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CAPE LEAGUE POWER RANKINGS: West Division Dominance shows, Orleans finishes in top 5

andré simms, cape cod times
·5 min read

The 2023 Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs are finally here. After 44 games, the postseason field is set, and Game Ones were set to begin Friday evening.

The league is set to crown a champion in its 100th season, all eight teams are 0-0, and six wins gets one of them a title.

In the West, the Cotuit Kettleers claimed the 2023 Presidents Trophy with their 28-15-1 record. They finished on top of a very strong West Division, in which three teams (Cotuit Kettleers, Hyannis Harbor Hawks, and Falmouth Commodores), reached 50 points. The Bourne Braves round out the West postseason field.

The Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (24-19-1, 49 Points), clinched first place in the East on the final day of the regular season. They outlasted a late surge from the Orleans Firebirds, who came in second. The Harwich Mariners and Brewster Whitecaps secured the final two spots.

Sean Keyes of Cotuit is celebrated by his manager Mike Roberts as he rounds third on a home run against Falmouth in this Wednesday action.
Sean Keyes of Cotuit is celebrated by his manager Mike Roberts as he rounds third on a home run against Falmouth in this Wednesday action.

So, who are the five best teams heading into the postseason? Keep reading to find out.

Here are the final Cape Cod Baseball League Rankings of the regular season:

1 Cotuit Kettleers (28-15-1, 1)

I did not expect one team to command the top spot in the rankings for the entirety of the season, but the Kettleers did just that. They seized first place in the West Division early this summer, and never looked back. The Kettleers have a Cape League MVP candidate in Cole Mathis (College of Charleston), who finished with a .318 average, hit 11 home runs, drove in 42 runs, and scored 28. The Kettleers also got a major offensive boost from Bucknell's Sean Keys since his arrival on Cape. Despite only being active since July 23, Keys ended the season second on the team in both home runs (4), and RBIs (17). The Kettleers have a dynamic one-two punch of pitchers in Georgia Tech's Camron Hill, and Central Florida's Cam Schuelke. Hill claimed the ERA title this season, with his 1.09 ERA, while Schuelke led the league in strikeouts with 48 in 37 innings.

2. Hyannis Harbor Hawks (25-17-2, 2)

The Harbor Hawks did all they could to try and chase down the Kettleers down the stretch, including posting 16 wins in the month of July. They'll be led in the postseason by their Cape League MVP candidate, Cam Smith of Florida State. Smith played in all 44 regular season games for Hyannis and finished the year sixth in the league with his .347 batting average and led the league with his 58 hits. As a team, the Harbor Hawks put the bat on the ball like few teams did this season. They had the most extra base hits (108), struck out the fewest times (316, 37 less than the second lowest tally), and tied with Orleans for the second highest slugging percentage as a team (.387).

3. Falmouth Commodores (24-18-2, 4)

In this Wednesday game action, Falmouth shortstop Cade Clemons waits the throw as Samuel Tackett of Cotuit dives for second. He was safe on the play as the tag knocked the ball loose. Cape League baseball.
In this Wednesday game action, Falmouth shortstop Cade Clemons waits the throw as Samuel Tackett of Cotuit dives for second. He was safe on the play as the tag knocked the ball loose. Cape League baseball.

Falmouth's 50 points this season would've been enough to win the East Division, but due to the strength of the West this season, came in third. Travis Bazzana (Oregon State) is the batting champion in 2023, with his .375 average edging out Bourne's Derek Bender by a single point. The Oregon State product also led the Commodores in home runs (6), RBIs (31), runs (33), and steals (14). Northeastern's Taylor MacGregor was the other Commodore to eclipse 20 RBIs this summer. The senior drove in 23, scored 19, and hit .318 for the season. As a team, the Commodores finished with the highest batting average in the league (.275) and were the only team to eclipse 400 total hits this year (412).

4. Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (24-19-1, 3)

In this July photo, Yarmouth-Dennis shortstop (left) Ryan Jackson of USC and second baseman RJ Austin of Vanderbilt come off the field after a double play against Orleans in Cape League action.
In this July photo, Yarmouth-Dennis shortstop (left) Ryan Jackson of USC and second baseman RJ Austin of Vanderbilt come off the field after a double play against Orleans in Cape League action.

In the end, the Red Sox finished the season where they spent most of the summer, on top of the East Division.

It may have required a little drama at the end of the season, but the Red Sox won when it mattered to seal the No. 1 seed. Of course, the Red Sox have the home run and RBI champ in Hunter Hines (Mississippi State), but it was the pitching staff that really carried this team. The trio of Smith Pinson (Kennesaw State), Finnegan Wall, and Landon Beidelschies (Ohio State) have combined to anchor the Red Sox over the course of the season. Between the three, they've struck out 108 hitters in 94.2 innings, and opponents combined are hitting .209 off them this season.

Red Sox pitchers this summer combined to allow the fewest earned runs in the league (169), and their 3.93 ERA also was the best in the League.

5. Orleans Firebirds (24-20, 5)

In this July 31 photo, Jo Oyama of Orleans slides safely into second ahead of the tag by Harwich second baseman Danniel Rivera in Cape League action.
In this July 31 photo, Jo Oyama of Orleans slides safely into second ahead of the tag by Harwich second baseman Danniel Rivera in Cape League action.

Credit the Firebirds for nearly poaching first place from the Red Sox at the end of the season.

The Firebirds held the top spot after the penultimate day of the regular season after beating the Red Sox 11-4 on Tuesday night. The Firebirds ultimately finished in second, and will take on the Harwich Mariners in the first round.

Leading them there offensively will be Jo Oyama (UC Irvine), Matt Halbach (UC San Diego), and Jack Penny (Notre Dame). Together the trio have combined to hit 13 home runs, drive in 54 runs, and score 83 times. Halbach and Oyama finished fourth and fifth respectively in batting average after Halbach ended the year hitting .364, and Oyama finished at .360.

On the mound, Daniel Avitia (Grand Canyon), and Derek Clark (Northwood University), posted the second and third best ERAs this summer, and Sean Matson (Harvard) finished with a Cape League high six wins and also tallied five saves out of the Firebirds bullpen.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod Baseball League playoffs are here. Which teams could win it?