Top HS Players
Introducing the No. 1 Prospect on Long Island
by Vinny Messana Every great player needs a defining moment. For Matt Hogan that came on April 29 against Smithtown West. With his team, Half Hollow Hills East, trailing 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh, the sophomore stepped up to plate with his buddy, Mike Palazzolo, on second base. He smacked a walk-off two-run shot to center field to give the Thunderbirds the 8-7 victory and hand Smithtown West one of their three losses this season. “I just happened to be the guy to get up at the plate and swing the bat,” said the uber-polite sophomore. While it’s true that he was the one with the bat in his hand, not many hitters in the northeast region–let alone League III in Suffolk County–can match what he can do at the plate. On his April 20 home run against Smithtown...
Introducing the No. 2 Prospect on Long Island
by Vinny Messana The comparisons are too easy to make at this point–how many 6’10” left-handed pitchers with a dynamite fastball can you think of? St. Dominic’s ace, Kyle Young, can only embrace it. “I think it’s one of the best compliments I can receive,” said the big lefty. “He’s one of the best pitchers ever,” he added. Now, while the HS senior has quite a ways to go to match the career resume of “The Big Unit”, to high school hitters in 2016–he is Randy Johnson. Young has led to the Bay Hawks to another great season, after finishing runners-up in the CHSAA in 2015 to Chaminade. Feeling disappointed with not coming out on top, he went to work this off season and wanted to improve in all aspects. He spent every...
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