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Recap of the 17 Sports x Axcess Baseball Showcase

Yesterday was our 5th annual MLK Day College Showcase – fourth that was held at the beautiful facility of Max Effort Baseball in Farmingdale.

We had 68 players in attendance, 20 college coaches and 2 scouts – myself and Dan Palumbo of the Philadelphia Phillies. A number of players have already been contacted by the college coaches in attendance which is a great sign.

The event went smooth and here’s a rundown of 10 players that caught my attention – by graduating class order.

Chris Diesso (Hauppauge 2023)

Diesso has endured his share of bad luck with injuries which is why he’s uncommitted and he will be a steal for a college. He was up to 90.1 with the exit velocity, he is a leader behind the plate and has done a lot of winning in travel ball.

Dominick Weidtman (Smithtown East 2023)

The exit velocity on the Rapsodo was misleading because he didn’t square the ball up but during his previous round in the middle cage he had arguably the best contact of anyone – ripping several line drives in a row up the middle. He also pitched well and could be effective at the varsity level this year but his future will be in the lineup in college.

Christian Rivera (Longwood 2023)

Rivera had the second best recorded exit velocity and was consistent with his rounds of BP, looking like a potential impact bat.  Really liked the balance he showed and the bat speed. Additionally, he showed he could be an option out of the bullpen with a strong showing on the mound.

Hunter Mazzocco (Floral Park 2023)

Hunter is a 6’3 southpaw with clean arm action. At his height and young age, pitchers often struggle to find a consistent release point. He is a late bloomer but seems to have figured something out with command and mechanics with velocity likely to follow. Tons of potential. D3 pitcher at the moment, but with increased fastball velo I could see D2 as well.

A.J Pino (Xavier 2024)

AJ was the most polished player in attendance. From the outfield, he showed his fluidity and arm strength with an 83 MPH throw and he barely exerted himself. During his round of BP, he showed some power potential and was up to 88 MPH exit velocity but his future is on the mound. He was 80-82 MPH with the cleanest mechanics I’ve seen in a while. Fastball command was there with plenty of ASR. Additionally, he threw a curveball, change up and splitter – I don’t know if I’ve seen a high school lefty with a splitter ever. He is a surefire Division-I athlete. He will be attending IMG next year and will surely be fielding offers while he’s there.

Andrew Heppner (Holy Trinity 2024)

6’3 catcher that can pay multiple positions. One of the standpoint performers for sure. He had a 1.90 pop time and 80 MPH velocity to second base. Powerful bat that hit 3 HRs in 5 games last season. Very high potential. Mid D1 upside.

Lucas Hernandez (Massapequa 2024)

Made all the plays at first and made it look easy. He also showed great bat-to-ball skills during his round of BP. He cuts off his swing a bit and that could be sacrificing some pop, but there’s no denying he was among the top hitters in attendance.

Luke Newman (Southold 2024)

Really liked the arm strength. To say players from the east end of LI get overlooked is an understatement. But when you have clean mechanics and can touch the mid 80s you will breakthrough. I think he showed D2 upside. Only in 11th grade so maybe there’s still some room for improvement although he already physically mature.

Michael Gardner (Chaminade 2025)

Gardner stood out in all aspects of the showcase. He was among the leaders in arm velocity from the outfield, he was among the fastest runners, the high exit velocities and the best fastball velocities (82). He was able to throw from multiple arm angles – which is a must at the college level. He also has a live arm on the mound from his low 3/4 slot which should be very difficult on right-handed batters as that 2-seam bores in on them. Unclear what position he will play on Chaminade’s loaded team, but he showed the actions to stay at SS and the potential to be a lights-out pitcher. Division-I upside.

Jayden Gigante (Carey 2026)

Gigante already established himself at the varsity level last season for Carey – batting .393 and going All-Conference. It’s incredible that he’s only a ninth grader. He really stood out in the outfield portion of the drills as he shows a fluidity and aggressiveness rarely seen at the high school level. He had one of the best arms as well at 81 MPH. He’s extremely athletic, and his violent swings lends itself to more extra-base pop in the future. He has a Division-I grade.

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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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