Panthers counting on another year big from SS Brett Malm who batted .330 last season pic.twitter.com/WSKHTBCpFb
Axcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) October 26, 2017
This afternoon was Adelphi’s scout day, and I was in attendance. Below are my observations and takeaways from the workout.
Pitchers:
First off, wow. I had no idea they had this amount of flame throwers. They will have to replace T.J. Santiago, but they appear to have more-than-capable arms in every class. The freshman class specifically is loaded with gunslingers. If they enter Opening Day with this slew of arms, it could be a long year for the NE-10.
Ed Baram (junior) will be the ace of the rotation. He compiled 60.0 IP last season with a 2.70 ERA and 4-4 record. He is 6’3″ with a slender build. He sat 90 MPH, he has great command and throws a pretty nasty split-finger fastball. He will be counted on to be the workhorse in the rotation and he looks ready to shoulder the load.
Nic Luc is a freshman from Farmingdale HS. He reached 92 MPH, the fastest pitch recorded on the day. He is only 5’10”, but he generates a tremendous amount of power with his delivery that bears some resemblance to Tim Lincecum at his balance point and push off the rubber. Obviously the velocity is eye-opening for any pitcher, especially a freshman in a wood bat conference.
Austin Cole (freshman) is 6’8″ and was described by Coach Scala as ‘raw’. His velocity turned some heads when he touched 90 MPH. He did not sit at 90, though, and his fastball was mainly 82-87. I played with Dillon McNamara, who was drafted out of Adelphi in 2013, and not even he was touching 90 MPH as a freshman. Cole has some work to be a weekend starter, but his ceiling is enough to get the scouts to drool.
Max Steele (freshman) from Miller Place is another power RHP. He has dealt with elbow injuries in the past year but he appeared healthy when he was hitting 90 MPH with clean mechanics.
Josh Rovner (freshman) is a 6’4″ RHP from Pat-Med. He is coming off a great season for the Raiders. His velocity has really jumped in the past year and he was 87-88 MPH with his heater plus a nice 12-6 curve at 76 MPH. He’s tough and works all quadrants of the strike zone. He could see him cracking the rotation right away or being a capable arm in the latter innings of games.
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Danny Taggart (junior) is out of Holy Trinity HS. He started nine games last year and should be a weekend starter for the Panthers. He looked good as well, throwing in the high 80s with a nice breaking ball down in the zone.
Tom Ambrosino (sophomore) is from Staten Island and was 85-87 MPH with his heater. He threw 19 innings for the Panthers last season with 22 strikeouts.
Mark Novello (freshman) from Archbishop Molloy HS in Queens. He is only 5’11”, but was in the low-to-mid 80s with great mechanics along with a 12-6 curveball and changeup with lateral movement down in the zone.
Michael Tarpey (senior) is 6’6″ and is coming off a strong season in which he compiled a 2.05 ERA over 22.0 IP with 17 K and only 5 walks. He didn’t show the same velocity as the other power RHPs, but he certainly looks like he has room for more. He was in the mid 80s, but he’s been successful to this point with it.
Nick Palmerini (sophomore) transferred from SUNY Purchase after one season. He was a difference-maker in the 2016 postseason run for Northport. He pitches with an over-the-top release point, which is a big reason his curveball falls off the table. His fastball was only 82 MPH, but he works down in the strike zone and relies heavily on his curveball.
David Butler (senior) is a LHP from Garden City that was lights-out as a reliever last year. He compiled a 1.80 ERA over 30.0 IP with 30 K. He did walk 19 batters, but it’s clear his delivery is deceptive and tough to square up as he hides the ball well. He was 79-81 MPH with arm side tail on his two-seam.
Other Notes:
There was a couple of pitchers I didn’t get velocity readings from, but they looked good as well.
Mike Demarest was the closer as a freshman and struggled last year but he is a tough pitcher on the mound dating back to his days anchoring the East Islip rotation for Coach Ciampi. He is a mid-to-upper 80s guy with a hammer curveball. Kieran McLaughlin was a Long Island Champion in 2015 with Division HS. He is 6’4″ with a live, loose arm. He compiled a 3.94 ERA last year over 16.0 IP despite walking more batters than striking out.
Catchers:
Kory Cassara is well-regarded for his catching abilities and he put on display with a 1.9 pop time to second. He is extremely quick with a lightning-quick release. His throws were not precisely on target, but with that arm strength I’m assuming most teams won’t be testing him.
Jack Ryan is the type of catcher that pitchers love to throw to because of his receiving abilities and his communication skills. He was 2.03 to second base.
Infielders:
Brett Malm (junior) is coming off a tremendous season. He gets rave reviews from everyone for his flashy defensive plays along with his pop at the dish. He batted .330 last season with 59 hits. He played in the NECBL last summer. He ran a 7.0 60-yard dash, which the scouts would like to be a little better for a middle infielder. Definitely a player to watch if he adds to his 5 HR total from this past year, I could see him getting drafted.
Daniel Alfonzo (freshman) is the son of former Major League infielder Edgardo Alfonzo. He can flat-out rake, he has the same swing as his father. He naturally goes the other way and looks like he could hit line drives in his sleep. He has great hands in the field a third base. His one shortcoming is his foot speed. He ran a 7.6 60-yard dash and that is not ideal for an infielder.
Steven Withers (senior) is coming off an All-Region season in which he started every game and batted .321. He finished the season with a 22-game hit streak and led the team with 60 hits. He also stole 20 bases in 25 attempts. He will be counted on for another big season. He is only 5’9″, but packs a ton of strength into his swing. Plays much bigger than that. He played third base last season but will shift over to second this season because of his quickness on double play turns.
Tyler Becker (sophomore) could see much more playing time this year. He looked to have a very quick stroke from the left-side and he can run the bases. He ran a 6.8 60-yard dash and is a smooth defender.
Outfielders:
Brandon Morse (junior) was generating some interest coming out of Connetquot HS in 2015 and now he’s draft-eligible this season. The 6’4″ left fielder hit 5 HR last year and he looks like he’s capable of double-digits. I watched him put on some laser shows during the 2015 postseason run and he even took Brandon Bonomo (Marist) deep with a grand slam. He hit .300 with 28 runs scored.
Mike Cattani (junior) is a player I don’t know much about but he ran an eye-opening 6.68 60-yard dash and that bears mentioning. That type of speed warrants a green light on the bases every time.
