Long Island has always been underrated in terms of producing quality baseball players. In the past few years, however, the elite-level talent pool has been especially fruitful.
In 2015 alone, Long Island residents Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz, Sean Nolin, Danny Burawa and Nick Tropeano have all logged significant time in the big leagues. Add in Stony Brook product Travis Jankowski and that is a significant amount of local talent.
Last week, Stroman pitched in the biggest game of his young career (six months removed from ACL surgery) and fired seven shutout innings, improving his record to 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA. He will be back on the hill tomorrow in Baltimore against the Baltimore Orioles.
On the same day, Tropeano threw 4.1 shutout innings against the Houston Astros in a hostile environment at Minute Maid Park with a playoff berth on the line. He is 2-2 with a 4.35 ERA, but has compiled a 3:1 K:BB ratio, meaning his numbers would suggest him having a 2.70 ERA (according to Fielding Independent Pitching).
After a nightmare outing in his big league debut in 2013, Seaford native Sean Nolin has responded by making the rotation with the Oakland Athletics and performing well. He recorded his first big league win on September 12 against the Texas Rangers with 5.2 IP, allowing one ER and striking out five.
Just as importantly, there are many more players in the minor league system and two currently playing with Team USA. Those two players, Matt Crohan and Anthony Kay, are both power lefty pitchers with a very real chance to be in the big leagues.
Both will be draft-eligible this season after graduating from high school in 2013. Crohan, at Winthrop University, and Kay, at UCONN, have dominated college bats the same way they did two years ago.
Crohan won seven games this season, struck out 87 over 74 IP and held the opposition to a .220 AVG with his low 90s fastballs.
Kay was even better. Over 100 IP for the Huskies, he led the team in ERA at 2.07. He struck out 96 batters and held the opposition to a .202 AVG. He won eight games and also recorded one save.
It has been rumored that he will be selected in the top half of the first round. If that is the case, you can add him to the growing list of impact players coming from our area–an area once scoffed at in terms of baseball prowess.
