Insider Notes

Today I was at Wantagh vs Bellmore JFK to watch the rematch of the Nassau County Class A Finals. The game was basically over as soon as it began, but I was able to jot down some notes from a scout’s perspective on some of the top players in the game. Here’s my takeaways: Jimmy Joyce: Head Coach Keith Sachs stated that he has no doubt that Joyce is the best player on Long Island. He has a point–he’s the reigning Class A Player of the Year, and as many people will tell you–Joyce plays with that chip on his shoulder that makes the opposition hate him. College coaches love that because he’s not out there to make friends. He struggled with his command in the first inning, throwing 26 pitches but he worked out of the jam by picking off the trailing runner at f...

Today there were three scrimmages going on simultaneously at Baseball Heaven. I was able to watch a little bit of all three of them and here are my observations from them: Bellport vs Floyd: A.J. Verga started for Floyd and he was impressive. The sophomore has pretty clean mechanics and the ball explodes out of his hand. He got lots of swings-and-misses. If they are to have a big season, he will be a big reason. Ryan Bouman smacked a HR over the right field fence. It got out in a hurry–not a typical majestic HR but a line drive that barely got off the ground. It was very impressive. I hadn’t heard of him, but that swing certainly got my attention. Very few legit power hitters from the northeast. He is uncommitted but if he’s going to swing like that during the regular sea...