Player Name: Jesse Berardi
School: St. John’s University
Position: SS
Jesse is a 2014 graduate of Commack HS. He was the recipient of the prestigious Carl Yastrzemski Award. He batted .423 with 13 XBH and 25 runs scored.
Offensively: He is a prototypical top-of-the-order hitter. He does all the little things right. He will work a count, wait for a pitch he can do damage with and utilize his speed to get on the bases. He bats with his back elbow up and a slightly crouched stance. He uses a rhythmic approach to hitting–with a decently high leg kick which allows him to utilize every bit of his strength to drive the ball. He stays inside the baseball well and uses his hands to get to the ball rather than yanking his front side open. At the point of contact, he employs a strong Power L position, has his eyes on the ball and his meeting the ball with his bat head out–all the things you look for in a hitter. Thanks to his quick hands, he has no issue with the pitch on the inner half. Like many hitters, his susceptibility will be on the good breaking balls, primarily due to his aggressive stride.
Defensively: “He is the best defensive SS to come out of the northeast territory in a generation”, is what one scout told me. He makes all the routine plays and often makes the spectacular play as well. What makes him better than almost all of his peers is a) his quickness. As soon as the ball is hit, he is pouncing to it. He is so agile that it takes just a split second to cover the ground. Also, b) he has incredibly quick hands and smooth movements upon catching the ball. During this clinic, he carolled a ball that was smoked off the bat that was a short hop that he snagged before it would’ve rocked him. Many people use their body to block the hard hit balls but he is simply good enough to catch it. Finally c) his throws are accurate and he wastes no movement getting into the throwing position. It is similar to Derek Jeter how he can get himself into an ideal throwing position without taking excess steps towards the target.
