Yesterday I went down to 365 Athletics to check out the East Coast Lumberjacks’ organization workout. The travel organization, founded by Ryan and Daniel Pembroke, is coming off a big year in which their 2022 grad team captured the BCS National Championship and compiled an overall record of 48-14-3. Remarkably, that’s not the team that Ryan called the most talented team he’s ever had. We’ll get to that in a bit.
But first, some observations from the workout.
Josh Knoth (Pat-Med 2023)
Charleston-commit Josh Knoth (Pat-Med 2023) up to 96 (!) today. Not shown – CB at 83 (2995 RPMs). @FlatgroundApp @BenBadler pic.twitter.com/cTYQmbFPEJ
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 6, 2022
This is a pro-level pitcher and he looked outstanding. Knoth solidified himself at the varsity level last season for Pat-Med, nearly firing a no-hitter at Ward Melville in the playoffs. During that start, he was mainly mid-to-high 80s and used his wipeout slider as his strikeout pitch. Yesterday, there was not one fastball in the 80s. His average FB velocity was around 93 MPH and he hit 96 MPH on one pitch that has gone viral and is surely making some League 1 team very uncomfortable right now. Side note: League 1’s realignment now features Brentwood, Longwood, William Floyd, Central Islip, Riverhead, Sachem East and Pat-Med, so no more Ward Melville. Back to Knoth, his arm speed is ridiculous. His command was more than adequate and his offspeed pitches are scary good. The slider will probably always be his best pitch but his curveball has significantly improved. It was up to 83 MPH with 2995 RPMs and I’m not sure there’s a high schooler in the country that’s hitting that. Knoth is only 16-years-old and if the draft was today he’d hear his name. I’m sure he has personal and team goals he’d like to accomplish but the priority right now should be to stay healthy and put himself in position to get selected as early as possible in the 2023 MLB Draft. I also want to acknowledge Jake Acker behind the dish. He was receiving the pitches like a veteran catcher, not a high school junior. The Sachem East catcher was really impressive.
Chris Batuyios (Mount Sinai 2023)
On just about any team, Batuyios is the No. 1 pitcher. On this team, it’s probably a coin flip. The St. John’s-commit is a true ace and he’s continued to get better each year. He led the Mustangs to their first Long Island Championship in program history this past year, going 7-0 with a 0.69 ERA. Yesterday, he was up to 91.3 with his heater and his change up was deadly, around 82-83 MPH. Mount Sinai’s pitching rotation will be comically good, as they can trot out Batuyios, Miami-commit JT Caruso, George Washington-commit Max Reichenbach and Matt Galli and feel good about their chances with any of those. Chris has also put himself into the conversation of draft talk, assuming he can maintain the velocity he has shown recently.
Tori Martin-Rodriguez (Monsignor McClancy 2023)
6’5 1B Tori Martin-Rodriguez (Monsignor McClancy 2023) pic.twitter.com/iYJnxSiY1W
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 6, 2022
Tori can mash the ball. He is a 6’5 first baseman and he has transformed his body since the summer. He told me he was 259 lbs now he is 220 lbs. That level of commitment has probably opened some more doors for him in terms of the caliber of schools that are interested. When he gets a pitch he can handle, it is destroyed. There was no Rapsodo readings on the hitters, but I would say he was in the 100-105 MPH range. Light tower power.
Logan Norman (Centereach 2024)
Uncommitted CF Logan Norman (Centereach 2024). He batted .478 over a 50-game stretch last summer. pic.twitter.com/43osxLcIiq
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 6, 2022
Norman’s coach, Eric Strovink, detailed some of his better performances to me, including one game that he went 3-for-3 with doubles to each gap and a single to left on a 2-strike changeup that was well off the plate. He was named MVP of the 15u New England Elite Championship. He batted .478 over a 50-game summer schedule against some of the best teams in the country. He can go get it in the outfield and has a green light on the bases. Division-I prospect for sure.
Gavin Pimentel (St. John the Baptist 2024)
Gavin Pimentel (St. John the Baptist 2024) pic.twitter.com/hciCuo1eGh
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 6, 2022
Strovink stated that Pimentel is the fastball player on his team and he runs a 6.6 60. He doesn’t need the steal sign to know the assignment. Pimentel has a nice compact swing and he should see playing time at the varsity level with his skillset.
Nicholas Mirabile (St. John the Baptist 2024)
2024 OFer Nicholas Mirabile (Uncommitted) Absolutely Demolishes this Baseball for a Ground Rule 2B!!! @perfectgameusa @pg_tourney @axcess_baseball @nmirabile44 #ECL #JACKS #STUD pic.twitter.com/5ucToBY7DC
— East Coast Lumberjacks (@ec_lumberjacks) July 27, 2021
Mirabile is the prototypical leadoff hitter. He sprays the ball to all fields, he steals just about every time he’s on base and he typically finds a way to score every game. He has exceptional speed. And his exit velos are in the low 90s, so he’s not just slapping the ball on the ground.
Jeremy Graham (Rocky Point 2024)
Jeremy Graham (Rocky Point 2024) pic.twitter.com/iifD2Llbxq
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 6, 2022
Was really impressed with Graham’s BP. He is extremely balanced at the plate and reminded me of former big leaguer Brian Dozier’s swing. Additionally, he’s a second baseman that’s historically a position you’re willing to live with subpar offensive production.
Ryan Pembroke noted that they only have 1 team per age group and that they typically carry large rosters. They do this to prepare kids for high school and college ball, which will often have multiple players at each position, and “if you get complacent there’s someone behind you that’s ready to play.” This mentality often yields positive results as the kids are pulling for each other but they also understand the realities of playing time.
They have added some younger teams over the years and now they have age groups all the way down to 11u. Pembroke noted that at those ages the wins and losses are irrelevant and the focus is on player development. He stated that the 2022 team was not winning every game when they first started but as the players developed, they improved not only individually but also in terms of playing as a unit.
It’s been an impressive run for ECL. Ryan said that he’s really looking forward to staying in touch with his players during the high school season and once the summer season starts, he’s excited for the upperclassmen as they are now preparing to make their college commitments.
“It’s not where you want to go but where you’re wanted,” he emphasized that there needs to be mutual interest and a fit at the school.
With the 2022s having captured the National Championship next year, they have set the bar rather high for the organization but Pembroke was excited at the prospect of making another run at it this year with the next group of studs. In regard to the 2024 team, he said, “this is probably the most talented team we’ve ever had.”
Stay tuned to see if they can follow the lead this summer.
