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How Good is the 2023 Class of Pitchers on Long Island?

The velocity in the game of baseball right now is insane. I feel like an old man when I say when I was in high school if a kid threw 80 MPH by his junior year it was eye-opening. It probably meant he was going to gain some strength over the next year and that would turn into 85 maybe 86-87. This wasn’t in the 1950s, this was just over a decade ago. Somewhere along the line, the standard has changed. Everyone playing travel or varsity baseball seems to throw at least that hard and the players getting ‘D-1 looks’ are now in the mid-to-upper 80s’ by the time they are juniors.

Now, I know that is not the be all, end al. There’s plenty of other aspects of pitching I look for, but when pitchers throw strikes and also have velocity that is a standard deviation or two above their peers it is impressive.

The 2023 class in particular really is eye-opening. There’s 12 kids from what I can gather that are already 85+. These kids have yet to throw a pitch as a junior. Can they take a step backward? Of course, it happens to plenty of pitchers but they are at least on the radar now. Here are the players that have caught my attention and if they even improve slightly, can get drafted. In the case of Knoth, he could probably get drafted today but he’s an outlier here.

Josh Knoth (Pat-Med)

Right now he’s probably the most polished of the bunch. He’s done it in League 1 of Suffolk County against the big school opponents – he nearly fired a no-hitter on the road in the playoffs against Ward Melville. His fastball was sitting 92-93 two weeks ago and touched 96. I mean that’s just next level stuff. His slider is probably the best on Long Island right now as well. He is committed to the College of Charleston. I would have to imagine they understand he is likely going to be a pro pitcher. Pat-Med has done extraordinarily well with producing college ballplayers and he could be the third since 2009 to get drafted. But first, he needs to stay healthy and continue to excel.

Chris Batuyios (Mount Sinai)

It’s rare that a kid will throw in the low 90s and not be the hardest thrower on his 16u travel team, but Batuyios is on the same staff as Knoth. Regardless, he is a star in his own right. He is committed to St. John’s and he’s just continued to improve every time I see him. He topped at 91.8 last week during a bullpen session, but to me that’s not what is most impressive. First off, he was undefeated as a sophomore and led Mount Sinai to their first LIC in program history. So just from the standpoint of being composed during huge moments, he checks off that box. Addtionally, he has an outstanding change up. That might not need to be used much against small-school competition, but he should continue to refine it for the next level. When you put up a sub 1.00 ERA as a sophomore on varsity, you probably don’t have many things to work on. But he is a relentless worker and squats close to 500 lbs. The Mount Sinai rotation is downright filthy with Batuyios and JT Caruso at the top.

Dominick Carbone (Rocky Point)

Carbone won the League MVP as a sophomore which is unheard of. He’s a legit two-way player and has garnered interest from schools all over. It will be a tough decision whether he wants to attend a Power 5 school that just wants him to pitch, or maybe a lesser program that allows him the opportunity to do both. Personally, I think being a left-handed pitcher that can touch 90 is the quickest path to the big leagues so the school with the best baseball program trumps the chance of hitting for a few more years. In any event, Carbone is a nightmare for opposing teams and he’s a fierce competitor. That league is really good; with East Islip, Hills West, Kings Park and ESM all looking like playoff teams – however, there’s probably no team that stands a good chance against Carbone.

JT Caruso (Mount Sinai)

Caruso committed to the University of Miami during the midst of the lockdown. Since that time, he has put on about 30-35 lbs of muscle and helped Mount Sinai win the Long Island Championship. The common comparison people made for him was Chris Sale due to the frame, but Caruso’s arm slot is more of a low 3/4 than the sidearm action of Sale. For that reason, Blake Snell is the closer comparison. Caruso will be tough to score against this year. He has a three-pitch mix, but his fastball-breaking ball are true weapons at this point.

Andrew Koshy (Kellenberg)

When I first saw Koshy my first impression was that this is the best pitcher in the class. When you hear about a good young pitcher, you hear a lot of superlatives. But for me it starts to feel real once they are performing well in varsity games – that’s usually a good litmus test. Koshy was lights-out as a sophomore in probably the best or 2nd best conference on Long Island. He’s a bulldog, and doesn’t want to come out of games. With his low arm slot, he’s predictably death on righties. Lefties don’t have much better luck considering his nasty slider. He is committed to Wake Forest and will be the ace of the Kellenberg rotation this season.

