Hunter Bishop in thick of Cape Cod playoffs

It was the amateur baseball path of one Barry Bonds, of course. And, now, Hunter Bishop is following in those ginormous footsteps. The 2016 West Catholic Athletic League Co-Baseball Player of the Year, Bishop enjoyed an auspicious freshman season at Arizona State, hitting .301 — again paralleling Bonds, who hit .306 with the Sun Devils as a freshman in 1983.

Now, Bishop is in the midst of grinding through a summer season with the Brewster Whitecaps of the prestigious Cape Cod League, generally a surefire ticket to pro ball for those who shine on its wood-bat summer baseball stage.

“He’s probably the biggest pro prospect we have,” Whitecaps manager Jamie Shevchik said. “You’re not going to see it by looking at his stats but he just completed his freshman year, so he has a lot of upside.”

Bishop has struggled at the plate this summer, hitting just .212 with one home run and 11 RBIs through 35 regular-season games in Brewster. He helped the Whitecaps make a postseason push though, heating up over the regular-season’s final two weeks.

“He’s got a big-time swing,” Shevchik said. “He’s a kid that when people ask me, ‘who do you see in the big leagues in a couple years?’ I go to him.”

With the Whitecaps starting postseason play Saturday, Bishop is hitless through two games against the three-time defending Cape Cod League champion Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Brewster has split the first two games of the best-of-three series, with the first-round series set to conclude Monday at 4 p.m. ET at Red Wilson Field.

The semifinal playoff round starts Tuesday.

The Whitecaps got even in the series Sunday with a 6-1 win, with Bishop coming off the bench to draw a walk in his only plate appearance. Brewster let a late lead get away Saturday, though, taking a two-run edge into the ninth inning only to get stung by Yarmouth-Dennis’ five-run comeback, ending with a three-run walk-off home run by Carlos Cortes.

Bishop is the second brother from his family to play with the Whitecaps. His older brother Braden played for Brewster in 2014 after his sophomore season at University of Washington. Braden went on to get drafted in the third round in 2015 by the Seattle Mariners. He was promoted to Double-A Arkansas last month, where he is batting .317 (19 for 60) through 16 games.

“It was a no-brainier to try to keep the Bishops in Brewster,” Shevchik said of bringing aboard Hunter Bishop this season.

As a freshman collegiate player, Bishop wasn’t initially slated for as much playing time in Brewster as he has received. The Whitecaps initially carried outfielders Travis Swaggerty (University of South Alabama) and Steele Walker (University of Oklahoma) on roster, but both were named to the Team USA Collegiate National roster.

Shevchik said he foresees a similar future for Bishop.

“We’re bringing him back next year,” Shevchik said. “I think he can be a Team USA player. If he takes what he’s learned here this season and applies it to [his sophomore year] at Arizona State, he’s going to unbelievable next year.”

Also on roster for the Whitecaps this summer is former College of San Mateo right-hander Drew Reveno. The San Jose native out of Leigh High School transferred to St. Louis University in 2017 after one season at CSM in 2016.

Reveno joined the Whitecaps later in the summer as a replacement player, due to the standard of many Cape Cod League pitchers being kept on innings limits. The right-handed swingman has posted a 0-1 record with a 4.97 ERA.

“He soaked up some innings for us, he’s eaten up some innings, which is what we needed,” Shevchik said. “He’s got some work he needs to do but he’s been a pleasant surprise.”