Yesterday, I was at the Hauppauge-Commack match up between two very-accomplished pitchers in Matt Overton (Molloy-commit) and Johnny Pohlman (College of St. Rose). In addition to them, there were a number of talented players on the field. Here’s what I saw from them:
Johnny Pohlman– The big RHP is lanky and projectable. He has the chance to fill out and add several MPH to his fastball when he gets to college. They are really banking on that, because his fastball was 78-82 MPH, which is more of a Div-III velocity. However, what he lacks in velocity, he makes up for in gumption and pitchability. Despite walking four of the first seven hitters, he settled in and found his rhythm. He wound up recording nine strikeouts and allowing only two hits. He faced some good hitters, but he really thrived with his change up and sinker. He got tons of swings-and-misses, and it was impressive how he held Overton, the League V MVP, to a pedestrian 1-for-3 with a strikeout. Pohlman was at his best when it really mattered–with runners in scoring position. That is a skill I don’t take lightly. I think it takes a special pitcher to bear down and rise above the competition when runners are in scoring position.
If there was one thing I didn’t like from him, it was his fielding. Pohlman fielded a bunt in the first inning, a routine come backer to the mound, and he goosed it to first and it hit the runner and allowed both runners to advance. He got two more opportunities, one that he was able to run over to the bag, and another that he threw more accurately but still with not much fervor. That will be exploited at the next level if he doesn’t work on it, but I’m sure it will not be a factor the rest of the postseason.
Matt Overton– I was very impressed by what I saw from him on the mound. He is a low 3/4 guy with plenty of velocity. He was in the mid 80s, and at that arm slot, it’s very tough to hit and it is ideal for a two-plane slider that can tie hitters into knots. He allowed only one ER, and none after the first inning. He struck out five against a very good line up, he walked only one batter. If not for an error by the third baseman in the fourth inning, he would’ve went back out for the seventh inning and still had a chance to win the game.
He pumped strikes, worked quick and showed no bad body language despite his team committing three errors. Additionally, he made big pitches when he needed to. He will definitely be a contributor at Molloy off the bat.
Pete Theodorellis– The 5’7 dynamo is such a competitive force and a thrill to watch. He had an immediate impact in this game, smoking a double down the left-field line on a pitch middle-in. He somehow kept it fair and hustled out of the box to guarantee he would be in scoring position. He scored on the next batter. He also hit two balls very well in his following plate appearances, but there is no outfield fence at Commack so they were simply outs. While his swing is unorthodox–he is a front-foot hitter–it works for him. He is a rhythmic hitter, and it’s certainly not something to change at this stage of his career. He will be a two-way player at Farleigh-Dickinson and he deserves it. He didn’t pitch in this game, but he is co-aces with Brian Morrisey.
Tim McHugh– The TCU-commit has been a hot-topic in the baseball community since he verbally committed there in December. He is a well-built kid with monstrous power which he displayed already this postseason. His HR on Tuesday will go down in Commack folklore. It landed on the track-and-field area where the discus thrower stands (some 450+ feet from home plate). In this game, the outfielders were at least 380 feet away from home plate and he hit it right to the left fielder in his second at bat. He also singled in his first at bat and grounded out to third in his third at bat. Obviously, it wasn’t the performance you expect from an upper-echelon Div-I player, but keep in mind that he is only in 10th grade, playing with enormous pressure on him this season and he was facing the League V MVP in Overton. He will be an impact player for the next two years, even if pitchers are able to exploit holes in his swing. He definitely was fooled by Overton in his first AB when he swung through the first two pitches, but then he muscled the single to left. My feeling is that he will have plenty of swings-and-misses, plenty of strikeouts, but he will make up for it with his light-tower power. He is a very athletic kid, but obviously his long legs means he will probably not be a base stealer. He has the arm to stand-out and curtail the opposing runners attempting to take extra-bases.
Jake Krzemienski– The uncommitted sophomore is another stand out player. He played first base on this day, but he is also a hard-throwing LHP. He had the go-ahead hit in the bottom of the fourth inning. I really liked his approach. He showed patience in his first at bat, drawing a five-pitch walk and then he drove the single up the middle in his second at bat. He did strike out looking in his third AB, but it was a borderline 3-2 pitch and I can’t knock him on that. He has very good athleticism. He will be a highly-coveted player this summer and next.
