Capps attended North Lenoir High School in LaGrange,North Carolina. He played for the school's baseball team as a backup catcher. [1] He enrolled at Mount Olive College and played for the baseball team as a pitcher. He posted a 24–1 win–loss record after two years (including an NCAA Division II-record of 24 straight wins). [1] In 2011,he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod League as a relief pitcher for the Harwich Mariners,and was named a league all-star. [2] [3]
He earned attention for a three-inning,five-strikeout performance on July 13,2010,against Team USA's collegiate all-star team. [1]
Capps was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft out of Mount Olive. [4]
After a poor 2011 debut with the Clinton LumberKings of the Single–A Midwest League,in which he had a 1–1 record and a 6.00 earned run average (ERA) in 18 innings,Capps improved dramatically with his performance as the closer for the Jackson Generals of the Double–A Southern League in 2012. Before being promoted to the Tacoma Rainiers of the Triple–A Pacific Coast League Capps struck out 72 hitters in 50 innings and posted 19 saves,along with a 1.26 ERA. He pitched only