Similar to the lower Minor League levels of Single-A and High-A, there is a plethora of former Cape Cod Baseball League talent spread across the Double-A landscape. This is the level where many Cape League alumni become some of baseball’s top prospects, and their ascension to MLB really picks up. Success in Double-A often is an indicator of how a player will perform down the line, and these Cape League alumni are positioning themselves to be future premier talent at baseball’s highest level.

Statistics as of May 23

Brooks Baldwin, SS, Cotuit ‘21-22

Chicago White Sox (AA)

One of the largest leaps among prospects this year has come from the Birmingham Barons’ shortstop, Brooks Baldwin. The 2022 12th-round draftee from North Carolina-Wilmington sits atop the active Double-A batting average chart at .357 and is third in OBP at .436. Baldwin has looked reminiscent of his summers in the Cape League, when he was driving in runs and stealing bases. As he continues to be an on-base machine, Baldwin is pushing himself further up prospect rankings. For the time being, Baldwin will continue getting everyday at-bats in Birmingham, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see him advancing to Triple-A (or higher) before the end of the 2024 season. (Pictured above courtesy of Minor League Baseball)

Jacob Wilson, SS, Orleans ‘22

Oakland Athletics (AA/AAA)

The Oakland Athletics drafted Wilson with the No. 6 overall pick last July, and their young shortstop has recently ascended to Triple-A Las Vegas after putting on a hitting clinic for the Double-A Midland RockHounds. In his 22 games before the promotion, Wilson slashed .455/.473/.705, good for a 1.178 OPS and an absurd 218 wRC+. He recently landed on the IL with a knee injury, but hopefully will not be sidelined for too long. Before the pause, he was still hitting a robust of .375 in Triple-A. Barring an extended period of time on the IL, Wilson is on the fast track to Oakland, while entering his name into the debate of top middle infield prospects.

Ian Seymour, RHP, Y-D ‘19

Tampa Bay Rays (AA)

Virginia Tech’s Ian Seymour has had one of the most unusual paths through the Minors that you could imagine. Drafted in the COVID-shortened 2020 draft in the second round, Seymour pitched well enough to be sent to Triple-A at the end of 2021. He was demoted to Double-A with the Montgomery Biscuits in 2022, where after just five starts, he underwent Tommy John surgery. In 2023, he worked his way up from the Complex League back to Montgomery, where he’s currently found his footing this season, posting a 2.81 ERA in eight starts while leading Double-A in WHIP with a 0.84. He’s been fantastic at limiting hard contact and is missing a ton of bats (52 K). Seymour appears to be back on track and could soon return to Triple-A Durham for the first time in three years.

Gavin Cross, OF, Brewster ‘21

Kansas City Royals (AA)

A 2020 teammate of Ian Seymour, Gavin Cross was one of the most highly touted outfielders to come out of the ACC in recent memory. Drafted in 2022, he is Virginia Tech’s most recent first round pick and was the school’s first since 2002. After a stint in the Arizona Fall League, the former Whitecap is now with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Cross is enjoying a great start to 2024, hitting .309 and slugging .475. In five of his last seven games, he’s recorded multiple hits. After a really tough 2023 where he was striking out more than 30% of the time, it’s good to see a strong bounce-back for Cross, with his K-rate currently at 25%, and he is getting on base much more. If the first 37 games this year are an indication of what he’ll be going forward, Cross is back to being the player the Royals envisioned when they drafted him.

Justin Wrobleski, LHP, Falmouth ‘19

Los Angeles Dodgers (AA)

As an athletic, hard-throwing lefty, Wrobleski is one of the best arms in the Dodgers system with one of the highest ceilings. Drafted in the 11th round from Oklahoma State, he’s now in his second full season after Tommy John surgery and has been much better than his numbers suggest. Wrobleski will enter his next start for the Tulsa Drillers with a 4.35 ERA but has a 2.62 FIP. He’s struck out 20 in his last three starts, walking only one throughout those 16.2 innings. He has the third-lowest walk rate in Double-A, at just 3.1%. This is especially impressive, scouts main concern was his control. Since two shaky starts at the end of April, he’s been one of the better pitchers in Double-A.

Dylan Beavers, OF, Cotuit ‘21

Baltimore Orioles (AA)

The Orioles have a loaded Minor League farm system, and one of the top outfielders in their organization is Dylan Beavers from California-Berkeley. A year after playing for Cotuit in 2021, he was selected by the Orioles in the first round of the draft. Now with the Bowie Baysox, Beavers is hitting in the leadoff spot with a .290/.388/.492 slash line. He has above-average raw power and can also swipe 25+ bases in a season. He’s a versatile defender who can play any of the three spots in the outfield and can even give you a few innings at first base. In a loaded Baltimore prospect list, Beavers has done a good job solidifying his status as one of their top young players.

