The 2018 MLB Draft took place the past three days, and today featured a flurry players with Long Island ties getting selected. Here is the full list in case you missed anything:
Round 3- John Rooney, Hofstra (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Quick Analysis: 6’5″ LHP fresh off a historically good season. The only surprise is he lasted until the final pick of the third round. He is a “high-floor” type of prospect that has a chance to be a Major League starter within 3-4 years.
Round 11- Franklin Parra, Copiague (New York Mets)
Quick Analysis: We documented his meteoric rise from unknown to a legitimate prospect in just a couple months. He struck out 74 batters over 34 innings including 16 over 5.2 in one game. He is a 6’2″ LHP that has a fresh arm. He has very smooth mechanics that produces 91 MPH fastballs with little effort. In a fall outing, his first 4 pitches were all 91 MPH.
Round 20- Reiss Knehr, Fordham (San Diego Padres)
Quick Analysis: Put himself on the map with an outstanding performance two summers ago in the Hamptons League and touched 96 at the All-Star Game at Baseball Heaven. This season, he was a workhorse throwing 90 innings with a record of 6-3, ERA of 2.40 and 93 strikeouts. Low 3/4 delivery with a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a devastating slider.
Round 23-Logan O’Hoppe, St. John the Baptist (Philadelphia Phillies)
Quick Analysis: The Phillies continued the trend of locking up the top prep players on Long Island. They’ve done so with Nick Fanti, Kyle Young and Ben Brown in previous years. They also drafted Jesse Berardi in 2014 and Brian Morrell last season but neither signed. O’Hoppe is the best defensive catcher on Long Island this season and probably the best since Charles Galiano in 2012 and Pat Cantwell in 2008. He improved his offensive significantly this season; winning the CHSAA Triple Crown with an outstanding batting average of .511. He is also a great leader. He is committed to ECU, but my inclination is that he will sign.
Round 24-Aaron Pinto, Stony Brook (Cleveland Indians)
Quick Anaylsis: 12 saves this season with a 1.05 ERA. Proved to be capable of saves longer than three outs. Absolutely dominant season. He also dominated in our Axcess Invitational. Typically tougher for 6’0″ RHP to get drafted especially without 95 MPH heat but he has a terrific change up that is his out-pitch.
Round 25-Sean Boyle, Dallas Baptist (New York Yankees)
Quick Analysis: Graduated from Newfield HS and began his career at Suffolk CC before transferring to Dallas Baptist. A very unique path to getting drafted by the Yankees. A fastball-slider pitcher that generates lot of swings-and-misses.
Round 29-Bobby Honeyman, Stony Brook (Seattle Mariners)
Quick Analysis: Massapequa grad that is a proven winner, won two county championships and was a four-year starter for the Sea Wolves. He is versatile enough to play any position, he can even catch in a pinch. He came in as a shortstop but played most of the season at 3B, and has been described by one of his teammates as “the best defensive player I’ve ever played with.” At the plate, he doesn’t have the power of a corner infielder, but he has incredible hand-eye coordination that enabled him to compile a .336 AVG with only seven strikeouts in 211 at bats. Has the mental makeup to withstand the grind of a minor league season, one scout told me “he will surprise a lot of people with his ability to play all positions and play them well.” That is a recipe to outlast other minor leaguers. Also played in our Axcess Invitational.
Round 33-Ted Cillis, Hofstra (Kansas City Royals)
Quick Analysis: Powerful arm from the left-side and also legit power at the plate. Touches 95 in short spurts but sits 88-91 MPH. I watched him pitch at UNC-Wilmington (where he transferred from) and he pitched six innings with five strikeouts against a team that wound up having five players drafted. With the velocity and the fact that he’s a fifth-year player (23-years-old), I could see him moving up quickly through the system and be a reliever in a pen at the big league level.
Other Notes: Giovanni Dingcong and Joey Pena (St. Thomas Aquinas) might not have Long Island ties, but they were fixtures in the lineup for the ECC Champion Spartans and both participated in the Axcess Invitational, which means four participants got drafted today (Cillis and Andrew Turner both had to miss for pre-draft workouts).
I was also very shocked about the players that weren’t drafted that should’ve been. Here’s guys that deserved it and their track record warranted such:
Vito Friscia, Hofstra
Chris Weiss, Hofstra
David Palmer, New Haven
Frank Moscatiello, St. Thomas Aquinas
Rob Andreoli, LIU Post
Angelo Navetta, Molloy
Matt Diesel, Felician
Jesse Russo, Old Westbury
Matt Hogan, Hills East
