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Previewing Chatham’s top position players ahead of 2026 campaign
CHATHAM, Mass. — Throughout a wildly unpredictable 2025 campaign, one of the Anglers’ biggest weaknesses last season was inconsistency at the plate.
Chatham ranked last in the Cape Cod Baseball League in OPS (.658) and collectively hit for a lackluster .237 average, contributing to a 17-20-3 campaign where the A’s missed the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five summers.
With a fresh wave of bats, A’s manager Dennis Cook hopes to change the squad’s fortune in 2026.
Chatham enters Opening Day boasting a roster with 22 signed position players from 18 colleges. Here’s a look at some of the top names slated to suit up for the Anglers this season:
Chatham’s roster has 11 players with infield experience, four of whom are beginning the summer in the College World Series. Adrian Rodriguez (Texas), Ryan Wynn (Georgia), Armani Guzman (West Virginia) and Tyler Howe (North Carolina) all should be options around the horn after returning from Omaha, though Guzman and Howe will likely feature in the outfield a bit more often.
But until then, the A’s are left with seven infielders in early June. Most of them operate up the middle.
The Anglers have three shortstops in Robert Rispoli (UConn), Gabe Fraser (Florida State) and Tyler Lichtenberger (Clemson), all of whom should all contend for spots in the lineup. Rispoli hit three homers and drove in 29 runs this spring, while Lichtenberger had comparable numbers with 27 RBIs and two dingers. Fraser led the bunch with a .303 batting average on the campaign. Alabama commit Cooper Neville — who typically plays second base — is arguably Chatham’s most promising middle infielder, coming off a spring where he hit .317 with eight homers and 17 stolen bases for Dallas Baptist.
The Anglers get some power on the infield corners with Texas Tech’s Connor Shouse and Oregon first baseman Naulivou Lauaki Jr. The two combined for 24 home runs in 2026, while Shouse’s 66 RBIs placed him top 10 in the Big 12. Southern Mississippi’s Drey Barrett (nine home runs, 41 RBI) and FSU’s Kelvyn Paulino (.276 average, 21 RBI) could also be reliable bats in the lineup.
Chatham’s projected outfield balances speed, contact and power. Six of the A’s outfielders hit over .310 in 2026, headlined by NC State’s Rett Johnson’s .381 mark.
Johnson — a second-team freshman All-American — doesn’t hit for much power, knocking just one home run in 2026, but is one of the A’s best all-around hitters. He’ll almost surely occupy a starting spot before he departs for Team USA, but Chatham has a number of viable options all around the outfield.
Mississippi State’s Jacob Parker — another freshman All-American — is one of the most enticing prospects in the CCBL this summer. Parker swatted 18 home runs and drove in 62 runs for the Bulldogs in 2026, and also hit .339 with a 1.181 OPS. Bino Watters — who committed to LSU Wednesday after two years at Notre Dame — also provides a stellar bat. Watters hit .362 with a 1.057 OPS and smashed 10 homers for the Fighting Irish in 2026.
Guzman and Yale product Kaiden Dossa, meanwhile, should provide some dynamism in the A’s outfield. Guzman stole a whopping 38 bases this season, by far the most of any Big 12 player. Dossa swiped 28 bags for the Bulldogs, the second-best mark in the Ivy League.
Aside from Guzman and Howe, two other Anglers outfielders will begin the summer in Omaha, Ty Peeples and Cole Johnson. The two Georgia freshmen sporadically entered UGA’s starting lineup, but hit around .300 when they played. They’ll add some depth to what appears to be the A’s strongest position group.
Georgia superstar and Golden Spikes Award contender Daniel Jackson backstopped the A’s last summer, but his departure makes way for some new faces behind the dish at Veterans Field. Chatham currently has three rostered catchers as opening day looms.
TCU’s Nolan Traeger started 44 games for the Horned Frogs in 2026 after a Big 12 All-Freshman team campaign in 2025. The Spring, Texas, native hit .287 with four home runs and 34 RBIs this season, and hit .327 as a freshman.
Harlin Hovater, who spent 2026 at Meridian Community College (Mississippi) and will play for Mississippi State next season, looks to be the most consistent bat of the bunch. Hovater hit .346 with a 1.030 OPS and walked 43 times.
And after a solid freshman season, Vanderbilt product Korbin Reynolds also provides promise. Reynolds started 47 of 49 games and hit .234 with six home runs. He’ll contend for some time behind the plate throughout the summer.
