06/22/2020 5:15 AM Article By: John Garner Jr.
During its storied history, the Cape Cod Baseball League has boasted several positions of prominence, including second basemen. Below are some of the best:
Chuck Knoblauch, Wareham – The Texas A&M All-American was 1988 CCBL batting champion at .361 and named Outstanding Pro Prospect. 4-time World Champion and All-Star with Twins and Yankees. 1991 AL Rookie of the Year. 1997 Gold Glove winner. He was inducted into the CCBL HOF in 2001.
Tim Teufel, Cotuit – The Clemson Tiger batted .351 for Kettleers in 1979 and set a then league record with 16 homers, 52 RBI and 48 runs scored. After signing with Twins, he starred for NY Mets for 11 seasons. Inducted into CCBL Hall of Fame in 2005.
Jim Prete, Wareham – The New Mexico Highlands product was named CCBL MVP in 1970, after hitting .336 with two homers, seven doubles, four triples, 17 RBI and nine stolen bases for the Gatemen. He was signed by the Washington Senators and played one year in minor leagues. Jim was inducted into the Cape League Hall of Fame in 2013.
Lou Merloni, Bourne and Cotuit – The Providence star led the league for the Kettleers in 1992 with a .321 batting average and collected 13 doubles and 19 RBI and won league’s top sportsmanship award. He was drafted by Boston Red Sox. After playing nine seasons in major leagues, including six for Boston, Lou was inducted into CCBL Hall of Fame in 2010.
Jason McConnell, Y-D - The Arkansas product led the Cape League hitting .345 for Y-D in 1997. He was drafted by Minnesota and played two years for the Twins in the minor leagues, hitting .259 with Fort Wayne in 1998.
Mike Fontenot, Wareham – The LSU product was named MVP in 2000 leading Gatemen to CCBL title, hitting .322 with one homer and 14 RBI. He was drafted by the Orioles and played seven years in the big leagues, hitting .265 with 27 homers and 163 RBI, including best season in 2008 with Cubs when he hit .305 with nine HR and 40 RBI.
Evan Longoria, Chatham - The hard-hitting Long Beach State star was named MVP in 2005 for the A’s, hitting .299 with league-leading eight homers and 35 RBI. Evan was drafted by Tampa Bay and has played 12 seasons in big leagues hitting .267 with 297 HR and 1015 RBI, including four 30-home run seasons.
Jimmy Cesario, Falmouth – The Houston product led the league with a .387 batting average in 2008. He was drafted by Colorado Rockies.
Kolten Wong, Orleans – The slick-fielding Hawaii infielder was named Cape League MVP after hitting .341 with 22 stolen bases and a .452 slugging pct. Wong was drafted by St. Louis, and was inducted into the CCBL HOF in 2016.
Joey Cora, Chatham – The Vanderbilt standout was named Cape League MVP in 1984, hitting .373 with a league-leading 28 stolen bases. He was drafted by the Padres and played 11 seasons in major leagues, hitting a career .277 and a .569 slugging pct. Joey was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2017.
Nick Senzel, Brewster – The Tennessee product was named Outstanding Pro Prospect and Cape League MVP in 2015, hitting .364 with four homers and 33 RBI. He was drafted by the Reds and in 2019 and hit .256 with 12 homers and 42 RBI.
Nick Gonzales, Cotuit – The New Mexico standout was named Cape League MVP in 2019, leading Kettleers to the CCBL title. He hit .351with seven homers and 33 RBI. His professional career looks promising.
