Hip-Hop star J. Cole coined the phrase “the come up”. This is a term that describes the period of time before someone gets fame. Some people truly relish this time period, because this is where you set the foundation for your future. You put the hard work in and it will come back to you in droves in the future.
Athletes are no different. While there are plenty of famous players that have come from our great region, this list will be comprised of players most people have not heard of. They are on “the come up”.
- Tyler Marinaccio-Plainview-JFK ’18
The uncommitted junior has one of the most aesthetically-pleasing deliveries you will see. He has a deliberate leg kick–resembling Japanese-born pitchers like Hiroki Kuroda–but it works for him. It gets him into his balance position and then he explodes forward, creating a tremendous amount of force forward. Everything works in sync. He’s not a big kid, but he gets absolutely everything out of his body. He has a lightning-quick arm action and a great stride length. His velocity was in the mid 80s and he’s barely 150 lbs. As he gains weight he could gain 5-8 MPH before he graduates HS. He was an All-County pitcher last year and will be co-ace with Mark Faello. He will be a name to watch this year.
2. Franklin Parra-Copiague ’18
For a pitcher with as little experience as him, he has tremendous upside due to his smooth and efficient delivery. The LHP has been clocked at 85 MPH and he already has great feel for his change up from the same arm slot and arm speed. He hasn’t accumulated many innings, but he will be their ace this season. Very high ceiling.
3. Luke Hansen-Southold ’18
6’2″ LHP with slim frame. He touches 85 MPH with his fastball and has great command of the bottom of the strike zone. Has a hard curveball that he throws in the mid 70s. Also has playoff experience. He is looking at some Div-I programs and should commit this summer to a top school.
4. Brock Murtha-Sayville ’20
Brock is an extremely gifted athlete. He played varsity as an eighth grader and also plays wide receiver on the football team. He is 5’11” already and has more room to grow. He is a very fluid defender at shortstop with quick hands and a strong arm across the diamond. He is adept at making plays to his left, not easy for many high school shortstops. He has a very high ceiling, I expect him to make some noise with his bat this year.
5. Theo Farynick-Cold Spring Harbor ’19
He’s a third baseman/catcher with some pop. He has a very short, smooth swing. Very gifted in the classroom, and for that reason he has been on the radar of Colombia and UPenn–two of the top schools in the country.
6. Andrew Ciufo-Pat-Med ’18
He’s a talented middle infielder that has come into his own offensively. His exit velocity was as high as 87 MPH. He is the younger brother of Rich, one of the best defensive shortstops on Long Island in 2015. Ciufo is a gritty ballplayer, and possesses the high baseball IQ that coaches love.
7. Jose Michael Santana-North Babylon ’17
He just came from the Dominican Republic this year and is a senior–which means basically nobody from this country has seen him play yet. I have seen him record as low as 1.88 pop time and he is the fastest runner on their team–according to his Head Coach.. His bat is a work in progress but with his raw ability and his background playing against superior competition, he could be an impact player immediately.
8. Michael DeSanti-St. Dominic ’17
The Iona-commit is coming off Tommy John, but he is close to 100 percent. He is a big-body RHP that has terrific stride length. When he releases the ball he’s about 53 feet away from the plate which makes his perceived velocity much higher than the 88 MPH that the radar gun says. He could be a dynamic arm for the Bay Hawks this year.
9. Joe Sommer-Kings Park ’17
I watched him throw a bullpen yesterday and the first thing that crossed my mind was “how did I never heard of this kid?” The uncommitted senior definitely looks the part of a highly-sought after pitcher. He’s about 6’3 175 lbs. His body and arm work in sync and he does a lot right. He has a very good balance position, he gets great drive from his back side, great stride length, great extension and great finish. His fastball was 84-85 MPH and he showed good spin on his overhand 12-6. He told me he’s still debating whether he wants to go away to school, but I think every school around here could benefit from a kid like this. He dominated two different Titans teams this summer. I’m thinking he just flew under-the-radar and figured out how to pitch at a later age than others.
10. Logan Doran-Ward Melville ’18
Ward Melville has made quite a name for itself with their ability to develop high-end players over the past few years. Doran has the looks of that type of player. The young SS has a very nice swing which produces line drives. His summer coach told me he is the “most cerebral and committed player I’ve ever worked with.” As you can see in the above video, he has smooth hands and a strong arm at SS, but he is also able to do the little things–he dropped down some very nice push bunts down the first base line, he executed a delayed steal and he didn’t hesistate to take the extra base when he recognized the throw was past the cutoff man. He has a 97 GPA, which has him on the radar of schools like University of Delaware, Rutgers, Lafayette and St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
11. Matt Boyko-Clarke ’17
I watched him throw a bullpen and I was very impressed. He is a 6’3″ LHP with a lean build. He is committed to NYIT, and they really got a steal with him. Tonight he showed repeatable mechanics, and really got great use from his back side. His fastball was in the low-to-mid 80s, and he showed great command of his 12-6 curveball and a change up. He did slow down his arm speed a little, but it had great downward movement which will still generate plenty of weak hacks from Nassau Class A hitters. It will be difficult to envision him losing a game this season with his arsenal of pitches.
