Stanford Baseball Right-Hander Ranks Among the Top Cape Cod Performers

Jason Burke | Aug 18, 2024

Stanford's Joey Volchko (19) pitches against Texas Tech in game two of their non-conference baseball series, Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at Rip Griffin Park. / Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Stanford baseball team went 22-33 last season, but they have been receiving some love in recent weeks from Baseball America, who have placed two of the program's arms on various lists.

A couple of weeks back they rated right-hander Matt Scott as their No. 12 ranked college MLB Draft prospect. Now they have fellow righty Joey Volchko as the No. 12 player from the Cape Cod League. They said of the Stanford righty:

"Volchko made five appearances (four starts) for Cotuit totalling 19 innings this summer. Showing a five-pitch mix, Volchko flashed some of the best of any pitcher on the Cape League this summer. Volchko’s hard fastball sits 95-97 mph touching 100 mph at peak with natural cut, but limited ride. A hard short slider that sits 87-89 mph is Volchko’s primary secondary. He mixes in a firm changeup, a low-90s cutter and a hard mid-80s curveball. Standing 6-foot-4, Volchko has a starter’s build but his lack of a consistent delivery leads to command issues that eventually drive him to the bullpen as pro. Volchko is a 2026 draft eligible arm with time to iron out his inconsistent command." 

In his first season with Stanford as a 19-year-old, Volchko appeared in 20 games, starting six, and amassed 42 2/3 innings to the tune of a 5.70 ERA. His showing in the Cape was much better, starting five of six games covering 19 innings, and racking up a 2.37 ERA.

As BA mentions, his command has been shaky in both spots, leading to 38 walks in nearly 43 innings during the season with Stanford, and another 13 in 19 innings in the CCBL. That leads to an 8 BB/9 rate and a 6.2 BB/9 rate at each stop, which is certainly something that he'll have to address in order to find consistent success.

On the bright side, he's also racked up 53 and 29 strikeouts at those two stops, good for rates of 11.2 per nine and 13.7 per nine, which will obviously play.

The command question will likely determine whether Volchko is selected by a team hoping to turn him into a starter, potentially in the early rounds of the draft, or as a reliever, which could drop his stock a bit when he's eligible in 2026.