A Recap of Hyannis’ 2023 Season Thus Far
A little over a third of the way through the season, the Harbor Hawks sit at 8-6-1
By: Matt Coates and Mike Maynard
The Hyannis Harbor Hawks have played 15 of their 44 games this season, currently sitting fourth in a tightly contested West Division. With 17 points they are tied with the Bourne Braves who are third in the division, and only one point back of the Wareham Gateman in the second spot. However, the Cotuit Kettleers sit firmly in first place, with an 11-5 record and 22 points.
The name of the game for Hyannis this season has been good pitching. This all starts with a staff that has been excellent on the bump all season long. The Harbor Hawks lead the Cape Cod Baseball League in ERA, with a team ERA of 3.32. That is almost a quarter of a run better than the Kettleers in second place, with a 3.56 ERA.
Hayden Frank has been one of the best members of the Hyannis staff to this point with a 2.51 ERA and eight strikeouts in 14.1 innings pitched. When looking at strikeouts though, it is hard not to notice the name Jamie Arnold for the Harbor Hawks. The Florida State lefty has 15 strikeouts in his 9.2 innings pitched to go along with his 1.86 ERA. Both players started the summer as bullpen pieces, but have now moved into the starting rotation.
No one component of the Hyannis pitching stands out, as they are solid across the board. They sit fourth in the league in strikeouts and walks, with 150 and 65, respectively.
When the pitching has performed, so have the rest of the Hawks. The team has a 5-1-1 record when allowing three or fewer runs so far this season. On the contrary, the team allows an average of six runs per loss. It is clear that the success of the pitching staff has directly correlated to wins for the team.
Oddly enough, the Hyannis defensive stats are not as pretty as the pitching. The Harbor Hawks are currently last in the league in fielding percentage. Not only that, but their 21 errors tie them with the Falmouth Commodores and Wareham for most in the league.
The fielding stats are very likely connected with the fact that Hyannis has had a myriad of players starting in unnatural positions so far this season. Ben Williamson out of William and Mary made starts in left field and centerfield, although he is more used to playing shortstop and third baseman at school. When asked about it earlier in the year, Williamson remarked that he had maybe played right field once as a little leaguer.
Other players such as Alex Lane, Cam Smith, and Austin Kelly have all started in positions that they have little to no real experience with.
Offensively, Hyannis has had some struggles thus far. The Harbor Hawks have the third-lowest team batting average in the league so far this season, hitting .222 as a squad. That certainly plays a role in their league-low 104 hits this season, tied with Chatham Anglers for that mark.
However, don’t let those numbers fool you, as Hyannis leads the league in both doubles and triples this season. With 27 doubles on the year and five triples, Hyannis sits atop both leaderboards. They are tied with the Orleans Firebirds for the lead in triples.
There have been some bright spots in the lineup to this point in the summer, with the biggest one having to be Mike Sirota. The Northeastern outfielder came back this summer after playing a huge role in the success of the 2022 Harbor Hawks and didn’t miss a beat in his return. Sirota is currently leading the team in batting average sitting at .353 along with being tied for the second most walks in what has been a small sample size.
Smith has been another Harbor Hawk hitter that has shown flashes of greatness recently. The Florida State third baseman has been experiencing a new role batting in the leadoff spot for the last few games and has been on fire. With two home runs and a .300 batting average over the last week, it is safe to say that Hyannis may have a new everyday leadoff man for the rest of the summer.
As a team, Hyannis is right in the middle of the league in runs per game, sitting fifth in the standings with 4.4. The five teams ahead of Hyannis all average above five runs per game.
Bradke Lohry has been one of the better run producers so far this season, leading the team with eight RBIs to this point. The Tennessee middle infielder is also tied for the team lead in stolen bases.
It is worth mentioning that head coach Eric Beattie was away from the team for a short period of time but has returned as of now to hopefully keep the wins coming. The 2022 Cape Cod Baseball League Coach of the Year plays such a huge role in the success of the ballclub, and his leadership should only help moving forward. The team went 3-2-1 in coach Beattie’s absence, with assistant coach Eric Luksis filling in at that time.
One of the more important aspects of the season so far is the roster turnover. Rosters are ever-evolving in summer league baseball for a multitude of reasons. In today’s age with so many players entering the transfer portal, players are leaving temporarily or permanently to go on visits and find a new home for the fall. Older players begin to bow out at the end of June in hopes of being drafted to an MLB team and beginning their professional careers. Not to mention pitchers reaching innings limits set by their colleges and unfortunate injuries that happen in sports.
All those reasons and more can account for why Hyannis has let go of 13 players so far this season. Unfortunately, several of those players were key bats that will be missed. Both Williamson and Billy Amick have left the Cape. Each player hit over .350 during their stay, while having a combined 27 hits and 10 RBIs. Another key offensive loss for the team came from Andrew Sundean, who led the league in RBIs through five games.
Even with all the key losses and releases, the Harbor Hawks sit two games above .500 with a real shot at doing damage this year. General Manager Nick Johnson and the entire baseball operations department have worked around the clock to find capable replacements who can plug holes and help this team win games.
Sitting fourth in the division, Hyannis is not exactly where it would like to be. With a tremendous pitching staff and a long season ahead of them, fans should not worry. Especially with players like Smith and Sirota heating up offensively, Harbor Hawks fans have lots to look forward to as the season progresses. Hopefully, the team can continue winning games and moving up in the standings.
Matt Coates can be reached at coatesm@misericordia.edu or followed on Twitter @MattCoates14
Mike Maynard can be reached at mikemay62@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @mikecmaynard