Aaron Davenport, RHP, Wareham ‘19/Chatham ‘21

Cleveland Guardians (AA)

The sixth-round draft pick from the University of Hawaii at Manoa has quietly been one of the best pitchers in Double-A this season. Davenport has an Eastern League-leading 1.66 ERA, which is also the third best at the level. Batters haven’t been able to pull the ball as much as they historically have off his pitches, reflecting his development as a starter. In 43.1 innings pitched, he’s struck out 31 and allowed just one long ball. In his eight starts in 2024, he’s gone five-plus innings in all but one. Davenport has been highly successful in his introduction to Double-A with the Akron Rubberducks and could push his way up to Triple-A if he continues pitching as well as he has recently been. (Pictured above courtesy of Minor League Baseball)

Kyle Teel, C, Harwich ‘22

Boston Red Sox (AA)

The Red Sox drafted Teel in the first round less than a year ago from Virginia, and he’s almost instantly become one of their top prospects, as well as one of the top catching prospects in baseball. He’s been heating up at the plate lately with the Portland Sea Dogs, raising his OPS to .823. He’s hitting third behind two of the best prospects in baseball, which gives him plenty of RBI chances (21). Behind the plate, Teel is improving too, but his defense will continue to be a work in progress. With his bat though, you could slot him into any Major League lineup and he’s talented enough to produce. All signs point to the former Harwich Mariner becoming the Red Sox franchise catcher in the near future. (Pictured below courtesy of Minor League Baseball)

Logan Evans, RHP, Bourne ‘23

Seattle Mariners (AA)

The Mariners' most recent 12th-round draft pick, Logan Evans from Pittsburgh, has quickly made his way to Double-A with the Arkansas Travelers. Pitching for Bourne less than a year ago, he’s had one of the quicker rises to the upper Minor Leagues. Now, he’s second in qualified ERA at 1.60, having done a masterful job of stranding baserunners and preventing opponents from scoring. More than 83% of runners that have reached base against Evans have not scored; additionally, he has an impressive 1.04 WHIP. Evans has spoken about attacking hitters and trying to get ahead in the count early, both of which are reasons he was able to make the jump to Double-A directly from Single-A. In an organization known for producing young pitching talent, Evans looks to be another polished product of the Mariners' development program.

Dane Acker, RHP, Chatham ‘19

Texas Rangers (AA)

Acker is another 2020 draftee, selected by the Rangers in the fourth round. The 6'2" right-hander from Oklahoma is now in his fourth season in the Minor Leagues but has pitched just 130.2 innings due to a slew of injuries and surgery. Acker was promoted to the Frisco RoughRiders last July and has thrown well since. In seven starts this season, he has a 3.16 ERA and 47 strikeouts. His K/9 sits at 13.50, tied for the best among all qualified Double-A pitchers. With one of the better changeups in the system, his off-speed pitches have played very well against Texas League opponents. Now that he’s fully healthy, it’s becoming clear that he has the potential to be a key piece within a Major League rotation.

Carson Taylor, 1B, Y-D ‘19

Philadelphia Phillies (AA)

In the third round of the 2023 Minor League Rule 5 draft, the Phillies selected Carson Taylor from the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers had previously drafted Taylor in the fourth round of the 2020 draft from Virginia, and he spent three years in their system. Now with the Reading Fightin Phils, Taylor is hitting .314 with a .920 OPS and has driven in the third most runs in Double-A with 31. The Phillies development team has seemingly converted Taylor to a full-time first baseman, as Taylor had been catching since before college and his summer on Cape Cod. The transition has worked out well as of late though, and Taylor was named Phillies Minor League Hitter of the Month in April.

Konnor Ash, RHP, Hyannis ‘19

Philadelphia Phillies (AA)

The sole undrafted free agent on this list comes from another Reading Fightin Phil, Konnor Ash. After playing for Hyannis in 2019, Ash returned to the Mizzou Tigers for two additional seasons and signed with the Phillies in 2021. Since then, he’s worked his way through the system in a relief role and has been the best version of himself this year with a 2.38 ERA through 22.2 innings. On April 26, Ash had his Double-A best five strikeouts and twelve swinging strikes in one game. He faced twelve hitters and allowed just one hit. On the season, Ash has generated 49 whiffs and has yet to allow a home run. He’s turned into a solid arm for the Phillies' pitching pipeline.

To find more about Cape Cod Baseball League alumni, follow this link to view player stats, historical standings, manager records, and more: https://cdthoms.shinyapps.io/CCBL/