BOSTON, Mass. — In today’s day and age, baseball’s up-and-coming talent can be found just about anywhere you look. With the access to information and statistics available today, individual player scouting can begin as early as middle school. One of the many areas where the Cape Cod Baseball League shines is in its ability to bring together the best collegiate players on one stage. As a result, scouts from across all levels of baseball flock to Cape Cod to catch future professional players in action.

One day stands out among the rest when it comes to scouting: the league-wide Fenway Park workout. Taking place on Wednesday, June 18 this year, each active player on a Cape League roster travels to Fenway Park in Boston to perform in front of scouts from all 30 MLB organizations.

“This started as an idea,” Cape League MLB liaison and New York Yankees Northeast area scout Matt Hyde shared. “What used to happen is the Red Sox hand-picked certain players from all the teams to come up and work out at Fenway, so it was a really select few guys of their choosing.”

Over time, Hyde, along with a team of scouting directors, worked with the Red Sox, various collegiate programs, and the Cape League itself to turn Fenway Day into what it is now—an opportunity for every player to showcase their talents in a Major League stadium.

“It’s hugely beneficial for us as scouts to see them all on a Major League field,” Hyde said. “It helped us scout Aaron Judge; watching him on his Cape League workout day showed us just how different he looked from all the other players.”

While the Fenway workout provides a great opportunity for scouts to evaluate talent in one setting, every Cape League game is also a chance to watch the NCAA’s best players and potential draft picks.

“This is every day…you’re going against other great players,” Hyde said. “From an evaluation standpoint, it’s the best scenario to get a true gauge of what kind of player you have by watching them every day.”

Following players through the summer grind allows scouts to see beyond numbers. Hyde explained how it helps reveal character traits that stats and swing mechanics can’t show.

“[The Cape League] helps you understand who the player is, what their heartbeat is like. At the end of the day, the makeup of the player is what’s going to get them to the Major Leagues and allow them to stay up there.”

Ray Fagnant, longtime Northeast regional scouting supervisor for the Boston Red Sox, has played an instrumental role in organizing the annual Fenway Day. “This is an opportunity for all of them to play on a big league field,” he said. “From a scouting perspective, it’s outstanding because you see everybody on a level playing field. You get to see a really good, controlled batting practice, a solid infield/outfield session, and you get to see them throw.”

Equally important as baseball mechanics, Fagnant said, are the intangibles that reflect a player’s character and values. “A huge factor is getting to talk to them. We call that getting a little bit of background on their makeup—how they work with people, how they carry themselves.”

Fenway Day, he added, is “a unique experience to gain insight on these players.” He and other scouts aren’t just observing “their ability level, but also how they go about their work and how they interact.”

Many of the players Fagnant scouts are draft-eligible, so he understands the importance of showcase events—especially Fenway Day. “The Cape League embraces it. It’s a great day for them.”

For Fagnant, one of the most rewarding parts of scouting is reconnecting with players he’s worked with before. “Baseball is a small world,” he said. “Some of these guys may have been on our East Coast Area Code team or we might have seen them in high school. Then we don’t see them for a couple of years, but they pop up at Fenway—so it’s always a bit of a reunion.”

A key component of Cape League roster construction is connection and communication—something each of the ten managers spends all year working on. Ryan Smyth of the Wareham Gatemen, talked about how his staff identifies players they can get the most out of, and how they aim to help them adjust to a professional-style schedule.

“We try to target the schools that want kids to come out and play baseball,” Smyth said. “If they want to become big-leaguers and play 162, they play 50-60 at school, then they come out here and play 40. Then they’re still not at 162, but it’s a stepping stone.”

He noted that he and the Gatemen staff work with scouts year-round to build their roster, and by the time a player leaves Wareham, the goal is for them to not only be a better player but a better person. Smyth hopes all Gatemen leave cherishing “the relationships that were built here.”

The 2024 Cape League Thurman Munson Batting Champion, Jarren Advincula, is back for his second summer with the Cotuit Kettleers. After hitting .392 over 38 games last season, he emerged as one of the league’s biggest names and attracted national attention.

“You see yourself a lot more on Instagram or Twitter” after a season like that, Advincula joked. One of the main things he, and scouts around baseball, noticed was the confidence he brought to the field after putting in the work.

“I put in the work, and now I’m coming to the field every day with confidence,” he said. Although he’s not draft eligible until next summer, Advincula feels he “definitely put a stamp on [his] name” during his time in Cotuit.

His new manager this summer, Loren Hibbs, has long been regarded as one of the most adaptive coaches in the modern collegiate baseball landscape. Drawing on his deep connections with schools, scouts, and coaches, Hibbs has a talent for helping players elevate their game.

Hibbs understands the pressure of playing every night in front of scouts and decision-makers. “All these guys come from different places, and we just want them to be comfortable,” he said.

On the night of their home opener, Cotuit defeated Wareham 2-1 in extra innings. Nebraska’s Case Sanderson delivered the walk-off hit.

“Sanderson is from Nebraska, and there are two coaches at Nebraska that coach with me at Wichita State,” Hibbs explained. “I’m familiar with how they teach things.”

That familiarity helped Hibbs prepare Sanderson for a high-pressure, bases-loaded plate appearance in extras. “All these guys come from different places, and we just want them to be comfortable with what they’re being taught. They’re all in good programs, they all have talent, or they wouldn’t be here,” Hibbs said.

“The one good thing about coaching as long as I’ve coached is that I know a lot of people. I think that with nearly every guy we have, their coaches trust us and know we have their best interest at heart.”

Hibbs’ final point aligns seamlessly with that of Hyde—“the communication that goes on between us as scouts, college coaches, and Cape League coaches… these are all opportunities for us to find out information about the players that you can’t get from just watching from the stands.”

With a fresh crop of returning and first-year talent, the 2025 season is shaping up to be another memorable chapter in the long history of the Cape Cod Baseball League. For 40 nights every summer, tomorrow’s stars truly shine bright under the lights of the Cape League.

(Featured image by Kyndall Williams)