Cape Cod League baseball players chase their big league dreams in scouting showcase at Fenway Park

Growing up around baseball, many players dream of playing in a major league park such as Fenway Park. It may not have come as part of a major league game, but collegiate players had their day Thursday, taking the diamond at the home of the Red Sox.

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Braving the extreme heat, the collegians took the field with the Red Sox off on a nine-game road trip beginning Friday night in Anaheim, Calif., to take part in the Cape Cod Baseball League’s annual workout. The workout featured batting practice, fielding drills, and was highlighted by a game between the Orleans Firebirds and the Red Sox’ scout team.

The day was an opportunity for each player from the Cape League’s 10 teams to perform in front of major league scouts.

“For the kids that come in here, the players, it’s just an awesome experience for them, they really get a feel for the big league stadium,” said Cape League commissioner John Castleberry. “You can tell there’s a little more hop in their step. They bounce around a little bit, even as warm as today is.”

The Cape League has held an annual all-star game from 1970-87 against the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League.

The final installment of this matchup took place at Fenway Park on Aug. 15, 1987, with the Cape League All-Stars scoring a 10-1 victory.

With plenty of changes in venue and format over the years, the event has transitioned recently into a scouting showcase for the Cape League.

For those players who grew up in the area, it was a clearly special opportunity.

Lexington native Liam Kinneen, a 6-foot-4-inch righthanded pitcher with Hyannis Harbor Hawks, had been to plenty of Red Sox games at Fenway. . But he played at Fenway not in baseball cleats but in hockey gear with the BC High team as part of a Frozen Fenway high school game.

“It’s awesome,” Kinneen, who plays at Princeton, said. “Especially a guy from Massachusetts. It’s really a dream come true to be able to be out here and experience this.”

Orleans Firebirds outfielder Rowan Kelly, a native of Menlo Park, Calif., who completed his sophomore season at UC Santa Barbara, had never been to Fenway Park, but attended a Cape League game when he was younger.

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“More than just playing in front of scouts, just an opportunity to play in America’s most beloved ballpark is just such a cool experience,” Kelly said. “Any time you get to play in a major league stadium, it’s super cool.”

For other Cape Leaguers, this summer was not only their first foray to Fenway Park but also the Northeast.

RJ Hamilton, an outfielder with the Wareham Gateman, plays at Duke and hails from Hoover, Ala. With his family in attendance for the weekend, Hamilton called the experience “a blessing.”

“This is the furthest north I’ve been, and it’s amazing just getting to see Fenway for its true self,” Hamilton said.

Prior to batting practice, Hamilton said he was hoping to hit one over the Green Monster.

Spoiler alert: He did.

But Hamilton didn’t want it to be his only Fenway memory.

“I came out here saying this won’t be my last time out here,” Hamilton said. “Just being able to visualize and see that I’ll be on this field again, playing for the Red Sox or playing against them.”

More important than the chance to play at Fenway was the opportunity players had to showcase their skills in front of scouts.

The showcase was their shot to get on a scout’s radar.

“It’s always cool, especially when you can hopefully talk to them, pick their brain, see what they’re looking for,” Kinneen said. “And then just being down here in general, you’re playing against the best of the best, so it makes you up your game, and it also shows you if you want to play at the next level, kind of the steps you have to take to achieve that.”

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