Today I was at Wantagh vs Bellmore JFK to watch the rematch of the Nassau County Class A Finals. The game was basically over as soon as it began, but I was able to jot down some notes from a scout’s perspective on some of the top players in the game. Here’s my takeaways:
Jimmy Joyce:
Head Coach Keith Sachs stated that he has no doubt that Joyce is the best player on Long Island. He has a point–he’s the reigning Class A Player of the Year, and as many people will tell you–Joyce plays with that chip on his shoulder that makes the opposition hate him. College coaches love that because he’s not out there to make friends.
He struggled with his command in the first inning, throwing 26 pitches but he worked out of the jam by picking off the trailing runner at first with two outs. That showed where his heads at, that he was able to use one of his weapons to get him out of a jam.
In that first inning, he started off throwing 86 MPH and steadily increased until he touched 92 MPH with his heater. After that he touched 90 MPH but was typically a tick or two below that. Standing next to one of the local scouts, we were curious what type of fastball he was throwing because it had cutting action with lesser velocity, so it’s my guess that he was simply using less than max-effort when he didn’t feel he needed it.
He walked two in the first inning, but then struck out the side in the second inning–two of which were looking. He was able to use his slider to completely baffle the hitters that were trying to time his fastball.
He ran into trouble in the third inning–and this was with the game already completely out-of-hand at 12-0. He struck out the first batter looking before walking the nine-place hitter. He struck out the next batter looking on three pitches, before allowing his only hit (to the opposite field) followed with a walk on a borderline 3-2 pitch. He ended the threat by striking out the clean up hitter on a 3-2 breaking ball.
In the fourth inning, he went 1-2-3 with two strikeouts.
Joyce has skyrocketed his value. Aside from those four walks, he commands the strike zone, he’s never intimidated, he has the 90+ MPH heater, he has won against the top competition and he’s a great athlete. Assuming he makes it to Hofstra University, they got a real steal.
Anthony D’Onofrio:
The little guy that plays like he’s 6’3″ had a tremendous game. He smacked a single in the first inning, a triple to right center in the second inning and a double (just narrowly missing a HR in the third inning). He flew out to left field in the third at bat with the score 17-0 and he was furious at himself. Shows what type of competitor he is.
He was first-team All-State last year, he’s also committed to Hofstra.
He’s about 5’6″, but he gets every ounce of his strength into his swing. He has an exit velocity over 95 MPH. He runs very well and he is a slick fielder. My only concern is where he will play at the next level. He has very good hands and a strong arm, but he has a long arm motion. At SS, it’s difficult to have that not be a deterrent at the Div-I level where the game speeds up. He also had the tendency to check where the runner is before he throws. Again, these are things that can be fixed, but it’s something to consider.
Anthony Fontana:
He’s committed to Furman University, so it doesn’t matter, but my concern is what type of hitter does he want to be? At his 6’3″ size, he really should be a masher, but he is more of a line-drive hitter in the games. He puts on a show during BP but he appears to try to shoot the gaps during the game. He had a very nice two-run double to left center field in the first inning in this game. He also drew two walks and grounded out to first. He’s just a junior, so the power could develop. Fontana is a slick fielder, a classic left-handed first baseman. Not a gifted runner, but a good feel for the game.
Trevor Fagan:
Another one of their returning All-State players. He is the glue of the team. He’s a steady presence behind the plate and he is crucial in the order to protect Fontana. He is committed to Sacred Heart University. In this game, he smoked a two-run double in the first, drew a walk in the second, reached on an error in the third and came to the plate again in the third and ripped a bases-clearing double. I’m very impressed with Fagan, he is a well-rounded catcher and there’s a good chance he’s an impact player right away in college.
Jason Coules:
This was not the type of performance you want to evaluate a player on. To be fair, he pitched very well against Wantagh in the Nassau County Class A Finals as a sophomore–so he’s certainly capable of it. He also pitched very well this summer against some great competition while touching 88 MPH with the heater and having good command. Also, he had eight of the seniors on this team quit. With that being said, it was a very poor outing. He had nothing to put away the Warriors hitters with, he had terrible body language when he gave up runs (almost appearing to want to come out of the game) and then he sulked when he did come out of the game. On a bright note, he drew a walk against Joyce in his only plate appearance. The Cougars will need him to bounce back if they are to compete this year–and I think he will because he has a scholarship to Fordham in front of him.
