There’s no place like the Cape Cod League when it comes to evaluating the best draft talent college baseball has to offer on a day-to-day basis. And, with that said, Perfect Game will be bringing you a weekly scouting notebook from around the league, highlighting not just top performances, but recognizing players whose tools are standing out to professional scouts. This notebook is not a statistical roundup of the week’s top performers - it only is scouting based. And, only the players I’ve scouted first hand week to week will be included.
The good news around the Cape is that the hitter friendly baseballs that became so well known in 2012 (as offensive records were obliterated around the league) are no more. The pitchers are clearly back in charge. And we’ll begin by talking about some of the arms that have stood out in the past week.
The Scouting Hot List
Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina (Hyannis) - Scouts have been awaiting the arrival of the Jeff Hoffman show for a couple weeks, and the tall right-hander did not disappoint in his first time out. Even with all the pomp and circumstance in Hyannis for Independence Day, Hoffman’s 4th of July start still turned out to be the main attraction. The 6-foot-4 righty came out throwing smoke, living at 94-96 mph with his fastball, reaching 97 a few times as well. Hoffman never dipped below 93 mph in his six inning outing, and showed big darting action on that fastball. As advertised, Hoffman’s curveball was a knockout, plus offering with late 12-6 action at 79-82 mph. His third pitch, his changeup, may make the difference, however, in him being a first rounder and being a top five or ten overall selection. His changeup was superb in this outing, showing above average potential and good fading action at 85-88 mph. In other words, Hoffman has the potential for three better than average offerings. Right now, he has a clear stranglehold on the title of the league’s most exciting pitching prospect.
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