Every year there’s a new crop of freshmen that come in–some more highly-regarded than others.
The thing is, many times, it’s those who come in without the lofty expectations that wind up having the biggest impact. For example, during my collegiate career, there were a handful of players who entered the season as No. 3 in the depth chart in the fall that wound up being All-Conference players. Conversely, there are always those players (myself) that achieved the personal accolades in high school such as All-Long Island, All-State, etc and wound up treading water at the next level.
Here is my best stab at the freshmen that could step in right away and have an immediate impact:
Brad Camarda, Jimmy Joyce Hofstra
The Hills West grad proved himself to be a workhorse during his three-year varsity career at Hills West, and also during his summers pitching for the Body Armor. He works in the upper 80s, but his repeatable mechanics and his penchant for commanding the strike zone is what sets him apart. He did not dominate Suffolk County in his senior year in the same fashion that he did as a sophomore and junior, but he has received good reviews from his teammates and appears like he will be given a shot to have an immediate impact. The CAA has historically been tough on highly-touted freshmen from Long Island but he has a chance to buck that trend.
Joyce has the mentality of a player that you love when he’s on your team and you hate when he’s in the opposing dugout. He thrives on adversity, he plays his best in the big games and he is not phased one bit in the big moment. I’ve seen him enough to understand he is not wired like most players. He’s exactly the player that Hofstra needs to build around, along with two-time All-Long Island players Steven Foster and Vito Friscia. He will put his name in the category of All-CAA Rookie of the Year.
Daniel Alfonzo, Adelphi
Despite all the power arms on the staff, I think Alfonzo is the type of bat that could wake up in the middle of the night and hit line drives. Met fans have fond memories of his father’s historic 1999-2000 seasons in which he compiled a triple slash line of .313/.404/.520 with 180 walks against 155 strikeouts and an average of 26 HR and 101 RBI. I watched his BP during scout day and read the scouting reports on him in high school. I think he’s a .300/.400/.500 slash line candidate from day 1. His build hasn’t prevented him from being a productive hitter to this point, so I’m willing to bet he will continue to succeed in spite of it.
Mike Palazzolo, Brian Morrisey Stony Brook
This year the Sea Wolves have a more upperclassmen-heavy team and won’t be relying on freshmen as much. They have a capable starting SS in Nick Grande, but Palazzolo is right on his heels. I’ve watched enough of him to know he will be successful at this level
Morrisey has proven himself to be a big-game pitcher having done so at Commack and also in several tournaments for the Body Armor Titans in the summer of 2016. Everyone that has watched him comes away impressed. I watched him prove his mettle against Connetquot back in April and he was consistently in the upper 80s and bore down in the biggest moments. I think he may have a bit of learning curve because he hasn’t pitched much since April but I think by the end of the year he will mature in the same way that Brian Herrmann did last year for them.
Matt Overton/Jacob McCarthy, Molloy
I chose two players because they both have gotten great reviews during their brief college stints. Overton is a big-time RHP that works in the low-to-mid 80s with a dynamic curveball and big-game acumen. He has many of the same traits as Ron Bauer during his career. In my opinion, he fits the mold of a pitcher that could either be in the rotation from Day 1, or be a key cog in the late innings. McCarthy is an advanced bat that could be hit either second or sixth in the order right away and provide some pop and protection for Angelo Navetta and Nick Marino.
Chris Stefl, St. John’s
When I spoke with Coach Blankmeyer, his tone suggested that Stefl was being groomed as a first baseman and not as a pitcher despite his successful high school career. That is not a surprise to me. When I watched him on April 17 at Lynbook, he smacked two hits and struggled to find the strike zone with his fastball on the mound. To me, that showed that his velocity alone was not going to allow him to pitch at the next level. His curveball is devastating, but so is his bat speed. I think he’s an impact bat right away.
Jake Jacobs, Farmingdale
I’ve always said that if I was a recruiting coordinator at a college, I would look for winning players from winning programs. To me, Jacobs is this kind of player. He was an unsung hero for Commack this past year. He’s not a superstar, but he was comfortable playing a complimentary role along the way. Jacobs is a player that strikes me as the type that will quietly become an All-Conference player multiple times, the way David Zilnicki and Tom Rydzewski was for them earlier this decade. Hard-nosed player that will most likely man the hot corner. He will be an important piece this year.
J.J. Lantigua/Joe Valentino, LIU Post
Really good bullpen from freshman Joe Valentino pic.twitter.com/0fkn9Me6Tf
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 25, 2017
Both are freshmen that turned heads during the fall. I’ve watched Valentino pitch in games and he is a prototypical power right-handed pitcher. He is intimidating on the mound, he pounds the strike zone and controls all quadrants of the zone. Valentino is a West Islip grad and he knows how to win, so I would bet that he is ready to contribute high-leverage innings right away and that will earn him starts before the weather warms up.
Lantigua is a LHP from Hewlett that I had never heard of. When I watched him throw a bullpen in January I was very impressed. He reminds me of Cole Hamels a bit with his delivery. He has a great change up that had great fade and his velocity was in the mid 80s. They both have very high ceilings.
