Breaking Down the Leading Candidates for Paul Gibson Award

The Paul Gibson Award is given to the top pitcher in Suffolk County every year. Due to the volume of talented pitchers on Long Island every year, the winners have typically gone on to have very successful college–and in some cases, big league–careers as well. Last years winner was Patch Dooley of Hills East. Here’s the winners since 2005:

2016: Sam Kessler, Mount Sinai

2015: Joe Flynn, Ward Melville

2014: Jack Piekos, Bayport-Blue Point

2013: Jack Piekos, Bayport-Blue Point

2012: Anthony Kay, Ward Melville

2011: Remy Jenco, Hills West

2010: Ed Macaluso, Islip

2009: Marcus Stroman, Pat-Med

2008: Ryan Pfaeffle, Commack

2007: John Mincone, Hills East

2006: Mike Belfiore, Commack

2005: Glenn Gibson, Center Moriches

Of that bunch, there are five players that have gone on to play professional baseball with Dooley, Joe Flynn and Sam Kessler still in college with at least a fighting chance to play at the next level.

With that said, 2018 has a strong crop of high-end pitchers as well. I will give you seven names of pitchers that I feel have the best chance to win it, and I will give you my choice for the favorite.

Max Nielsen, Ward Melville, junior

UCONN-commit Max Nielsen in to pitch for Motus pic.twitter.com/tBziUcLSt6

— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 13, 2017

Max has been on the radar for a few years since he was called up to varsity as an eighth grader. He committed to UCONN in fall of 2016 when his fastball velocity was siting 82-83 MPH. At the time, he did already have the intellect, command and pitch ability to be a successful pitcher but I was skeptical whether he would experience the significant jump in velocity to put him in the category of an elite Div-I pitcher. Let’s just say, the coaching staff at UCONN was correct. This fall, Nielsen really proved to me he took his game to the next level when he dominated at Sal Agostinelli’s annual tournament at Baseball Heaven. He was sitting in the upper 80s. Now, as his junior year is approaching, he is the LHP with the second best stuff on Long Island behind Franklin Parra in my opinion. What he has over him is experience. He already has three seasons of varsity under his belt and he has already been pitching in high-leverage situations in League I. Additionally, with Ward Melville’s stability up the middle with Logan Doran and their deep playoff run in 2017, I expect him to have a chance to match or surpass last year’s number which include an undefeated record of 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA and that was as a sophomore. Essentially, he has a very high-floor. In my mind, he will not only be difficult to beat, but his best performances can equal that of any of the following pitchers.

Franklin Parra, Copiague, senior

First four pitches: 91, 91, 91, 91 from Franklin Parra pic.twitter.com/ozijksLKfg

— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 15, 2017

Franklin is a pitcher that has gotten plenty of virtual ink on this space this July of this past year when his performance warranted such. I watched him pitch against Titans-Parso in July at Westury HS and it was clear the hype was warranted. Most people don’t realize that Parra is also the most dangerous bat in their lineup as well. In high school, though, they can pitch around him. On a travel team with a number of All-County surrounding him in the lineup, that’s not an option. As it pertains to pitching, he will put up some scary numbers this year. He has effortless mechanics that produce 89-91 MPH heaters. He has a slider and a change up, but his 81 MPH change up will be a favor to hitters at the varsity level. I expect him to put up some insane strike out numbers considering he struck out more than TWO BATTERS per inning this summer. The only thing that can slow him down is his track record which doesn’t include many complete games. When it comes to this award, you need to have not just quality but also volume. My concern would be him leaving a game after four or five innings to protect his arm and also the fact that if Copiague doesn’t make the playoffs, he might only throw 40-45 innings this year which will not be enough to surpass what will likely be 50-65 innings for Vath, Nielsen, Hansen, Kennedy and others. Still, I don’t expect him to give up more than two or three ER this year.

Bobby Vath, Newfield, senior

Rhode Island-commit Bobby Vath (Newfield 2018) pic.twitter.com/upq5us47dT

— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 9, 2018

Vath has taken “the leap” in my opinion. That’s the phrase that’s used when someone goes from projectable and/or promising to an established player. Each time I watch him, it seems he improves incrementally. As a sophomore, he was already a capable starter at the varsity level. Last year, he became the ace of the staff. On Labor Day, I watched him throw against Ward Melville in a scrimmage and he struck out eight batters over three innings. Lastly, last month during a joint workout with Rocky Point, he had that look of a warrior in his eye. He knows what’s in front of him. Newfield hasn’t made the playoffs since 2006 and it’s something that’s brought up a lot and the core of the team knows this is the year that the drought ends. Furthermore, it’s most likely the year they make a playoff run as their staff is loaded and they are all motivated. Vath put on roughly 15 lbs of muscle in the past 6 months, according to his father, with the assistance of a personal trainer. His velocity has spiked from the low 80s to upper 80s. He has pinpoint command and I know for a fact that he will have a lights-out season.

