UCLA righty Jake Brooks earns Cape Cod All-Star nod
Jake Brooks' trip out east has been treating him kindly so far.
The UCLA baseball right-hander is one of 29 Bruins playing summer ball and one of six who has been playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Brooks' performance through the first half of the season with the Cotuit Kettleers earned him a spot on the West Division All-Star team, as he was the only UCLA player to get a theoretical invitation to the league's All-Star game that isn't actually taking place this year.
Brooks has posted a 1.42 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with a 3-2 record through his first six appearances on the Cape.
The CCBL had its season completely canceled due to COVID-19 in 2020. The last time the league hosted an All-Star game was therefore in 2019, when UCLA shortstop and recent Cincinnati Reds first-round pick Matt McLain was a West Division All-Star as well. Former UCLA outfielder Jeremy Ydens and former UCLA right-hander Ryan Garcia were also West Division All-Stars in 2018.
Brooks joins Garcia as just the second Bruin pitcher to make a CCBL All-Star team in the past seven iterations of the game. Oakland Athletics rookie standout James Kaprielian made it in 2013 after his own freshman season in Westwood.
Outfielder Michael Curialle, right-hander Jack Filby, right-hander Charles Harrison, left-hander Jake Saum and closer Max Rajcic have also been playing in the CCBL in 2021, but none of them earned an All-Star nod.
Despite Brooks' top-tier performance in Massachusetts this summer, his debut campaign in Westwood left much to be desired. Brooks put up a 5.31 ERA and 1.38 WHIP for UCLA, with most of the damage coming in his 10 nonconference outings. Against Pac-12 opponents, Brooks owned a slightly more manageable 4.05 ERA and 1.35 WHIP.
With Jesse Bergin, Nick Nastrini, Sean Mullen and Zach Pettway getting scooped up in the 2021 MLB Draft earlier in July, Brooks' role in UCLA's rotation may have to expand in 2022. Besides Brooks, who started three games for the Bruins, the only other pitcher projected to be on the roster who made a start last season is Jared Karros.
In the meantime, Brooks will continue to fine-tune his game away from Westwood, with his Kettleers sitting in second place in the West Division with 13 games to go in the regular season.
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