I was on a mission this year to find out who are the best high school baseball players on Long Island. So I went to a bunch of games, I watched all the top teams and even the mediocre ones in hopes of finding the hidden gems. That wasn’t enough for me, because I wanted to make sure I didn’t let anyone slip through the cracks so I asked some people their opinions. All told, I spoke with 20 people and asked them who is the ONE player you would choose to build your franchise?
The results might surprise you a bit. I got 15 different answers, I’ve witnessed all of them play first-hand. Most of them, I’ve seen more than once. So, I will provide my insight on the individuals. Again, this is based on the survey that I conducted and the ranking system is based on the play that received the most votes and it continues in descending order.
- Jimmy Joyce (Wantagh ’17, Hofstra-commit)
Nobody has risen their stock higher and quicker than Joyce over the past two seasons. After winning two consecutive Long Island Championships, he’s proven to be a winner. He is a top-notch defensive third baseman, middle-of-the-order hitter and ace. Although he did not pitch in the highly-anticipated LIC against Wantagh, he still played a crucial role in the game by smacking an RBI hit in the first inning and recording the assist on the final out of the game. He is the type of winning player that rises above the pressure in tense moments and gets it done. Coaches have noticed his ability to use any negativity as fuel. He is 17-3 on the mound in the past two seasons. Hofstra got a steal when he decided to stay home, obviously anybody would love to have him now. It is unclear whether he will ultimately be a pitcher or third baseman, but I have heard that he will initially report as a pitcher and will be given the opportunity to be a rare two-way player beginning in his sophomore year. That is, of course, assuming that he makes it to campus. Last year, they were pretty confident that Kyle Young would step on campus but he ultimately signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. A few teams have been interested in Joyce, but he is not a 6’10” LHP sitting in the low 90s like Young was. Joyce is 6’0″ and has been pitching in the 86-88 MPH range. He is also coming off a couple of bad starts, but all it takes is one team to see that as an opportunity to buy low. I am a huge fan of his, I think he plays his best in the biggest moments and he has yet to not have an impressive showing either on the mound or at the plate when I’ve watched him play.
2. Brian Morrell (Shoreham-Wading River ’17, Notre Dame-commit)
He just completed one of the most decorated careers in the history of Long Island baseball. He was a five-year varsity starter, and an impact player the moment he stepped on the field. Yesterday’s performance actually impressed me in the sense that he retired 15 of the final 18 batters after the Wantagh batters were clearly geared up for his fastball. He made the adjustment and dominated. He has off-the-charts makeup, which allowed him to receive an academic scholarship to one of the best universities in the world. He has plenty of leverage in the event that he is drafted next week (he most likely will go in the Top-10 rounds), because of his strong commitment to play in college. Everyone has a number in mind, though, and I’m sure that number (whatever it is) can be enough to get him to forego attending college for the time being. Morrell was treated like a celebrity over the past year. He’s been showered with all sorts of accolades, he’s been on the local news channels and he is somewhat of an Instagram star. Most impressively, he fired six no-hitters in his high school career including three this season. When he faces a team that cannot catch up to his velocity, he is fun to watch. My only issue is what I saw in his Dominican Republic outing and again yesterday against Wantagh; when he is facing a team that can catch up to his heater, he appears to lose confidence in it. That is why I picked Wantagh to win the game. For a pitcher that can absolutely dominate hitters, he does’t trust his stuff the way he can. This is nitpicking, and it really only surfaced in a couple of outings in his entire career but when you are in the realm of the best pitchers in the nation, scouts will look at the entirety of the body of work. And that is something to consider.
