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Anglers Weekly Roundup: Playoff picture, Arquette’s absence
Chatham is heading down the final stretch of the regular season. The Anglers have six games in six days to end the regular season as they look to seal their first playoff berth since 2019.
Though in the past week, it's been a struggle for the A’s. They’ve lost four straight, losing those games by a combined 16 runs. Chatham’s starting pitching has faltered as of late, while the offense has gone relatively quiet. Despite its recent shortcomings, Chatham is still more than likely to make the postseason.
As the final portion of the 2024 CCBL season commences, here are five takeaways from Chatham’s (16-18, East) past week:
On July 24, former Chatham manager Jeremy “Sheets” Sheetinger resigned. The first-year manager cited personal reasons for his departure.
Hired in August 2023, Sheetinger worked all summer to rebuild the culture in Chatham. He encouraged his players to have fun and bring high-energy everyday. Through 31 games, it worked. The Anglers were 16-15 and sat in second place in the East Division.
With Sheetinger’s exit, Chatham pitching coach Eric Beattie took over as interim manager. Beattie has plenty of experience in the CCBL. He pitched for Bourne in 2004, tossing the third-lowest ERA in league history. In 2014, Beattie was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame.
The past two seasons, he was Hyannis’ manager. Beattie led the Harbor Hawks to a 47-33-8 record, winning Cape League Manager of the Year in 2022.
The Anglers’ four-game losing streak is their longest of the season. It’s also tied for the longest in the Cape League currently. But Chatham is still in a strong position to clinch a postseason berth as early as Tuesday.
Chatham had a chance to seal a spot in the playoffs Monday with a win against Harwich, but it fell 5-2. The A’s still sit three games ahead of the Mariners with just six games to go. Now, the Anglers turn their attention to Brewster as the Whitecaps cling to the fourth and final playoff spot in the East.
With a 12-21-2 record, Brewster sits 3.5 games behind Chatham. If the Anglers beat the Whitecaps Tuesday at Veterans field, they’ll confirm their spot in the playoffs. In three straight meetings, Chatham has come out with a win — all of which came at Stony Brook Field. The Whitecaps have limped their way to the finish line with just one win in their last 10 games.
Orleans sits at the bottom of the East, four games behind Chatham. The Anglers have dominated the Firebirds this season beating them in all four meetings. Orleans still has a shot to climb into the playoff picture. The Firebirds have played two fewer games than Brewster, but have the same amount of wins and losses.
While Chatham is comfortably ahead of the trio of teams at the bottom of the East, it won’t catch Y-D in first place. The Red Sox clinched the East Division title with a 9-8 win over the Anglers on July 26. At this point, Chatham will likely finish in second place and host a single-elimination playoff game at Veterans Field.
Strikeouts are always going to be detrimental to a team's success and Chatham has displayed that this season. It’s been a summer-long problem for the Anglers. They lead the Cape League in Ks with 361 in 34 games. The next closest team is Brewster with 346.
During Chatham’s four-game skid, it’s averaging 15.25 strikeouts per game. Chatham had 14 Ks against Falmouth, then 15 against Bourne across its first two losses. Then came a season-high 18 in a loss to Y-D and 14 Monday against Harwich.
The Anglers have 16 players — active and non-active — with double-digit strikeouts, led by Ike Irish (Auburn) with 35.
The strikeouts have contributed to Chatham’s biggest issue this year, plating runners in scoring position. Leaving ducks on the pond has come back to bite the A’s a litany of times. They’ve done a good job of drawing walks with 147, the fourth-highest total in the league. Yet the walks haven’t directly contributed to offensive success due to batters getting fanned.
The lack of pitching continuity is a common theme around the Cape. Due to innings limits and the MLB Draft, rotations look vastly different on a week-to-week basis. Through the first half of the season, Chatham received elite pitching from its starters and relievers. But in recent weeks, it’s tailed off.
The Anglers had seven pitchers selected in the 2025 MLB Draft. Griffin Herring (New York Yankees), Phil Fox (Chicago White Sox), Pierce George (Chicago White Sox), Liam Paddack (Chicago White Sox), Micah Ashman (Detroit Tigers), Drake George (San Francisco Giants) and Tian Hayes (Philadelphia Phillies) all were selected.
