QUEENS, N.Y. — It was a hot, sunny day for baseball in Queens, and Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, welcomed in two prestigious amateur baseball leagues for an exhibition match.
The MLB Draft League and Cape Cod Baseball League All-Stars met on the field for the first time ever, marking a new chapter in each league showcasing their talent.
It was a tremendous opportunity for players of both leagues to exhibit their skills in front of MLB scouts and get a preview of what a workday as an MLB player would look like.
Each team, from both leagues, rostered a few of their all-star players to play in the game, and four Wareham Gatemen were selected: First Baseman Ty Dalley (Clemson), catcher Levi Clark (Tennessee), and pitchers Patrick Galle (Ole Miss) and Jacob Faulkner (Vanderbilt).
Each player got an opportunity to play during the game, and for each of these Gatemen, it was a special opportunity
“Getting any opportunity to play in a Major League ballpark is always fun. It's a blessing and I enjoyed it,” Clark said.
“It was really a huge blessing,” Dalley said. “I'm forever thankful to Wareham and the coaching staff, the GMs, interns, everybody there, that gave me the opportunity to showcase my talent and be on a stage like this.”
Clark had a great showing, scoring a run in the sixth inning and driving a deep fly ball to left-center field 390 feet. Even though it was caught for an out, it was a hit that would have cleared many Cape League fields as a home run, showcasing his power.
Dalley also had a good showing, drawing a couple of walks and getting on base. With him being released Tuesday ahead of the MLB Draft, it was Dalley’s last game in a Gatemen uniform, something he reflected on throughout the game.
“It's been the world. It's been an awesome summer, one of the best summers of my life, playing baseball and meeting new people. I'm just forever thankful for that, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to come up to the Cape, and it's been a dream of mine since I was little to play in this league at a high level. I was able to do that. I'm just thankful for the opportunity,” Dalley said.
Both Galle and Faulkner also came in to pitch at the end of the game in the eighth and ninth innings. Galle and Faulkner are in their second summer with the Gatemen and got the chance to impress scouts ahead of the MLB Draft on July 13.
The game began with three scoreless innings, then the Cape League exploded to a 3-0 lead thanks to a three-run, 378-foot blast by Cotuit’s Jarren Advincula (Cal Berkeley) into the second deck of the right-field bleachers. Then, after the Draft League tied the game, Wareham’s Levi Clark scored a run to make it 4-3.
Unfortunately, the Cape League could not maintain the lead as it gave up seven combined runs in the seventh and eighth innings. The MLB Draft League won the game, 10-6, but it was less about the score and more about the experience for every player.
“I just think it's a culmination of all their work that they've put in over the years,” Gatemen hitting coach Mike Mobbs said. “They put themselves in a position where they're on a lot of draft boards, and today was just another opportunity to showcase their abilities and hopefully continue to impress the scouts.”
Mobbs, a native of New York, grew up less than an hour away from Citi Field and enjoyed a homecoming of sorts, even though he grew up as a Yankees fan. He acted as the third base coach for the Cape Cod League team and was able to enjoy the action firsthand.
“Just seeing the guys that I've grown close to over the last few weeks handle themselves like professionals was great, and that's what they'll become very soon,” Mobbs said.
The Wareham Gatemen organization is beyond proud of each of these athletes who represented both the team and the Cape Cod Baseball League at a huge scouting event at a Major League ballpark. The Gatemen look forward to seeing them succeed and achieve their dreams in the future.