Will Kennedy, Smithtown East, junior

Will Kennedy makes a game-ending grab on a line drive back to the mound !

Final: Next Level 2, Team Elite 1 pic.twitter.com/Tmoiua33Ay

— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 6, 2017

Kennedy is a dark-horse candidate on this list that only recently put himself on the scene. He committed to Hofstra University following his dominant performance in Fort Myers, where the above video was taken. The number one thing that stands out about him is his absolute stoic demeanor on the mound. He reminds me of Nick Fanti in that sense, it seems he just expects to dominate and is not satisfied until the last out. He has great command and works down in the zone consistently with his low 80s fastball but the great equalizer is his change up. It’s no secret that a well-placed change up is one of the most difficult pitches for a hitter to recognize. Even the best Major League hitters were stymied by Johan Santana’s and Trevor Hoffman’s change ups. Now, I’m not comparing him to them, but it’s a pitch that he has the utmost confidence in, having worked with Neal Heaton on it for years. Their rotation is absolutely loaded with Doug Goodwin and Nick Harvey joining him atop the rotation. It’s possible that he’s not even the ace of the staff, but I’ve personally watched him throw more than the other two and I know what he’s capable of. Pitchers with his velocity, command and demeanor are virtual locks for success at this level.

Roman Dorosh, Sachem East, junior

Pitcher Roman Dorosh (Sachem East) gets strike three on a wicked curve. @BBHeavensports #fallfinale #baseball pic.twitter.com/ExybbA4g4T

— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 28, 2017

The common theme that comes up when anyone describes Dorosh is that he’s tough as nails as a competitor and he’s one of the more uncomfortable at bats you’ll face. He compiled a 1.66 ERA in League I as a sophomore which is pretty remarkable in its own right. Then you consider he struck out 10 Pat-Med batters in his first varsity start and you start to realize that he’s on track to become one of the elite pitchers on the island this year. He furthered his credibility this summer when it was discovered that he was throwing 88 MPH in East Cobb, GA with a fracture in his pitching wrist. After that, I watched him pitch twice in the fall (once in Fort Myers, once at Baseball Heaven) and both times he was filthy. As you can see in the video, the breaking ball is electric. That low 3/4 arm slot is conducive to two-seamers with tail and sliders with tilt and he possesses both in spades. He also is the type of workhorse that wants to pitch deep into games. Today, his Head Coach said he will go down as “one of the better players to ever come through Sachem East.”  I can’t see him being anything less than dominant this year.

Luke Hansen, Southold, senior/Liam Pulsipher, Center Moriches, senior

I put them together because in my mind, they both have the (unfair) disadvantage of playing for small schools against weaker competition. The reason why I say it’s unfair is because it’s out of their control who they face but it will still be held against them from the voters. In order to win, they would have to outperform the competitors significantly.

Hansen is committed to Sacred Heart, and is coming off winning the Class C Long Island Championship. He and co-ace, Dylan Clausen, were overwhelming for the competition. He is a mid 80s throwing LHP with great arm action. As a senior with three years of varsity experience, I expect him to dominate League 9 and put up absurd numbers. The truth is that players in Class C will always have to greatly outperform the pitchers in Class AA and A if they want to be considered for an award that is held in such high regard. Hansen is on this list because he is the type of pitcher that can rattle of two or three no-hitters this year and just put up unbelievable numbers that could be considered with the elite pitchers in Class AA. I will admit it will be a slim chance, but he at least has a chance to be in the debate for the award.

Pulsipher is the son of former Major Leaguer Bill Pulsipher, in fact, his name Liam is derived from the name William. Pulsipher is a Stony Brook commit. He is a southpaw, that works in the low 80s with a terrific change up. He debuted on varsity in 9th grade and has been dominating since then. League 8 features a very strong program in Mattituck, which will be his biggest challenge again. I expect him to put up some dominating numbers, he will have a couple outings of 7 IP, 1 H, 15 K, 1 BB this season and probably a no-hitter as well.

Prediction: Max Nielsen, Ward Melville

The Patriots have had an unmatched run in terms of getting their pitchers to the next level. I think Max is the next pitcher in that line and he’s going to have one of those years a la Steven Matz in 2009–6-1 record, 0.25 ERA, 14 hits, 74 K