Through the first half of the Cape League season, the Y-D Red Sox offense has produced various memorable moments, including a walk-off win, late-inning comebacks and a double-digit run explosion, all helping lead Y-D to the top of the league standings at the midway point.
Although there have been plenty of offensive fireworks, it’s been largely a tale of two months for the Y-D hitters. Y-D was second in the Cape League in batting average, runs scored, slugging percentage and OPS during June. Meanwhile, it’s been a totally different story in July, as Y-D currently ranks last in batting average, runs scored and OPS for the month.
After a slow start at the plate, the team caught fire during their historic nine-game winning streak at the end of June, scoring four or more runs in seven games during the stretch. Y-D’s highest run total of the season came on June 24 against Wareham when the offense put up a whopping 13 runs with homers by Brayden Dowd (USC), Cody Miller (East Tennessee State) and AJ Soldra (UConn).
Y-D thrived when it came to producing timely hits during the winning streak, hitting .315 with runners in scoring position throughout the nine-game run. Despite the July struggles, Y-D still sits in third place with runners in scoring position for the season in most major offensive statistics.
There has been no stronger force for the Y-D offense throughout the first half than Soldra, who leads the team in home runs (4), batting average (.321), slugging percentage (.554) and OPS (.921) at the midway point. Soldra got off to a torrid start this summer, launching three home runs in his first six starts. He never looked back, with hits in 13 of his final 16 games during the first half.
Y-D will be left trying to replace the massive production that Soldra provided, as he played his final game with the team against Cotuit on Wednesday in preparation for the MLB Draft this upcoming Sunday and Monday.
Another consistent presence at the top of the Y-D order this summer has been Miller, who is second on the team behind Soldra in batting average (.261), OPS (.782) and home runs (3). Miller hasn’t only produced at the plate but has also made an impact on the basepaths with a team-leading eight steals, along with providing positional versatility around the infield. Like Soldra, Miller is eligible for the MLB Draft this weekend and played his final game with Y-D on Wednesday.
Prior to leaving for Team USA on June 26, Alex Hernandez (Georgia Tech) delivered some big moments at the plate for Y-D. He had multiple hits in three consecutive games during June, which included a three-run homer in the 9-2 win over Chatham on June 20. Overall, Hernandez hit .290 with an .820 OPS while patrolling the cleanup spot in four of his nine starts with Y-D.
Two key pieces of the offense so far this summer that will still be with the team to begin the second half are Dean Carpentier (USC) and Chris Hacopian (Texas A&M).
Carpentier has been the hottest hitter on the team over the last 10 games with an OPS of 1.037 and a slugging percentage of .667. He has been an extra-base hit machine throughout the first half, with four doubles and two home runs compared to just three singles. At one point, Carpentier’s OPS for the season was over 1.000 after he hit home runs in back-to-back games against Falmouth and Hyannis on July 2 and 3.
Hacopian has been automatic this season when it comes to putting the ball in play, striking out just twice in 81 plate appearances after not punching out a single time in his first 61 plate appearances of the summer. He has also continued to bring in runs as a middle-of-the-order bat, leading Y-D with 12 RBIs. Hacopian seems to be starting to find a groove at the plate lately, currently riding a four-game hitting streak with 4 RBIs in his last three games.
Yomar Carreras (Rutgers) has produced a multitude of clutch hits during the opening half of the season despite being at the bottom of the order in a majority of his starts. Carreras is currently third on the team with a .333 batting average among players with 10+ at-bats with runners in scoring position. During the winning streak, Carreras had a run where he recorded six RBIs in the span of four games.
All in all, it’s been a very up-and-down first half for the Y-D offense with glimpses of greatness and a couple of down stretches. As a whole, Y-D ranks eighth in the league in batting average and OPS. Currently, Y-D is trying to snap out of a recent funk where the team has scored three or fewer runs in their last six games.
Y-D will look to get the offense rolling again in the second half, starting with a key matchup at Red Wilson Field against division rival Brewster at 5 p.m. on Friday.