Those departures have weighed heavily on Chatham’s rotation. In the last 15 days, the Anglers are rock bottom in the league in most pitching categories. Chatham is one of three teams with an ERA over five, but the only one with one greater than six (6.75).
Garrett Helsel (SIU Edwardsville) and Tyler Murphy (Florida Atlantic) each showed promise in their Chatham debuts with stellar outings. Helsel struck out 10 batters across 6.1 innings against Brewster on July 21, allowing just three earned runs, while Murphy let up one run across 5.1 frames against Bourne on July 17. Both struggled in their second appearances.
On July 23, Falmouth plated five runs against Murphy in 3.1 innings. Monday, Harwich got to Helsel. The lefty conceded four runs in the first two innings. He did go 5.1 innings and struck out seven, but Helsel’s early struggles led to a loss.
Aiva Arquette has been a mainstay at shortstop for Chatham throughout the summer. He played the fourth-most games on Chatham’s roster (29), but left the Cape Sunday. Arquette spent the spring with Washington, but currently resides in the transfer portal. As he zeroes in on a school, Arquette is set to go on several campus visits, causing his summer in Chatham to end prematurely.
During his time with the A’s, Arquette provided elite defense while also showing off his prowess at the plate, knocking in a team-high 21 runs. His 30 hits only trailed Ike Irish (Auburn) for the team lead (36) and his .794 OPS was the third-highest
Arquette remains a highly-touted prospect ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft. A week ago, he was ranked as the No. 27 player by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.
Replacing Arquette is no easy task, but Kyle Lodise (Georgia Tech) is stepping into the role. Lodise has spent time at shortstop this summer along with second base, but hasn’t got consistent run at the position with Arquette occupying the spot.
Lodise has provided the Anglers with solid play this season. He holds a .242 batting average while his .389 on-base percentage ranks second among current A’s. Lodise’s 22 walks are the most walks of any Chatham player this summer while his 11 RBIs rank fifth.
Though in the past week, it's been a struggle for the A’s. They’ve lost four straight, losing those games by a combined 16 runs. Chatham’s starting pitching has faltered as of late, while the offense has gone relatively quiet. Despite its recent shortcomings, Chatham is still more than likely to make the postseason.
As the final portion of the 2024 CCBL season commences, here are five takeaways from Chatham’s (16-18, East) past week:
Sheetinger’s Resignation
On July 24, former Chatham manager Jeremy “Sheets” Sheetinger resigned. The first-year manager cited personal reasons for his departure.
Hired in August 2023, Sheetinger worked all summer to rebuild the culture in Chatham. He encouraged his players to have fun and bring high-energy everyday. Through 31 games, it worked. The Anglers were 16-15 and sat in second place in the East Division.
With Sheetinger’s exit, Chatham pitching coach Eric Beattie took over as interim manager. Beattie has plenty of experience in the CCBL. He pitched for Bourne in 2004, tossing the third-lowest ERA in league history. In 2014, Beattie was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame.
The past two seasons, he was Hyannis’ manager. Beattie led the Harbor Hawks to a 47-33-8 record, winning Cape League Manager of the Year in 2022.
Playoff Picture
The Anglers’ four-game losing streak is their longest of the season. It’s also tied for the longest in the Cape League currently. But Chatham is still in a strong position to clinch a postseason berth as early as Tuesday.
Chatham had a chance to seal a spot in the playoffs Monday with a win against Harwich, but it fell 5-2. The A’s still sit three games ahead of the Mariners with just six games to go. Now, the Anglers turn their attention to Brewster as the Whitecaps cling to the fourth and final playoff spot in the East.
With a 12-21-2 record, Brewster sits 3.5 games behind Chatham. If the Anglers beat the Whitecaps Tuesday at Veterans field, they’ll confirm their spot in the playoffs. In three straight meetings, Chatham has come out with a win — all of which came at Stony Brook Field. The Whitecaps have limped their way to the finish line with just one win in their last 10 games.