3. Jason Diaz (Kellenberg ’19, Miami-commit)
Thanks to Twitter and Instagram, Jason Diaz is arguably the most high-profile pitcher to ever step foot on a varsity baseball field for the first time. He was already a well-recognized name before the administration at Kellenberg even granted him permission to play varsity baseball. Diaz performed exactly how you would expect him to considering his velocity, pitchability and maturity in a wood-bat high school league. If you had any doubts about him, he fired a CG shutout with 10 strikeouts in the CHSAA Championship against a very talented St. John the Baptist team. I first watched him pitch in Dec. 2015 when he was 14 years old at a showcase. He was two years younger than everyone there and he was throwing 87 MPH while all the other pitchers were throwing 78-82 MPH. His mechanics were pristine and his slider was sharp. It was clear at that moment that he wasn’t an ordinary pitcher. To the surprise of nobody, he committed to the University of Miami in the fall just as his sophomore season had begun. He is already physically mature, he is very humble and he put his tenacity on display in that outing. I watched him pitch twice this season and I was impressed both times. Although he faced a very poor St. Mary’s team, he did not waste any time. Sometimes in those games, you will see a talented pitcher lose focus and it will result in bouts of wildness at times. He struck out 8 over three innings and didn’t walk a batter. He did what he was supposed to. In the championship game, he did have a couple batters in which he lost focus and walked on four pitches, but he immediately bounced back. His slider is a true weapon. As I said when I first saw him, this is Marcus Stroman 2.0. The only difference is that Marcus had a lot of flashiness and exuberance, Diaz keeps his emotions much more in check. Amazingly, he still has two high school seasons to go. I expect him to put up some historic numbers.
4. Chris Cappas (Kellenberg ’17, Pittsburgh-commit)
Cappas was recently named CHSAA Player of the Year. It was a no-brainer, as he had a dynamic season on the best team in the conference. Whereas he flew under the radar in 2016, he received plenty of praise for his brilliant season this time around. I watched a few of his outings this year and it was the same story every time; work quick, put up zeros. He repeats his delivery, he throws hard and he has a devastating breaking ball. It was almost a glorified bullpen session in the sense that he expresses very little emotion on the mound and gets tons of strikeouts.He also was the best hitter in the order and often helps himself with RBI hits in big spots to get some more runs on the board and allow him to get the ‘W’. Despite the great season on both sides of the ball, he is definitely a pitcher at the next level. Plenty of scouts came to watch him this year. While he did not disappoint in terms of results, he didn’t put up the velocity that people were expecting. He was touching 90 in the fall of 2016, but he was mainly 85-87 MPH this season. That’s Div-I material for sure, but I don’t believe he’s ready to pitch in the minor leagues this year. There’s no shame in that. With his command and intelligence, he will be successful in college and then be back on the draft board in three years.
5. Ben Brown (Ward Melville ’17, Siena-commit)
Ben deserves recognition for bouncing back from a serious appendix issue last year to become one of the best pitchers on Long Island. Additionally, he boosted his velocity from the low-to-mid 80s to 88-90 with the occasional 92 MPH. His latest outing was a mixed bag in the sense that he touched 92 MPH on a few pitches, but they were generally not near the strike zone. He has the penchant for losing his release point, which is why he is considered a bit raw, but he brings so much to the table. At 6’6″ and still room to grow, there is the chance he can turn into a mid-to-upper 90s guy in just a year or so. Additionally, his curveball is a true weapon that generates plenty of swings-and-misses. He is mentally tough, having pitched in Game 3 of the Suffolk County finals as a sophomore against Connetquot. There is no moment that is too big for him. At least five teams have expressed interest in him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does not step foot on Siena’s campus.
6. Matt Hogan (Hills East ’18, Vanderbilt-commit)
It was a difficult season for the phenom due to an injury that sapped his power, but he played through and did not complain. He still pitched in the playoff game against Pat-Med pitching in the 88-91 MPH range despite the injury. He is still a tremendous talent that was invited to the Perfect Game National showcase. At full health, he remains one of the best players in the northeast region.
7. Anthony Siroka (Sachem East ’17, Pittsburgh-commit)
It was an eye-opening year for Siroka. He was regarded by some as the best pure hitter in the class of 2017. The ball jumps off his bat and he finds gaps that will translate into even more home runs at the next level. His swing is smooth and he has a very good idea of what he’s doing at the plate. He also was successful on the mound, but he projects as a third baseman.
8. Logan O’Hoppe (St. John the Baptist ’18, ECU-commit)
Catchers with power are considered one of the most prized commodities in the game of baseball. O’Hoppe developed power over the past year and came to fruition in the games I watched him. He was a huge presence in the Cougars lineup and he put a charge into the ball on several occasions, even on his outs. In the Dominican Republic, the scouts drooled over his receiving skills. He is also extremely intelligent. After his playing days are over, he will make a tremendous coach due to his knowledge and leadership abilities. He was a huge reason his team took Kellenberg to the brink.
