Cape League: Former Big League Catcher Returns To Coach In Orleans

A trio of new players for Brewster walked into Stony Brook Field as the Whitecaps took on the Falmouth Commodores last Sunday.

They wore street clothes as they trickled into the Whitecaps’ dugout, having arrived in the middle of the home opener. Yet they had made it to Brewster.

The moment fully encapsulated the fluid nature of early-season Cape baseball. Chaos — for the players, the coaches, the front offices, the interns, the volunteers, the host families — defines the lead-up to the Cape Cod Baseball League’s opening day, which was last Saturday. But once first pitches were thrown, the noise subsided and what resulted, as always, was bliss. A recap of some stories and notes from the Lower Cape’s four teams after the first weekend of play (all stats and records as of The Chronicle’s mid-Tuesday deadline):

Ryan Hanigan played parts of two seasons with the Boston Red Sox from 2015 to 2016 toward the end of an 11-year career spent in the big leagues as a catcher with a reputation for stalwart defense behind the plate.

What launched Hanigan’s path to the majors was a summer in Orleans in 2002. Hanigan, who grew up in Andover, came to the then-Cardinals undrafted out of Rollins College, a Division II school. He proceeded to become Orlean’s Most Valuable Player and received the league’s John J. Claffey Award for New England’s top prospect. 

The standout season caught the attention of the Cincinnati Reds, who signed Hanigan. After working through the minors, Hanigan caught more than 5,000 innings in the majors (including two no-hitters) and led the National League twice in caught-stealing percentage.

This summer, Hanigan has returned to the place that fostered his first pro contract as an assistant coach on Orleans manager Kelly Nicholson’s staff. What brought Hanigan, 45, back to the Cape was in part “the respect for this league and what it can do for guys' futures,” he said.

“You do well here, you're on your way, so for me, to support the league, to support the town of Orleans — and then I just like working with the guys, man,” Hanigan said. “I spent a long time in the game, and I feel like I know what they're going through. I get it. It's a tough game, and so I just like working with guys and helping them along the way.”

Nicholson was in his second season serving as pitching coach for the Cardinals when Hanigan played on the Cape in 2002. The two stayed in touch, and Nicholson asked Hanigan to coach this year. Hanigan, who lives in New Hampshire, thought about it for a second, but the decision came pretty easily. He had prior summer ball experience managing the Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League. The Crosscutters under Hanigan won the league that year. Hanigan coaches third base for the Firebirds (1-2).

The season is only a few games deep, but what Hanigan noticed that’s different now from when he played on Cape is more analytics personnel and information — of which he’s a fan.

“That's what you're doing at the next level,” Hanigan said. “These guys need to start learning how to process that stuff and find ways to use it.”

Otherwise, it’s the same game as it ever was here.

“I've had a lot of baseball since, but what I'm seeing is a lot of great dudes with talent that are still young and raw and trying to polish it up, and it's been the same,” Hanigan said. “It's always early in their careers. They’ve got a lot to learn. They’ve got raw talent, and I'm trying to help them with polishing it up, getting more consistent.”

Wherever baseball has taken Hanigan, he’s found people — young and old, across the country — know about the Cape and how it’s the league of opportunity. To what other location could a player go, after all, where he can perform in-game with a wooden bat in front of dozens of MLB scouts? 

Managing Williamsport to a championship got Hanigan into the groove of working collegiate summer ball. Now he’s returned to the very field that jumpstarted his career, giving back to the team that presented an undrafted Division II kid a chance to play with the best. Hanigan knows exactly what a Cape League season can do for someone. 

“Summer is a great time for you to develop,” Hanigan said. “College is about producing. You're on a team. They're trying to win. Summer is about these guys figuring out some stuff and working on their game — and a little more casual.”

The players in Orleans this season, surely, will appreciate the big league perspective.

Opening day brought Harwich (2-1) back to Red Wilson Field, home of the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, for the first time since last season’s East Division Finals, during which the Mariners endured an epic 13-inning Game 2 played across two days (Harwich won 7-6 but lost the series later that night).

The Mariners fell 8-5 to begin the season, but the stuff of starting left-hander Trey Williford (UNC Wilmington) absolutely popped. Williford would have liked to re-do the very last pitch he threw on the day — a grand slam surrendered to Y-D’s KJ Scobey (South Carolina) — but in the action prior, he dazzled. 

Williford’s zipping fastball served as a nice welcome back for all to exceptional collegiate baseball. Once he showed the velocity, he started to mix in a breaking ball. He finished with seven strikeouts across 3 1/3 innings, walking two and allowing four earned runs on three hits.

“He’s a big leaguer,” Harwich manager Steve Englert said. “He's got it all. He's got the makeup, the poise, character.”

Also playing early on for the Mariners is Charlie Bussey III out of Francis Marion in Division II. Bussey set the division’s record for most runs scored in a single season. A friend of Englert’s, a scout, had eyes on Bussey and told him about the player. 

Bussey is draft-eligible and, in an interview with Wayne Cavadi of The DII Report, said his favorite player growing up was David Ortiz.

“I don't care where you play,” Englert said. “I mean, he can play. He’s a dude.”

Ty Smolinski (Kansas State) and Julio Solier (Boston College) set the high for defense for the rest of the year with a web gem that slotted in at third on the following day’s SportsCenter Top 10 Plays.

On a bouncing grounder in the sixth inning, Smolinski, the second baseman, ranged to his right, backhanding the ball. Solier, at shortstop, had floated across to the other side of the dirt and Smolinski, his momentum bringing him away from first, flipped the ball behind his back to him. Solier fired to first to complete the 4-6-3 putout.

The Whitecaps clawed back from a five-run deficit against the Hyannis Harbor Hawks for a 9-7 win on opening day. Leading the team-wide offensive effort in the comeback was shortstop Jamie Laskofski (William & Mary, transferring to North Carolina).

Laskofski, named the Coastal Athletic Association’s Player of the Year for 2026, went 3 for 5 with a home run, a walk, two runs batted in and two runs scored in the comeback. Don’t be surprised, Brewster manager Jamie Shevchik said, if Laskofski ends up an All-Star here.

“His coach reached out to me,” Shevchik said. “I was familiar with him. He's a hell of a baseball player, and you weren't sure exactly what you're going to get from the type of competition that he faces, maybe, as a mid-major. But so far, man, he's been holding his own.” 

Former Red Sox left-hander (among other things) Bill “Spaceman” Lee threw out a first pitch prior to the Whitecaps’ home opener Sunday.

Brewster is anticipating the return of shortstop Brendan Lawson (Florida) this season, according to Shevchik. Lawson, a Toronto native, hit .333/.398/.519 in 23 games for the Whitecaps last year. He’s considered one of the potential first overall picks in the 2027 MLB Draft.

In addition to the come-from-behind win, the Whitecaps also debuted new road uniforms on opening day. The big change in the set is the switch to navy blue pants.

“We might play like sh*t, but we’re going to look good,” Shevchik said.

Chatham was still searching for a win after the first few days of the season. Projected to start Tuesday for the Anglers (0-3) was right-hander Angel Cervantes (UCLA).

Cervantes, notably, was drafted 50th overall last year by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Earl Warren High School in Downey, Calif. but opted not to sign. He was the highest draft pick to elect to forego signing since 2021, when the Red Sox failed to sign outfielder Jud Fabian, selected out of Florida with the 40th overall pick.