Nick Rizzo (East Islip)

Three walks over the course of a full season. That’s what Rizzo issued during the 2021 season. He was the winning pitcher in the County Championship over Harborfields. He announced his commitment to Stony Brook this fall and they should be thrilled with that decision. A hard-throwing lefty with command and big-game acumen. That’ll play. I’m really hopeful he starts against Carbone on Opening Day because that has the makings of a 0-0 game through 7. One longtime scout I was standing with while watching Rizzo’s bullpen said to me, “this kid is gonna pitch in the big leagues.” He’s on the right path.

Brady Clark (Bayport-Blue Point)

Brady Clark went undefeated on varsity as a sophomore and that’s impressive in its own right. I watched Clark pitched one game against Matittuck – he wiggled in-and-out of trouble and was able to come away with the win. I think he’ll be the first to tell you that he didn’t have his best command that day, but the fact that he was able to navigate through traffic on the bases against a solid team and still get a win deserves some recognition. He is committed to St. John’s University. He has been up to 87 MPH in the fall and I expect with his change up command he will be tough to score of this season. He has great size and is a phenomenal quarterback as well. Two things that definitely are bonuses when it comes to how scout’s value players. I think he’s on the precipice of a huge season. I’m hopeful he square off with Billy Steele of Shoreham-Wading River, I think that will be a fantastic duel.

Justin LeGuernic (Hills West)

Hills West coach Tom Migliozzi has been around for a long time and is not one for hyperbole. Prior to the lockdown in 2020, he was raving about LeGuernic and at that time he was only a freshman that was touching 80 MPH. Over the past two years, he shot up to about 6’5 and his velocity has followed. He was up to 88 MPH last week when I saw him but has been in the low 90s at times. He has nice clean mechanics. He was in our Mike Leiderman Cup game last August. It was not his best showing, but Clemson saw his vast potential and offered him around that time and he announced his verbal in late August. He should be the ace of Hills West for the next two years and form a dynamite 1-2 punch with Muskopf.

Erik Paulsen Jr (Massapequa)

Paulsen is the type of pitcher that could win games at 80-82 with his command and pitchability, but it doesn’t hurt that he has recently made a jump in velocity to the mid-to-upper 80s. He made Massapequa’s varsity team as a freshman which is pretty rare. He is a legit two-way player that should put up some numbers at the plate but I think he will be lights-out on the mound. Liam Carroll was the ace of the Chiefs’ rotation last year, but I could see Paulsen stepping in and filling that role as soon as this year. He is committed to Stony Brook.

Charles West (Ward Melville)

I have only seen West pitch in the showcase from the above video and one inning of last year’s playoff game against Pat-Med. Since then, he has made strides forward and is now in the mid-to-upper 80s. He is committed to UCONN – if that seems familiar it’s because Anthony Kay attended there, as did Max Nielsen (now at UMBC) so they certainly like their Ward Melville southpaws. In watching some video, he has command of a 12-6 breaking ball and works to all quadrants of the zone – which is a recipe for success. If past history is any indication, I expect him to thrive the next two years for Ward Melville.

George Trimigliozzi (Islip)

Trimigliozzi burst onto the scene with 16 punchouts in his varsity debut. I watched him the start after that, and after a dominant first inning it appeared he injured himself a bit and it hindered his effectiveness. He’s fully healthy, though, and was up to 87 MPH during bullpens this winter. Islip will be looking for him and Dylan McKenna to anchor the rotation this season.

Logan Prisco (Newfield)

Prisco stands 6’4, and he is a multi-sport athlete; also excelling on the gridiron. His older brother plays at Albany. He was a part of Newfield’s Long Island Championship last season and he will likely be asked to step into a larger role this season with Dylan Johnson at St. John’s. I haven’t seen him in a game yet, but the video speaks for itself. His arm works well with his body and he has command of his breaking ball. He should be one of the top pitchers in the conference this season and will likely be a Division-I commit.

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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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