9. Brad Malm (Pat-Med ’17, Albany-commit)
Malm virtually carried a team into the Suffolk County Class AA semifinals on his back. He had a monstrous year at the plate and he was very impressive in the field. He has the look of a professional infielder as soon as you watch him once. The first time I watched him this year, he smacked an opposite three-run home run against Anthony Siroka. Nobody wanted to pitch to him, but he still put up huge numbers which is why we named him League I MVP. Albany has an affinity for Long Island kids, so it’s a good fit for him in the America East conference. He definitely will be on the draft radar in three years.
10. Peter Theodorellis (Commack ’17, Farleigh-Dickinson commit)
Peter is truly fun to watch. He has lightning in his arm. It’s amazing he’s able to generate that velocity with his size. He was clocked as high as 95 MPH from a crow hop. On the mound, he is 88-90 MPH with an advanced feel for his change up and a power 12-6 breaking ball. He showed what he was all about when he fired 8.2 IP in Game 1 of the Suffolk County finals and he took the ball on short rest in the Long Island Championship against Massapequa. He is a bulldog on the mound. He is also capable of playing center field and hitting lead off in college. Last year, he recorded a hit in every game. He smacked a double off the left field fence in the finals. Terrific defensive outfielder. Very impressive player. In the Dominican Republic, he was able to square up the high velocity heaters of the pro pitchers. Some scouts marveled at his bat control and said that if he was a couple inches taller, they would consider signing him right on the spot.
11. Anthony D’Onofrio (Wantagh ’18, Hofstra-commit)
Similar to Joyce, he is a proven winner. He now has two Long Island Championships and he will have next year to attempt a third. He has tremendous bat speed, he ripped a leadoff double against Morrell on the first pitch of the game in the LIC. He made a terrific play on a soft line drive that was headed to center field and he nearly turned it into a double play. His arm strength has been clocked as high as 90 MPH across the infield. He does have a long arm circle, which probably makes him a second baseman in college, but he still makes all the plays. He is a very intense, no-nonsense ballplayer. He is one of the best pure hitters in the class.
12. Kenneth Gordon (Babylon ’17, Flagler-commit)
Due to playing in League 8, he received very little attention, but he put up truly amazing numbers. He finished his career as the program leader in stolen bases and he was tied for fifth in New York State history. His 6.38 speed allows him to leg out routine grounders to second, but with his line drive swing, most of his base hits are struck very well. He also developed some power this year, and hit a walk-off home run during the middle of the season. He hit over .600 with runners in scoring position, but most of the time the coaches chose to simply put him on base. He has off-the-charts make up, something that a few MLB scouts began to notice about him which only made them more interested.
13. Tim McHugh (Commack ’19, TCU-commit)
His raw power is absolutely mind-boggling for a player his age. He smacked a line drive HR in the Suffolk finals against West Islip that was a missile. He also hit a legendary home run earlier in the postseason that the Commack crowd is still talking about. Pitchers were able to get him off balance at times, but he has plenty of time to work out those holes before he is draft eligible. He is a true power threat and there’s not many of those around here.
14. Mike Palazzolo (Hills East ’18, Stony Brook-commit)
It was a phenomenal season for the shortstop. He had a great season at the plate and had a strong case to be League MVP. He has a smooth line drive approach and has very good plate discipline. He is as good as there is in the field. It remains to be seen whether he will play SS or 2B at Stony Brook, because of the presence of Nick Grande, but he is certainly talented enough to do so.
15. Luke Hansen (Southold ’18, uncommitted)
Hansen went 9-1 this season with 101 strikeouts. Granted, League 9 isn’t the AL East but his stuff plays anywhere. He has flawless mechanics and a lightning-quick arm. He is very thin, so he has plenty of velocity to gain as he puts on more weight. He will be one of the highest follows this summer as Div-I teams should be lining up for him. He is also a talented hitter, but I believe his biggest asset is that left arm.