Chatham ranked last in the Cape Cod Baseball League in OPS (.658) and collectively hit for a lackluster .237 average, contributing to a 17-20-3 campaign where the A’s missed the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five summers.
With a fresh wave of bats, A’s manager Dennis Cook hopes to change the squad’s fortune in 2026.
Chatham enters Opening Day boasting a roster with 22 signed position players from 18 colleges. Here’s a look at some of the top names slated to suit up for the Anglers this season:
Infielders
Chatham’s roster has 11 players with infield experience, four of whom are beginning the summer in the College World Series. Adrian Rodriguez (Texas), Ryan Wynn (Georgia), Armani Guzman (West Virginia) and Tyler Howe (North Carolina) all should be options around the horn after returning from Omaha, though Guzman and Howe will likely feature in the outfield a bit more often.
But until then, the A’s are left with seven infielders in early June. Most of them operate up the middle.
The Anglers have three shortstops in Robert Rispoli (UConn), Gabe Fraser (Florida State) and Tyler Lichtenberger (Clemson), all of whom should all contend for spots in the lineup. Rispoli hit three homers and drove in 29 runs this spring, while Lichtenberger had comparable numbers with 27 RBIs and two dingers. Fraser led the bunch with a .303 batting average on the campaign. Alabama commit Cooper Neville — who typically plays second base — is arguably Chatham’s most promising middle infielder, coming off a spring where he hit .317 with eight homers and 17 stolen bases for Dallas Baptist.
The Anglers get some power on the infield corners with Texas Tech’s Connor Shouse and Oregon first baseman Naulivou Lauaki Jr. The two combined for 24 home runs in 2026, while Shouse’s 66 RBIs placed him top 10 in the Big 12. Southern Mississippi’s Drey Barrett (nine home runs, 41 RBI) and FSU’s Kelvyn Paulino (.276 average, 21 RBI) could also be reliable bats in the lineup.
Outfielders
Chatham’s projected outfield balances speed, contact and power. Six of the A’s outfielders hit over .310 in 2026, headlined by NC State’s Rett Johnson’s .381 mark.
Johnson — a second-team freshman All-American — doesn’t hit for much power, knocking just one home run in 2026, but is one of the A’s best all-around hitters. He’ll almost surely occupy a starting spot before he departs for Team USA, but Chatham has a number of viable options all around the outfield.
Mississippi State’s Jacob Parker — another freshman All-American — is one of the most enticing prospects in the CCBL this summer. Parker swatted 18 home runs and drove in 62 runs for the Bulldogs in 2026, and also hit .339 with a 1.181 OPS. Bino Watters — who committed to LSU Wednesday after two years at Notre Dame — also provides a stellar bat. Watters hit .362 with a 1.057 OPS and smashed 10 homers for the Fighting Irish in 2026.
Guzman and Yale product Kaiden Dossa, meanwhile, should provide some dynamism in the A’s outfield. Guzman stole a whopping 38 bases this season, by far the most of any Big 12 player. Dossa swiped 28 bags for the Bulldogs, the second-best mark in the Ivy League.
Aside from Guzman and Howe, two other Anglers outfielders will begin the summer in Omaha, Ty Peeples and Cole Johnson. The two Georgia freshmen sporadically entered UGA’s starting lineup, but hit around .300 when they played. They’ll add some depth to what appears to be the A’s strongest position group.
Catchers
Georgia superstar and Golden Spikes Award contender Daniel Jackson backstopped the A’s last summer, but his departure makes way for some new faces behind the dish at Veterans Field. Chatham currently has three rostered catchers as opening day looms.
TCU’s Nolan Traeger started 44 games for the Horned Frogs in 2026 after a Big 12 All-Freshman team campaign in 2025. The Spring, Texas, native hit .287 with four home runs and 34 RBIs this season, and hit .327 as a freshman.
Harlin Hovater, who spent 2026 at Meridian Community College (Mississippi) and will play for Mississippi State next season, looks to be the most consistent bat of the bunch. Hovater hit .346 with a 1.030 OPS and walked 43 times.
And after a solid freshman season, Vanderbilt product Korbin Reynolds also provides promise. Reynolds started 47 of 49 games and hit .234 with six home runs. He’ll contend for some time behind the plate throughout the summer.
