Steven Matz. Marcus Stroman. Nick Tropeano. Anthony Kay. Joe Palumbo. Kevin McCarthy. Kyle McGowin.
Those are the Long Island natives that are in the Major Leagues right now. They are all pitchers.
In fact, it’s been 10 years since a position player from Long Island has played in the big leagues and that was Reid Gorecki (Kellenberg) with the Atlanta Braves in 2009. Fourteen of the past 15 players have been pitchers.
That’s a trend that says our bats are lagging behind our arms.
It makes sense in theory–our pitchers have fresh arms as they only play outdoors from March to October. This works in their favor. Our hitters, though, have limited reps while their counterparts in California, Texas, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas can get at bats 12 months out of the year.
Although this does not figure to change any time soon, it does seem the tide is turning.
Some recent local draft picks that are position players include; Nick Grande (Arizona Diamondback), Vito Friscia (Philadelphia Phillies), Tyler Osik (Chicago White Sox), Mitch Calandra (Atlanta Braves), Logan O’Hoppe (Philadelphia Phillies), Jesse Berardi (Cleveland Indians), Michael Donadio (Miami Marlins), among others.
The real reason I felt compelled to write this article is because of the pendulum swinging back towards hitters at the high school level. The crop of 2020 is loaded with high-end hitters and I think it’s worth following. There’s a number of Division-I players that have an outside chance to play at the pro level and from that point on, it’s anyone’s guess where they wind up.
I’m going to go over a few hitters that are in that category.
Rob Copozzi (Center Moriches ’20)
Rob is a kid that hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention. It’s understandable that you can slip through the cracks a bit when you play on the east end in Class B and his own high school has other high-profile players but make no mistake he is as good of a hitting prospect as there is on the island. I watched two Center Moriches games last year and he hit absolute bombs in both of them. Neither was a cheap one–as Babylon has no fence and had their outfielders about 400 feet away from home plate and the other was off the scoreboard at St. Joseph’s College in the Long Island Championship against Cold Spring Harbor. He’s a 6’6 220 lb left-handed hitter that has all the power you want from a clean up hitting first baseman. I would not be surprised if nobody wanted to pitch to him next season. If they do, he will make them pay.
Brock Murtha (Sayville ’20)
Brock Murtha’s fourth HR of the season which leads Suffolk County pic.twitter.com/gfZfl6EnYT
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 25, 2019
When it comes to two-sport stars, Brock is the definition of that.
After leading the Golden Flashes to their first Long Island Championship in school history with a no-hitter over Clarke, he has led the football team to an undefeated start to their season through seven games while displaying his skills at the wide receiver position. On the diamond, though, is where his future lies. The Notre Dame-commit is a SS/RHP and I really don’t know where he will play in college. I think his velocity is enough to get by at the Div-I level (88-89 MPH) but his power is pretty special too. He already has 27 career home runs and he has his entire senior year still. Power-hitting SS are among the rarest commodities in the game along with power-hitting catchers and flame-throwing southpaws. Brock is that elite athlete that makes the game look easy sometimes. When he dedicates himself to one sport in college–the sky is the limit.
Travis Honeyman (Massapequa ’20)
Travis first put himself on the map by winning the Power Showcase in Arlington, TX in 2016 when he was just entering his freshman year. Since then, he has matured into a bully at the plate. He won the Axcess League MVP by hitting over .500 in the regular season, but I was really impressed by him in the Long Island Championship game at St. Joseph’s College. Despite facing a tough All-County pitcher, he crushed one to the warning track in center field almost 400 feet away. With his athletic build, unbreakable mental toughness and strong blood line (brother in the minor leagues), I like his chances to play at the next level. He’s committed to Boston College, but perhaps another huge season this year makes that decision tough for him.
Nick Papageorge (Wheatley ’20)
6’3 Nick Papageorge (Wheatley 2020) crushes one into the trees pic.twitter.com/oD4jmTpN2u
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 14, 2018
I have respect for coaches that are in the business for 35+ years like Wheatley Head Coach Paul Paino has been. He told me in March that Papageorge has a chance to be in the Major Leagues. This isn’t coming from someone who is known for hyperbole.
