CHATHAM — Dylan DeGroff comes to the ball park everyday wearing his Chatham A’s cap and jersey. He hits, runs, throws and catches Cape League pitchers, yet the Harwich-born backstopper stands a slim chance of ever getting in the game. 

Such is the life of a bullpen catcher – you’re seldom seen and hardly ever heard, always on the outside looking in.

DeGroff is third in line behind Chatham catchers Joseph Mercuiro (University of Maine) and second-year A’s player Gregg Glime (Baylor University), which means he’s spending the summer outside the foul lines, while his teammates and non-Cape League baseball buddies get plenty of games under their belt.

But all of that is alright by the 19-year old DeGroff, who’s relishing a backstage role to be a part of the most esteemed summer league in the nation that just happens to be in his backyard. 

“It’s been a blast, meeting guys from all over the country, getting to hang out with them and trading stories with them,” said DeGroff, who just finished his freshman year at Shelton State (Ala.) Community College – a top junior college baseball school. “Really the only thing I’m giving up is live at-bats. You get to do all the things the normal players do. You get to take BP and infield and outfield practice. You just don’t play in many games.”

The tradeoff, of course, is that DeGroff gets to catch the crème de le crème of college pitchers. It’s his duty to help warm-up the A’s arsenal of arms before and during each game, a task that may seem tedious, but has big benefits. 

“This will give Dylan the chance to catch some quality, quality pitching,” Chatham coach John Schiffner said. “We’ve got kids who can throw 95-96 miles-per-hour, and this opportunity will only give Dylan a step up on other kids when it comes to catching, because he’s going to have a feel for very strong velocity, a feel for biting sliders, and he’s going to have to block some mean-ass pitches.”

DeGroff was recommended for the position by former Harwich assistant coach Bob Warner, a family friend of Schiffner’s. But there’s no nepotism at play here. DeGroff is a bona fide ball player who earned a roster spot on the strength of his own skills.

“Dylan is a great kid and has brought great enthusiasm to the team,” Schiffner said. “Plus, he came from Fred Thacher’s program, so I know he knows what he’s doing.”

It was always DeGroff’s dream to play in the Cape League, though the irony of Harwich kid decked out in Chatham décor isn’t lost on anyone, least of all DeGroff, a former bat boy for the Harwich Mariners. 

“It was weird at first, and once some of my friends found out I was playing for Chatham they gave me some crap about it, but it’s the Cape League,” he said. “I’d play for any team. It doesn’t matter which one.” 

DeGroff isn’t the first homegrown kid from Harwich to take part in the CCBL. Kent Christian served as the A’s bullpen catcher in 1996, and it was only two years ago when Adam Laplante, Cody Crowell and Jared McGuire were making their mark in the supreme off-season circuit for marquee college players.

Laplante was a temporary player for the Bourne Braves, McGuire labored as the Hyannis Mets’ starting left fielder, and Crowell, a southpaw, saw action in 26 games over his two year-career with the Harwich Mariners and Brewster Whitecaps. 

“Those are some of the best players to ever come from the Cape,” said DeGroff. “To see them come back and play in the Cape League was motivation that I could do it if I worked hard enough.”

Like his predecessors, DeGroff was a perennial South Shore League All-Star at Harwich High. As a junior, he hit .326 with three home runs and 30 RBIs, and his senior season he hit. 405 with four home runs with 32 RBIs. But it’s not his stats that stand out; what does, rather, is the silver-colored state championship ring and its beaming blue twin that rests on his fingers. 

In 2006, DeGroff led Harwich to a win over Ware in the state finals before steering the team to its second straight Division Three crown with a victory over St. Josephs the following spring. During their remarkable two-year run, the Rough Riders went 41-11, which includes a stretch of 12 straight wins in single-elimination state tournament games.

There’s no reluctance on DeGroff’s part to reflect on how his diamond dreams came true (even in his own time, recently, he flipped a scrapbook of newspaper clippings created by his mom, Jacquie). But he’ll only stay on topic for as long a period as an at-bat, as DeGroff believes his best days are still ahead of him.

That’s certainly how Shelton State coach Bobby Sprowl felt when he offered DeGroff – the only member on the Tuscaloosa team’s roster who resides north of Mason-Dixon line – a full scholarship. 

DeGroff didn’t get much of a chance to prove his prowess at the plate or behind it, as he played understudy to All-American and University of Alabama-bound catcher Clay Jones. 

“It was tough at first to go from starting 76 straight games at Harwich to playing only 15 at Shelton,” said DeGroff, who sought support in former Harwich teammate and current George Mason star second baseman Ryan Soares. 

“Ryan told me he didn’t play all that much his first year [at the University of South Florida],” DeGroff said. “You have to realize what your role on the team is, and that there’s not much you can do when there’s an All-American in front of you. You just have to work hard and prepare yourself for the games you do get into.”

That approach served DeGroff well, as he hit .290 in 53 at-bats, playing a small but still significant role in helping Shelton State (49-18) snag its second straight Alabama Community College Conference title and finish as the runner-up in the NJCAA Division One World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.

It was the fourth straight year DeGroff finished the season playing for a championship (Harwich won the first of its three straight south sectional titles in 2005). If things go as planned, he could be playing for another come early August. Well, maybe not playing, but either way, DeGroff realizes he apart of something special. 

“Everyone thinks of the Cape League as the best summer league in the county and every time you hear about the Cape League, you hear about the Chatham A’s,” said DeGroff. “It’s pretty cool to think I’ve made it this far, and I got some chills when I first put that jersey on, knowing that I’m going to be wearing it for the whole summer.”