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Big Board!Top College Players

This is a list of the best draft-eligible college players we’ve seen on the island. The limitations are that a) we have not seen every player and b) we have not seen every player multiple times. Nevertheless, this is based on our best resources and unbiased opinions.

February 14, 2019

Vito Friscia, Junior, Hofstra

Friscia has powers in droves and will be the biggest reason that scouts come out to Hofstra this season after sending three players to professional baseball last season. He has appeared more as a DH/1B as opposed to a catcher, which makes it more challenging for him, but Hofstra says he will be a catcher for the bulk of the time. Also, even if he is to struggle behind the plate, I think that gets negated by the fact that he’s a senior that has not only put up numbers but also has performed well (.375 AVG) in the Cape Cod League. He batted .353 for Hofstra last year and slugged .514. I think he puts up another huge year and hears his name on Day 3.

Nick Grande, SS, Stony Brook

I’ve written a lot about Grande and the moral of the story is that some players just have the intestinal fortitude and work ethic to use the detractors and turn it into motivation and eventually results on the field. The only knock on him entering last year was the question of whether he would ever develop the extra base power to warrant drafting him. After leading the team in SLG and being named All-American and Axcess Most Valuable Player, it’s safe to say he’s answered the bell. He does everything exceptionally well and has makeup off-the-charts. In my mind, he should be drafted when Jesse Berardi was (10th round).

Michael Wilson, OF, Stony Brook

The star has dimmed somewhat on Wilson following an underwhelming 2018 season in which he slugged only .498 and struck out 56 times but the athleticism, bat speed and obviously the past history of performance still works in his favor. He still hit 20 doubles and batted .293 last year, but when you are looking at northeast outfielders they have to overcome the built-in obstacles and put up double-digit home runs and a .600 SLG typically to get noticed.

Ed Baram, RHP Adelphi

Adelphi has had terrific success getting their top talent to the professional level over the past decade. Baram could be the next in a long line of great power right-handed pitchers. The streak began with Bobby Lanigan in 2008, continued with Keith Coach, Robert Nixon, Dillon McNamara, Jonathon Mulford and then T.J. Santiago last year. That stretch is remarkable for a Division-II program in the northeast. Baram is a 6’3 power-pitcher that touches 95 MPH, sits 91-92 and has a potential plus-pitch in his splitter. He compiled a 2.70 ERA over 60.0 as a sophomore. He allowed one hit per inning, and 3.45 BB/9 IP. I would like to see both numbers drop a bit in that conference that tends to favor pitchers. Baram, to me, is a professional pitcher regardless. He looks the part, he has the command and the tenacity of all the previous Adelphi pitchers that have gotten drafted. The only thing he is missing is that lights-out season that Mulford had in 2015 and Santiago had in 2017 that will propel him. I think that’s coming this year.

Kyle Martin, RHP, Fordham

I remember when I was working on a feature story on Kyle back in 2016. One rival coach said to me, you’re not going to find one person that will say a bad word about Kyle Martin. That was a couple days before I went to watch him face Massapequa and he struck out 15 batters in the bitter cold in early April. Since then, he’s done nothing but continue to add to his stock. He is extremely well-built, he can deadlift 405 lbs, and hits 96 MPH with his fastball to go along with that wicked slider he throws (video above). The ultimate competitor, he will definitely get drafted.

Greg Marino, RHP Stony Brook

Tyler Becker, SS, Adelphi

Becker put himself in the conversation with a huge 2018 season including a great performance in the Hamptons League. Teams will certainly be game planning for him more so this year, but with the protection in the Adelphi lineup, that might not mean much. The bat-to-ball skills are terrific, and he showed power with 9 jacks during the summer which has appeared to translate to the cold (home run during intrasquad game), but he will need to play a little better defensively to warrant staying at SS.

 

Thomas Colombo, 1B, Adelphi

Colombo emerged as a legitimate prospect last season with a career year for Adelphi. Always known as a defensively-gifted first baseman with a line drive stroke, he put it all together and batted .303 with five HR and 29 RBI. He had the best slugging percentage on the team at .480. With the wood bat conference and the quality of pitching in the NE-10, you have to grade those numbers on a curve. Clearly, the offense is suppressed in the conference and a slick fielding 1B with the ability to put the ball out of the yard should still be valued regardless of his 5’10 height. He showed in our Axcess Home Run Derby how easily he can put a low-and-in pitch out of the park. He probably hit 10-12 home runs over the scoreboard at Baseball Heaven.

James Varela, RHP, LIU Post

There’s been this stigma with 6’1 or shorter RHPs, but in my opinion that should be trumped by pure stuff, command and tenacity. Everyone that has played with him raves about his laser focus in terms of becoming a dominant pitcher. I watched him twice last year and it resulted in two complete games and he’s simply a dynamic pitcher. With his slider, he doesn’t even really need to touch 90 to be successful, but in order to get drafted this year he will need to show it. I’ve seen him more in the 86-89 MPH range but with his work ethic I wouldn’t be surprised if that has jumped by a few MPHs.

Andrew Spinnenweber, RHP, USMMA

Really impressed with this arm. I can say many of the same things that I said about Varela but you can add that he threw on three-days rest in the Skyline Conference playoffs and was still 89-90 MPH. He has probably the cleanest mechanics from a right-handed pitcher that I’ve seen. He has outstanding command and I think he is a professional pitcher. It’s no exaggeration to say he has a military mindset on the mound considering his pledge to serve his country following graduation.

Vinny Rice, OF/DH, Farmingdale

Unfortunately, the way baseball works a player like Rice will have virtually no chance of getting drafted and will likely have to pursue independent ball to continue his playing career. I think that is a shame because on pure talent he is right there with anyone. I’ve watched him since my days covering high school basketball for the Farmingdale Observer in 2014. He has legitimate power, he showed that in our Home Run Derby back in August, he has tremendous hand-eye coordination which he showed batting .513 during summer ball in the now-defunct LICBL. I think he will put up a huge season now that he is finally healthy.

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Vinny is the President of Axcess Baseball. He is a 2013 graduate of Adelphi University and he is currently the Long Island area scout for the San Diego Padres

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