Whitehouse Field in Harwich was packed all day on Saturday, with over a thousand Cape League fans filtering into the star-studded event.
The Home Run Derby and ensuing All-Star Game showcase many of the Cape Cod Baseball League's brightest stars and future professionals.
Fourteen players who suited up in last summer's Cape League were selected in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft last weekend, highlighting the league's premier role as a pipeline to professional baseball.
The All-Star festivities kicked off with the Home Run Derby between some of the best sluggers in the country. The six contestants were:
-Jacob Lee, Brewster Whitecaps, Virginia Commonwealth
-Bub Terrell, Orleans Firebirds, Auburn
-Junior Laukai, Chatham Anglers, Georgia
-Coen Niclai, Wareham Gatemen, Oregon State
-Brady Christman, Cotuit Kettleers, Mississippi State
-Ben Slanker, Falmouth Commodores, Louisville
The six men stepped up, and baseballs began raining down on the crowds of kids waiting in and beyond the outfield. As baseballs cleared the fence and disappeared into the trees beyond center field, rain began to take its place and fall over Whitehouse Field.
The three batters from each division faced off in a contest that will leave just one man standing.
In the midst of the rain showers, 6’3” Bub Terrell stepped up, tightly gripping his wooden bat like a lumberjack wielding his trusty wooden axe.
Terrell, the Orleans Firebird, was more than thankful for his debut in the contest and his summer on the Cape.
"I love every second of it, every day of it with my teammates; it's amazing,” Terrell said. “It's a blessing to be part of a team that cares about baseball just like me."
Terrell and Cotuit’s Brady Christman slowly began to separate themselves from the competition as they went back and forth like a game of tug of war, knocking balls over the fence one after another.
Terrell cut the balls in half as he barrelled them up and battled Cotuit’s Brady Christman into the final round of the tournament.
With the contest carrying on in the rain and each dugout maintaining its energy in their champion, Terrell battled back as he ran into the dugout, shouting for bat spray. Terrell sprayed the white foam over the handle of his bat and ran back to the field.
An exhausted Terrell, having already battled through the first two rounds, still found enough power to launch a ball over the fence, over the scoreboard and off the top of the center-field light pole.
The West dugout began to chant as the rain-afflicted East hitters began to struggle to barrel the balls in the wet conditions.
Ultimately, it was Cotuit’s Brady Christman who stole the show. With Cotuit’s manager, Rob Cooper, on the mound, Christman began to fire back with a disproportionate response, firing frozen ropes into the arms of the kids waiting beyond the outfield fence.
“I didn’t know we were against Superman,” a player dejectedly announced in the East dugout.
Christman came out on top after he overpowered Terrell’s herculean effort and brought the Home Run Derby trophy back to Cotuit.
With the Home Run Derby now on the back burner, the weather was now the only thing in the way of the All-Star Game as the rain began to pick up.
The West Division opened the game on the mound as Hyannis’ Brady St. Pierre got through the top of the inning clean. In the East, Angel Cervantes dealt with a mound visit for the duration of the starting inning. Except it wasn’t the East Division manager, Kelly Nicholson, but rather Cervantes’ two-inch purple dinosaur “Jerry.”
“Of course he made it,” Cervantes said. “He’ll be making an appearance today.”
Jerry is Cervantes’ calming totem and hasn’t missed a single one of his starts; the All-Star Game was no exception.
Jerry the dinosaur wasn’t the only teammate of Cervantes to be selected for the game. Five other Anglers were chosen for the event, including Junior Laukai, who was a part of the Home Run Derby.
"It feels pretty good; these are the closest guys I have on the team,” Cervantes said. “It feels good to have five of us here and get to meet new people."
Cervantes, the UCLA pitcher, had a strong freshman spring in Los Angeles, pitching for a 4.17 ERA with the national No. 1-seeded Bruins through 19 outings. Through his time with UCLA and the Cape, Cervantes has played with some elite talent.
When asked if any All-Star could be a part of his defense, Cervantes had the perfect answer with his UCLA teammate and 2026 MLB No. 1 pick, Roch Cholowsky.
“Oh, yeah, I’d have to go with my guy Roch,” Cervantes said. “For sure, I’d like to be back with him, coming out here again.”
Cholowsky was a member of the Orleans Firebirds in 2024 and is a unique talent that Cervantes knows all too well, as they went 52-8 together this spring.
Cervantes finished the inning clean and picked up Jerry before walking off the mound.
With rain continuing to saturate the playing surface and thunder approaching, the umpires were forced to officially cancel the All-Star Game due to inclement weather and unsafe field conditions with just one out in the top of the third inning.
While the weather cut the game short, the afternoon still succeeded in showcasing the immense talent of the Cape League's brightest stars.
