2026 Cape Cod League Preview: Chatham Anglers

Arguably, the most notable amongst this list is Angel Cervantes, the UCLA freshman who spurned the Pirates as a second-round pick in 2025 and opted to join the Bruins. Cervantes spent most of the year as a multi-inning reliever on a deep pitching staff but he got looks in the rotation late. And, he pitched very well.

He threw five scoreless against Oregon in the Big 10 championship game, then struck out seven against Saint Mary’s in the NCAA Tournament. Low-to-mid-90s fastball, along with the secondary stuff, propelled him to 37 strikeouts and a 4.17 ERA as an 18-year-old.

Justice de Jong is another notable. Playing alongside now-Nationals pitcher Miguel Sime Jr. at Poly Prep HS in Brooklyn, de Jong was a notable MLB Draft prospect in 2025 but didn’t go pro. He originally committed to Duke, then shifted to Auburn after a coaching change. Now, he just needs to pitch.

de Jong only tossed 5.1 IP on a deep Auburn team this past season.

The C-USA is also well-represented, or at least the 2025 version of it, that is. DBU’s Max Lizarraga struck out 27 over 23.2 IP as a freshman, while Josh Swink saw a lot of mileage out of the bullpen for Liberty this season as a junior.

Catchers

Chatham’s catching trio includes soon-to-be Mississippi State catcher Harlin Hovater, plus Vandy’s Korbin Reynolds and TCU’s Nolan Traeger.

Traeger hit .327 as a freshman for the TCU Horned Frogs in 2025. However, his offensive numbers dipped in 2026, although several others on his team can say the same thing, too.

Reynolds hit six home runs as a freshman this year for Vandy.

Infielders

The list of infielders includes some interesting names.

Tyler Lictenberger slashed .272/.374/.351 with Clemson last season, a tick down from where he was in 2025, as he hit .341 with App State before he transferred to join the Tigers.

Cooper Neville, formerly of GCU, missed all of 2025 but came back to hit over .300 for Dallas Baptist last season. He’s set to join the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2027, a team that will look very different in the infield.

Rob Rispoli has been a sparkplug atop the UConn lineup over the last two years. However, even though he struck out fewer times in 2026, the Huskies infielder’s average dropped from .324 to .268 year-to-year.

Gabe Fraser and Kelvyn Paulino Jr. were two of Florida State’s regulars. Fraser hit over .300 as a sophomore, while Paulino Jr. batted .276 as a freshman.

Outfielders

Jacob Parker could have gone pro like his twin, JoJo Parker, last summer. However, Jacob wasn’t as prolific a high school prospect, which pushed him to the collegiate ranks. And for MSU, it’s a good thing he didn’t go pro.

Parker ripped off five home runs in the NCAA Tournament, two of which came late in State’s tough loss to Georgia in Game 2 of the Supers. Overall, the 2028 MLB Draft prospect hit 18 home runs as a freshman, putting him in elite air for summer ball, and later on, the fall season.

He’ll be joined by Bino Watters, one of Notre Dame’s standout hitters from 2026. Watters, who announced his intent to transfer to LSU earlier this summer, hit .362 last season and 19 home runs over the last two years. Now, he heads to the SEC and gives Jay Johnson options for his 2027 lineup.

Rett Johnson was one of the ACC’s big standouts in 2026, as the Wolfpack sparkplug hit .381 in his freshman campaign.