Today there were three scrimmages going on simultaneously at Baseball Heaven. I was able to watch a little bit of all three of them and here are my observations from them:
Bellport vs Floyd:
A.J. Verga started for Floyd and he was impressive. The sophomore has pretty clean mechanics and the ball explodes out of his hand. He got lots of swings-and-misses. If they are to have a big season, he will be a big reason.
Ryan Bouman smacked a HR over the right field fence. It got out in a hurry–not a typical majestic HR but a line drive that barely got off the ground. It was very impressive. I hadn’t heard of him, but that swing certainly got my attention. Very few legit power hitters from the northeast. He is uncommitted but if he’s going to swing like that during the regular season, he will turn some heads.
Rob Brust has a great arm behind the plate but he’s going to have a lot on his plate this year as the starting catcher and ace pitcher. It is very unusual at the varsity level that the ace would also be needed as the catcher but that’s Floyd’s situation this year. The Caldwell-commit is a very talented player, but I am concerned that the amount of throws he has to make behind the plate will cause excessive strain on his arm when compounded with the 100-or-so pitches he throwing per start.
After being injured for much of the past three years, Adam Colon is finally healthy and the Clippers will be counting on him in the middle-of-the-order. The senior has been on varsity since eighth grade, so they have high expectations. He has a very pretty lefty swing, a la James Loney, and they will be hoping that the talent translates into success. He did strike out on a quality change up low-and-away. He has a tremendous work ethic, he is a regular at Infiniti Performance, so I know he is all-in on this season.
Andrew Veit is only a sophomore, but he really impressed me with his mechanics. He has lightning-quick arm action. That’s the type of thing that gets your attention first. As he fills out–and he is very thin–that will quickly translate to velocity. His brother, Michael, is at Farleigh-Dickinson, so he’s got the family genes working in his favor. I would pay attention to him.
Great arm action from Bellport Andrew Veit pic.twitter.com/TE3GNqFtvJ
— aXcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) March 20, 2017
Hills East vs Deer Park:
I didn’t watch as much of this game but Hills East Head Coach Tim Belz stated it was his hope that he would figure out who would be his fourth starter from this game. He was throwing two pitchers that were competing for the spot. The top of their rotation is set with Patch Dooley and Joe Litchhult.
Deer Park RHP Connor Hewlette showed very good tempo, mechanics and a quick delivery from the stretch position. The Roger Williams-commit won three games last year and will be counted on to anchor the rotation.
Smithtown East vs Hauppauge:
The Bulls showed off their army of sophomore pitchers. Doug Goodwin got the start, then they went with Tyler Schmid. Goodwin was All-League last year, he’s going to be a big part of their rotation this year. He has clean mechanics and pounded the strike zone. He throws his breaking ball for strikes. He’s not an overpowering pitcher but he’s only a sophomore and his mechanics should warrant a big boost in velocity when he grows. Schmid is a lanky lefty–he is very deceptive, and he seemed to be in control of his body despite his long limbs. You usually see these types of wiry pitchers struggle with their command since they are not used to being this height yet. He is very advanced for his size.
Chris Burns got the start for Hauppauge, he threw well. He has very clean mechanics. Despite being a senior, he hasn’t really thrown many innings because the previous two years featured incredible pitching staffs. He will be the ace of the team and they will be counting on him to really answer the bell.
Doug Goodwin–one of Smithtown East’s talented sophomores pic.twitter.com/dbNR6KDFHM
— aXcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) March 20, 2017
