Matt Hogan on winning the coveted Carl Yastrzemski Award given to Suffolk County’s Top Player pic.twitter.com/CqVxgEmklI
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 14, 2018
The annual Suffolk County All-Star Banquet at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook is a bittersweet moment that celebrates the best that Suffolk County baseball has to offer but also represents the official conclusion of the spring baseball season.
Tonight’s gathering brought together over 800 guests from the baseball community, honoring several awards from All-League to All-County, League MVPs, three Courage Awards, two Umpires of the Year and the “Big 3” of Silver Slugger, Paul Gibson Award (top pitcher) and Carl Yastrzemski Award (top hitter).
Silver Slugger Award
Tim McHugh, Commack
The TCU-commit smacked five HR and batted .490 for the Cougars. He was the most potent bat in a dangerous lineup that included other college-bound players including a couple returning players from the 2017 Class AA county champion team.
After three hitless games to start the season, and getting no-hit for the first six innings against Connetquot at home, things looked bleak for the Cougars. With the bases loaded, down by one-run, the junior crushed a go-ahead grand slam that proved to be the difference in the game. It was a pivotal moment for their season, as the Cougars won 9 games in a row and ran away with League 2 for a consecutive season.
McHugh hit 5 HR and compiled a batting average of .490. He is regarded as the top hitting prospect on LI and has a chance to be selected in the 2019 MLB Draft if he can perform well again next season.
Since committing to TCU in December of his sophomore year, he has garnered attention from scouts across the country. He could become the first player to be selected from Commack HS since Charles Galiano in 2012.
Paul Gibson Award
Ryan Foran, ESM
I watched Foran twice this season and both times it was clear why he captured the award for top pitcher in Suffolk County. He compiled a record of 9-1 with a 1.11 ERA with 80 strikeouts over 62 IP. He did not rely on an overpowering fastball, but he also did not allow an earned run for over one month into the season. He proved his mettle with an outstanding outing against first-place Hills West in late April which allowed the Sharks to eventually overtake them for first place.
He came out of relative obscurity to become one of the biggest storylines of the season. He rode his hot start all the way until Memorial Day in the Suffolk Class AA finals against West Islip, where he was finally tagged with his first loss of the season. He combined with Alex Doskoez to form a dynamic 1-2 punch atop their rotation. They combined for 17 of the Sharks 20 wins.
Foran is a mentally tough pitcher, he rarely cracked with runners in scoring position, and he relied on a devastating 12-6 curveball to generate many of his strikeouts. St Joseph’s is getting a steal with Foran, who has the capability to step in from Day 1 and be a weekend starter in the Skyline Conference.
Carl Yastrzemski Award
Matt Hogan, Hills East
One year ago, Matt Hogan was dealing with a debilitating back injury that he kept quiet. It’s not in his nature to complain, but people were wondering how a player with so much talent was struggling the way he was. Following the season, he wound up having back surgery that sidelined him for several weeks and missed a crucial summer for a player of ilk that had a realistic shot to get selected in the 2018 MLB Draft.
After all, he had been on the map since 8th grade when he was called up to varsity. He went on to lead his team in extra-base hits as a freshman in 2015; a team that averaged 10 runs per game for the first half of the season. Hogan was described as the most advanced position player to come from Long Island in a generation. He committed to Vanderbilt later that summer and now had the attention of all the local scouts.
He followed that up with a tremendous sophomore season in which he smacked 6 HR and was the most dangerous bat in the lineup. He was now in the realm of the top prospects in the country entering his junior year before the back injury sapped him of his power and even put his future in question. Ever the vigilant worker, Hogan rebuilt his swing, regained his power and even improved his fastball to the low 90s to become the premier two-way player on Long Island.
He batted .401 with 3 HR, 19 RBI despite being intentionally walked 15 times. On the mound, he won 4 games, compiled an ERA of 1.89, saved one game and threw a no-hitter. His season ended against Commack, but he certainly made his impact felt this season.
In the above video, you can see his humility on display. What you see is what you get with Hogan; a humble, hard-working player that is a great teammate. His coach, Tim Belz, told me during an interview two years ago that every kid in the Dix Hills school district–down to the fourth graders–look up to Hogan and strive to be the player he is.
The T-Birds will be tasked with replacing Hogan, a five-year varsity player. They have had a number of impact players over the past decade dating back to Paul Gibson Award winner John Mincone in 2007, but in terms of leadership and production at the plate and on the mound, Hogan might be the toughest one to replace.
We will continue to monitor his progress at Vanderbilt, one of the elite Div-I baseball programs in the nation and will
