for the Whitecaps to take their batting practice. Following swings from the Whitecaps, the Braves got to spend some time inside the Green Monster following the conclusion of their time slot at 10:30 a.m. The Chatham Anglers and Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox took the field next, as Bourne hit the bus as it prepared to return to action at 6 p.m. on Thursday against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, who are coming off a 7-7 tie in 10 innings against the Anglers.
With scouts in attendance with their laptops and notebooks jotting down thoughts to themselves about players from Bourne, several Braves made a strong statement in Fenway Park.
Whether the players make it to the show or not, the ability to play in a big league ballpark was a special experience. It’s often talked about how elite the competition across the CCBL is and how it’s the most prestigious summer baseball league around, but the ability to showcase their skills at a historic stadium in front of scouts is another reason why the Cape League is so special.
Follow Lyle on X, @lalenstein. Feature photo by Shannen Hardy. Follow her on Instagram, @shannenhardy_media.
