2019 could have certainly gotten off to a better start for some people.
Such as me. I immediately got pneumonia after I got back from the Power Showcase in Miami, which has left me relegated to laying on the couch. Fortunately, that does not preclude me from blogging so the show goes on. This is one of my favorite pieces to write each year, because of the difficulty. You are dealing with 18 and 19 year olds and often times high school success does not translate well to college.
I will give it my best guess based on what I saw in the fall during our Fall Ball Series Presented by The Greene Turtle and also the recommendations of people smarter than me.
Here it goes…
Ben Fero, RHP, Stony Brook
Freshman Ben Fero flashing some heat pic.twitter.com/FUIl6GkpMK
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 24, 2018
One thing that I feel very confident about is when I see a young hard-thrower that throws with conviction and has command, that he will be successful on the mound. When I watched Fero during our Fall Ball segment, I was very impressed with his delivery, his 90 MPH hitter, his demeanor and his command. He’s not from Long Island so I haven’t had the opportunity to see him before that day, but it’s impossible not to love what you see in his potential. I think that he will begin the season in the bullpen and eventually work his way into mid-week starts the way Bret Clarke did in 2016. The Connecticut native walked only seven batters against 41 strikeouts last year. Those numbers tell a story of a dominant pitcher with an idea of what he’s doing and I’m not even talking about the strikeouts. That type of command plays.
Ryan Foran, RHP, St. Joseph’s
We are about to get underway here for Game 2 of the Suffolk Class AA Finals with Ryan Foran on the hill. Fordham-commit Jake Guercio steps in first pic.twitter.com/Bmb6Ylyhy4
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 28, 2018
Foran is a bulldog, he’s a horse, any adjective you want to use to describe someone that asks for the ball and wants to finish the game every time. He is the rare player that slipped through the cracks until his senior year of HS, committed to a Division-III and wound up becoming one of the most dominant pitchers on the island. He won the Paul Gibson Award, after compiling a 9-1 record with 1.11 ERA and 80 K over 62 IP. I watched him twice and both times he was impressive. The first game was in the brutal cold at Half Hollow Hills West. He put ESM into first place and pitched into the seventh inning despite terrible swirling winds. He was named our Digmi Player of the Game. The next time I watched him was in Game 2 of the Suffolk County Finals at ESM. He was tasked with shutting down the hottest team in Suffolk County and he did an admirable job but lost a nail-biter to Mike LaDonna and West Islip for his only loss of the season. He throws strikes, he is unfazed, he has a terrific two-seam fastball with horizontal movement and he has command of a change up. He will have success in the Skyline Conference and I expect him to be in the running for Rookie of the Year.
Tim Feliz, RF, Adelphi
The coaching staff is very high on freshman OF Tim Feliz and believes he has a chance to start in right field pic.twitter.com/3Lfu46aDtP
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 23, 2018
Feliz has received praise for quite some time. Coach Scala was quoted on the school’s website back in January of 2018 saying “Tim is a five-tool player, in my estimation. He can certainly compete for a starting spot,” he added.
He lived up to that during the fall, where he left a positive impression on just about everyone. He has some solid pop. One person familiar with him had the following to say:
“He’s a very quick, athletic player who has a lot of raw talent and is a free swinger, once he sees some game time in college he’s going to be a good player. He has a little power but I see him more as a gap-to-gap hitter who will hit a lot of double and triples with his speed.”
Sean Flaherty, C, Hofstra
When you’re the nephew of a 14-year MLB veteran, it’s easy to see why baseball comes natural to you. The New Jersey native turned heads this fall with both his arm behind the dish (one teammate called it a ‘hose’) and with his ability to swing the bat. Hofstra is fortunate to have him on their side after he was courted by schools like Georgetown, Bucknell and the College of Charleston. He threw out 40 percent of runners last season and batted .500 with 4 HR and 21 RBI…and his team won the section championship…and he was the captain. His father played Division-I baseball at Siena, so it’s certainly in his blood. Expect him to play a prominent role this season and beyond for the rebuilding pride, who will count on players like him, Anthony D’Onofrio, Mark Faello, James Cardinale, Robert Lucano and Ryan Rue in the future.
Thomas Brady, C, Molloy
A huge pick up was Thomas Brady, a redshirt freshmen transfer from NJIT. He led the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats to the 2017 Suffolk Class A championship. He is known for his leadership ability and advanced bat pic.twitter.com/ltF7cLFYRu
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 9, 2018
This was a tremendous pickup by the Lions, not only getting a player with a winning pedigree but also with four years of eligibility remaining. In high school, he was a major reason that Shoreham-Wading River was able to capture the 2017 Class A Suffolk County Championship. He handled the pitching staff led by Brian Morrell and Ryan Mullahey while also driving in 33 runs at the plate. He went to NJIT but transferred to Molloy after one year. During the summer, he drove in 15 runs with the Road Warriors, as they made it to the HCBL Championship. He might not receive regular time behind the dish with Michael Wall having performed so well last season, but he can also play first base as well and potentially fill the big shoes left behind by 2016 Axcess Baseball MVP Angelo Navetta.