Orleans sits at the bottom of the East, four games behind Chatham. The Anglers have dominated the Firebirds this season beating them in all four meetings. Orleans still has a shot to climb into the playoff picture. The Firebirds have played two fewer games than Brewster, but have the same amount of wins and losses.
While Chatham is comfortably ahead of the trio of teams at the bottom of the East, it won’t catch Y-D in first place. The Red Sox clinched the East Division title with a 9-8 win over the Anglers on July 26. At this point, Chatham will likely finish in second place and host a single-elimination playoff game at Veterans Field.
Strikeouts Galore
Strikeouts are always going to be detrimental to a team's success and Chatham has displayed that this season. It’s been a summer-long problem for the Anglers. They lead the Cape League in Ks with 361 in 34 games. The next closest team is Brewster with 346.
During Chatham’s four-game skid, it’s averaging 15.25 strikeouts per game. Chatham had 14 Ks against Falmouth, then 15 against Bourne across its first two losses. Then came a season-high 18 in a loss to Y-D and 14 Monday against Harwich.
The Anglers have 16 players — active and non-active — with double-digit strikeouts, led by Ike Irish (Auburn) with 35.
The strikeouts have contributed to Chatham’s biggest issue this year, plating runners in scoring position. Leaving ducks on the pond has come back to bite the A’s a litany of times. They’ve done a good job of drawing walks with 147, the fourth-highest total in the league. Yet the walks haven’t directly contributed to offensive success due to batters getting fanned.
Pitching Struggles
The lack of pitching continuity is a common theme around the Cape. Due to innings limits and the MLB Draft, rotations look vastly different on a week-to-week basis. Through the first half of the season, Chatham received elite pitching from its starters and relievers. But in recent weeks, it’s tailed off.
The Anglers had seven pitchers selected in the 2025 MLB Draft. Griffin Herring (New York Yankees), Phil Fox (Chicago White Sox), Pierce George (Chicago White Sox), Liam Paddack (Chicago White Sox), Micah Ashman (Detroit Tigers), Drake George (San Francisco Giants) and Tian Hayes (Philadelphia Phillies) all were selected.
Those departures have weighed heavily on Chatham’s rotation. In the last 15 days, the Anglers are rock bottom in the league in most pitching categories. Chatham is one of three teams with an ERA over five, but the only one with one greater than six (6.75).
The A’s have allowed the most hits (91), runs (72) — 14 more than the next closest team — and home runs (15) in the CCBL. Chatham’s 52 walks are also the worst mark in the league.
Garrett Helsel (SIU Edwardsville) and Tyler Murphy (Florida Atlantic) each showed promise in their Chatham debuts with stellar outings. Helsel struck out 10 batters across 6.1 innings against Brewster on July 21, allowing just three earned runs, while Murphy let up one run across 5.1 frames against Bourne on July 17. Both struggled in their second appearances.
On July 23, Falmouth plated five runs against Murphy in 3.1 innings. Monday, Harwich got to Helsel. The lefty conceded four runs in the first two innings. He did go 5.1 innings and struck out seven, but Helsel’s early struggles led to a loss.
Arquette’s Absence
Aiva Arquette has been a mainstay at shortstop for Chatham throughout the summer. He played the fourth-most games on Chatham’s roster (29), but left the Cape Sunday. Arquette spent the spring with Washington, but currently resides in the transfer portal. As he zeroes in on a school, Arquette is set to go on several campus visits, causing his summer in Chatham to end prematurely.
During his time with the A’s, Arquette provided elite defense while also showing off his prowess at the plate, knocking in a team-high 21 runs. His 30 hits only trailed Ike Irish (Auburn) for the team lead (36) and his .794 OPS was the third-highest
Arquette remains a highly-touted prospect ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft. A week ago, he was ranked as the No. 27 player by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.
Replacing Arquette is no easy task, but Kyle Lodise (Georgia Tech) is stepping into the role. Lodise has spent time at shortstop this summer along with second base, but hasn’t got consistent run at the position with Arquette occupying the spot.
Lodise has provided the Anglers with solid play this season. He holds a .242 batting average while his .389 on-base percentage ranks second among current A’s. Lodise’s 22 walks are the most walks of any Chatham player this summer while his 11 RBIs rank fifth.
