As the season wore on, it seemed I was hearing about more and more players that had risen their stock and impressed scouts in various tournaments in places such as East Cobb, Diamond Nation or Baseball Heaven. In addition to the amount of Div-I commits there were, a handful of other players rose to the next level; where they might hear their name called on draft day in June 2018.
Only Ben Brown and Brian Morrell wound up getting drafted from the 2017 class–a slight disappointment considering how many players seemed to have the chance at it. In 2018, though, I expect as many as five Long Island seniors to get drafted out of high school.
Here’s a rundown of the players that have already garnered interest from the local MLB scouts…
Franklin Parra (Copiague LHP)
The Dominican-born LHP has been described as a unicorn in the industry. He’s the rare hard-throwing lefty that can command the strike zone. He burst onto the scene this summer when his velocity spiked from mid 80s to low 90s. I watched him in late July at Westbury HS against the Body Armor Titans and they were overwhelmed by his velocity. I watched him again last week and he was even better. When he’s warming up, it almost appears like he’s not trying. But once the umpire says ‘play ball’, he flips the switch and gets locked in. He struck out eight of the nine batters he faced last week. It wasn’t just that he struck them out; their bats almost appeared to be allergic to the pitch. Watch the above video, these are the best amateur hitters in the country looking clueless, and he’s doing it with a three-pitch mix that you typically don’t see from a pitcher that young. At Baseball Heaven, the team came nowhere close to getting a hit, and this was a team (Staten Island Orioles Scout Team) that is among the best in the region. Now, there’s no questioning that he will dominate high school batters this season but being that he is currently uncommitted there will be a fascinating dynamic from a business perspective. At the very least, he will need some sort of fallback option in the event a team gives him a low-ball offer or–fingers cross–an injury surfaced. As a former LHP myself, I always enjoy watching a southpaw dominate on the mound. He has the lightning arm of Brian Morrell with the command of Matt Crohan. I’m looking forward to covering his outings this season.
College Commitment: N/A
Logan O’Hoppe (St. John the Baptist C)
If you don’t trust my judgement of amateur baseball players, take it from Sal Agostinelli, Director of International Scouting for the Philadelphia Phillies. He’s been around professional baseball for 30 years and he knows a little bit about position players; specifically catchers. “If he was Dominican, I would sign him right now,” he said in February during the annual trip. Note that in the DR, players are eligible to sign with Major League organizations at 16-years-old, whereas in the US, they have to graduate high school or complete their GED. O’Hoppe’s defensive and leadership abilities have long been his strengths as a ballplayer. Even at 6’3″, he remains the top defensive catcher on Long Island with all the prerequisite skills you look for–tremendous ability to communicate with his pitcher, framing pitches, blocking pitches and controlling the running game. Offensively, he has developed power over the past year. He participated in our Home Run Derby, was among the top performers in the event. This past weekend at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, FL he smoked a double 353 feet according to TrackMan app. Playing in a wood bat league like the CHSAA, allows scouts to get a great read on how his game would translate to the next level. O’Hoppe is a complete player and I expect him to be drafted this year.
College Commitment: East Carolina
Matt Hogan (Hills East CF/RHP)
I almost feel like I jinxed him a bit after the 2016 season, when I ranked Hogan as the top prospect on Long Island. Since that time, the buzz has diminished somewhat after a back injury hampered his swing during his junior year and forced him to sit out much of the summer. Nevertheless, the Vanderbilt-commit is still an elite athlete with a freakish combination of power and speed for a high school athlete. I’ve watched him enough to know the 2017 version of himself was not an accurate depiction of the ballplayer he is. He is not the type of player to complain of injury, but there is no question the back injury sapped his power and (even worse) forced him to change the plane of his swing that allowed him to smack 6 HR as a sophomore in 2016 and lead the team in extra-base hits as a freshman. We’ve wrote about him on a number of occasions but here’s the article on his Vanderbilt commitment the day it happened. Assuming Hogan is back to full health, I expect him to be a force in the No. 2 spot for Hills East and also as the ace of the rotation. Keep in mind he also sits 88-90 MPH on the mound to go along with that 112 MPH exit velocity at the plate.
College Commitment: Vanderbilt
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Anthony Fontana (Wantagh 1B/LHP)
In a day in age that puts a premium on power, Fontana is the premier power-hitter in the class on the LI. He put on a clinic in our Home Run Derby and that came after a junior season in which he turned some heads with his mind-boggling pop. He is very thick and broad for a high school athlete, which translates well into the batter’s box. I was first introduced to what type of player he was during the 2016 Long Island Championship against Mount Sinai. He smoked a critical RBI single against Sam Kessler‘s 91 MPH heat as a sophomore. Last year he was a key cog in the lineup for the Warrior’s as they were able to repeat as Class A Long Island Champs. He will have an even more crucial role this year without the presence of Jimmy Joyce and Trevor Fagan. Teams will probably take their chances with anyone else in the lineup, assuming Anthony D’Onofrio is ahead of him and not behind.
College Commitment: Furman
Mark Faello (Plainview-JFK RHP/SS)
If Faello was taller than 5’10”, I think Faello would be a virtual lock to get drafted. As it stands, he still has a chance to go considering his track record already. He is the reigning Diamond Award winner, coming off an undefeated 7-0 season with a 1.26 ERA against the top players in Nassau AA. He is also a talented middle-of-the-order hitter that put on a great performance at our HR Derby, but with his velocity at 88-90 MPH, his ceiling is higher on the mound. He has an absolutely filthy curveball to go along with his great fastball. Faello is very easy to root for; a very humble and respectful young man.
College Commitment: Hofstra
Honorable Mentions:
Jason Coules (Bellmore JFK RHP)
Jake Guercio (West Islip OF)
Luke Hansen (Southold LHP)
Liam Pulsipher (Center Moriches LHP)
