HARWICH — Joe Sanders stands in at six-foot-one, tips the scales at 195 pounds, bats right, throws right, is clean-cut, well-spoken, and in all other ways blends right in. But don’t be fooled by his run-of-the-mill makeup – this is not your average Joe. 

The man who hits in the three-hole for Harwich has been the Mariners’ best batter, leading the team in almost every statistical category – average (.313), hits (20), doubles (5), home runs (3), RBIs (9), runs scored (13) and slugging percentage (.531). 

“He was the first kid on the Cape, and I could tell from his first BP that he could hit, just by the way the ball jumped off his bat,” Harwich Mariners Field Manager Steve Englert said.

Cape League pitchers know exactly what Englert means.

Sanders has hit safely in 14 of 16 games, including his outstanding 4-for-4 outing against Cotuit, in which he smacked a single, two doubles and a home run in a 5-3 opening-week victory over the West-Division-leading Kettleers. 

Sanders’ superlative stats are all the more impressive because they go against the theme of the Cape League’s opening weeks, which serves as a truncated tune-up for Cape League pitchers, as college hitters adapt to wood bats. 

It stands to reason that Sanders has hit so handsomely with lumber because of his foray in the metal-free Valley League last summer, but in truth, he put up exceptional numbers there, hitting .272 with 29 RBIs in 45 games for the Virginia-based Winchester Royals. 

“Joe has got fast hands, good bat speed, a good eye, is strong, athletic and just a talented kid who can hit, no matter what,” Englert said. 

Having all those skills in spades doesn’t hurt, but what’s also helped the Auburn University sophomore is his picky approach at the plate. 

“I like to go to the plate with an idea of what pitch I want to swing at, whether it’s a fastball or off-speed, so each at-bat, I’ll restrict myself to swinging at only that pitch,” said Sanders. “Being in the three hole, you’re going to see a lot of off-speed pitches, so I look for that early then attack later in the count.”

Sanders is a self-proclaimed “gaps guy,” who has a flair for hitting where there are no fielders, but that’s not to say there’s no power to his pop. 

Take, for example, his three-run home run that carried some 400-plus feet over the wall at Whitehouse Field in Harwich’s 11-3 win over Orleans Thursday night. It’s times like those Sanders makes everything looks so simple, but he assures that nothing – not even Judy-hits – come easy. 

“The Cape League is everything I expected it to be, especially the pitching,” said Sanders. “You’re seeing a quality guy every night, so in that sense, it hasn’t let me down.” 

So striking are Sanders’ offensive skills that’s it easy to overlook his defense, which has been just as dominant. He’s played most of the season at third, and a few games at first base, second base and left field, where he’s made only a few errors all year.

“Fielding the ball hit off a wood bat is a lot easier, because the ball has a natural rhythm to it,” explained Sanders. “It’s not the same as when you get it ripped down your throat when it’s hit off the metal bats.”

Sanders’ ability to make plays on both sides of the ball is a central reason Harwich (9-9, 18 points) is in the thick of things in the East Division and stands a shot to make the playoffs for the first time since 1997. 

Being the guy who helped Harwich punch a post-season ticket – and turn the team around following their 14-28-2 last-place finish a year ago – would help Sanders distinguish himself from many Mariners alums, including his predecessors at Auburn – Clete Thomas (‘04), Josh Donaldson (‘06) and Evan Crawford (’07), all of whom made a major impact during their summer stint. 

Sanders doesn’t spend any time entraining those thoughts, however. “I’m just trying to get my name out there as a good hitter, and as someone who played hard for his teammates to try and win every game,” he said. 

That hasn’t been easy, as Sanders plays each day with a heavy heart. His grandfather recently passed away and his mother, Barbara, is currently undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer. 

“It makes it tough at times to concentrate on baseball, but other times you go out there and it’s an escape,” said Sanders. “I love hitting and I love being in the box, knowing this guy is going to give me his best shot and I’m going to give him mine. It’s a battle.”

One that, so far, Sanders is winning.