As the 2024 Brewster Whitecaps unpack their bags and settle in for a summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League, five members of the squad have some extra familiarity with all that comes with playing for the organization.
Four players — Rocco Reid, Patrick Forbes, Darien Smith and Tyler Pettorini — spent time with Brewster last summer, and pitcher Ryan Ure was with the Whitecaps in 2022.
Whitecaps head coach Jamie Shevchik emphasized that Brewster was intentional in its decision to bring back this specific group of five players.
“The guys that are returning…we brought those guys back for a reason. We could’ve brought back 20 guys from last year’s team but we chose to bring back a handful. And I think the guys that we chose to bring back are the guys that we feel are gonna be really good team guys.”
Here’s a breakdown of players returning to Whitecaps this season.
Rocco Reid, LHP — Clemson
After pitching more than 25 innings with the Whitecaps in 2023, Reid is back for a second summer in Brewster. He logged a career-high 21.2 innings with Clemson this spring — mostly in relief.
Last summer, the southpaw split his time between the bullpen and the starting rotation. He capped off his summer on a strong note, tossing 3.1 shutout innings against the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in Game 2 of the CCBL Quarterfinals.
Reid said he hasn’t done much to change his pitching style or arsenal since last summer, other than a few small tweaks to his delivery. Instead, he says he’s kept the focus on “attacking hitters right away” and “living in the strike zone.”
And with the 2024 CCBL season just days away, he says he’s ready for year two in Brewster.
“It’s an absolute dream playing [here] in paradise,” Reid said. “Great staff, I love all the guys and I’m super excited to come back.”
Patrick Forbes, RHP — Louisville
Forbes had an impressive stint with Brewster last year, earning an All-Star appearance with a 2.59 ERA in 17.1 innings — plus ten hits and two home runs at the plate.
The 6-foot-3 righthander will look to repeat that success in 2024 after a strong sophomore season at Louisville, where he struck out 32 batters in 29 innings and notched a 3.72 ERA. Even though Forbes was sidelined for late March and most of April with a hand injury, Shevchik views that missed time as a blessing in disguise.
“By him getting hurt, it kept his innings limit down, and so now he’s able to come out here with a lot of innings to burn,” Shevchik said. “For us to get a quality arm like that with only 30 innings that he burned throughout the year — that’s huge.”
Darien Smith, RHP — Southeastern
Shevchik called it a “no-brainer” to return Smith, who pitched 17.1 innings for Brewster last year, including a solid 5.1-inning postseason start.
“He was one of our better pitchers at the end last year,” Shevchik said of Smith. “I thought he should’ve gotten drafted, he didn’t and I brought him back because I knew he was gonna have a little bit of a chip on his shoulder.”
Smith was nothing short of dominant in his senior season at Southeastern University in Florida, earning National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Pitcher of the Year honors with a 1.87 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 96.1 innings. He’ll be a name to watch come draft time.
“He’s probably one of my favorite guys that I’ve had from a competitive standpoint,” Shevchik said. “I’m excited to see him back.”
Ryan Ure, LHP — Oklahoma State
Ure pitched for the Whitecaps in 2022 and was slated to return in ‘23 before Tommy John surgery kept him sidelined last summer and for part of this spring. Now back to full strength, he’ll return to Brewster this summer after pitching 3.2 innings across 10 appearances for Oklahoma State in the spring.
Ure underwent surgery in Feb. 2023, and made his first appearance back with the Cowboys on March 26, when he pitched a scoreless inning in relief against Wichita State.
“I learned a lot,” Ure said of the surgery and recovery. “I took [my health] for granted a little bit. That was something I’d never experienced, sitting out that long. It sucked at the beginning, but I learned to make the most of it.”
Since he was last on the Cape, Ure said he’s grown faster and stronger, and tweaked his pitching arsenal slightly. The 6-foot-6 southpaw — who primarily relies on a mix of fastballs, changeups and sliders — excelled in his 2022 season with Brewster (1.59 ERA in 11.1 IP), and he says he’s excited to return this summer.
“The baseball was so much fun,” Ure said of his ‘22 season. “You’re playing against the best players in the country…it was amazing and I can’t wait to get back.”
Tyler Pettorini, INF — Ohio State
Pettorini appeared in six games for the Whitecaps at the end of last season, and he’s back on the roster for opening day this season. The Wooster, Ohio native had a solid spring 2024, starting 54 games with a .309 batting average and 9 home runs.
He’ll be key to strengthening Brewster’s infield — especially early in the season, before the rest of the roster returns from the College World Series in Omaha.