Papageorge is a physical athlete. He looks more like a Division-I tight end than a SS with his 6’3 190 lb frame. I watched him on Sunday and the ball explodes off his bat and he has great balance. He recorded an exit velocity of 90 off the tee with a wood bat. The question is what his best position is. Right now he’s playing SS but I think he’s a third baseman at the next level. Either way, the bat plays and that is his calling card. I’m excited to follow his progress this season, but like Copozzi–pitchers really have no reason to throw him strikes.
T.J Wachter (The Stony Brook School ’21)
TJ reclassified so he is now a 2021 at The Stony Brook School after transferring from Shoreham-Wading River. Like Copozzi, he has that imposing size. He’s about 6’5 220 lbs and has prodigious power. Throwing him BP, I found myself flinching due to the force of his bat speed. With two more years of high school still, he should put up some ridiculous numbers. I haven’t seen him in a game, but his power is off the charts in the cage.
Kevin Bowrosen (Miller Place ’20)
When it comes to being a pure hitter, Bowrosen fits the mold. He has that sweet left-handed swing that has .400 hitter written all over it. He has an innate ability to put the barrel on the ball. With his bat speed, that typically translated into line drive hits. He has a thin frame so his power has yet to translate into home runs but I believe that if he is able to put on 15-20 lbs of good weight, he is a draftable kid. The swing is that good. In the field he’s very good and can throw 85 MPH across the diamond, so I think he can stay on the left side of the infield.
Matt Brown-Eiring (Connetquot ’20)
Connetquot leads 10-3 in the sixth over Smithtown East. Here’s Matt Brown-Eiring’s HR to left pic.twitter.com/yw0RmOwmj9
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2018
The first thing you notice when you watch Brown-Eiring play is the intensity. He takes violent hacks.and that translates into loud contact. He was a key cog in Connetquot’s championship team this season as the cleanup hitter and third baseman. The Stony Brook-commit has a chance to be a two-way player in college but I think his future is as a position player. His greatest successes typically happen in the big moments of games. I think he has room to physically mature and when that happens his power will develop even further. I have seen him play a ton and he is built for the spotlight.
Idris Carter (Roosevelt ’20)
Idris was a relative unknown until recently but is no longer a secret. He is a two-way star, also the QB of the football team. He is an exceptional athlete with unlimited potential. The ball jumps off his bat extremely well. With that said, I think he’s very raw and can generate more power by utilizing his lower half a little more. When that happens–look out. He’s a Stony Brook-commit as well, and with their coaching staff I think he will take his game to new heights.
Johnny Castagnozzi (Massapequa ’20)
Johnny has been a household name among the baseball community since he stepped foot in Massapequa HS. He has three Long Island Championships to his name and has been facing elite competition in the summer for the same amount of time. In a way, he’s symbolic of this era. He faced an insane amount of pressure from a young age and has almost 4,000 Instagram followers. Every varsity player on Long Island knew who he was and he committed to the University of North Carolina in the fall of his sophomore year. Perfect Game rated him a 9.5 prospect and he played with the Canes National team this summer. With that said, I will be interested to see how he responds in his senior year. With Honeyman protecting him in the lineup, he should get plenty of pitches to hit.
Don Wille (Sachem East ’20)
At 6’4 225 lbs, Wille is a defensive end in a catcher’s mask. He’s got a pro body, he has a rocket arm behind the plate and he’s capable of hitting the ball out of anywhere. When he was the cleanup hitter as a sophomore, he roped two doubles off the wall in left-center field in his first game. I haven’t watched him a lot in-game since then, but he sure puts on a show during BP. He was 92 off the tee on Sunday with a wood bat. I think he is the player that will benefit from signing, getting into pro ball and tightening up his mechanics while he’s still young enough to do so.
Tommy Verga (William Floyd ’20)
I saw Verga for the first time at a showcase last winter and he was probably the best hitter there. He has continued to improve since that time and has recorded over a 100 MPH exit velocity. As a shortstop that will get your attention. We covered one of their games this season against Sachem East and he squared the ball up a couple times. He’s committed to Farleigh-Dickinson and I think he will perform very well there. He is a high follow.
Carlos Hidalgo (St. Dominic 2020)
Hidalgo will be a position player at St. John’s University, but obviously will be the ace of St. Dominic’s rotation this season as a senior. At the plate, he’s an impact bat and has the ability to drive the ball with authority. Despite being only 155 lbs, he generates a tremendous amount of force. He recorded an exit velocity of 89 MPH off the tee with a wood bat. I think if he puts on some good weight, he is a draftable kid.
