New York Scouting Blog

Dan Cevette
New York Scouting Director


The New York Scouting Blog provides insider information and scouting notes from the PBR Staff during the season. This running blog will feature information on underclass prospects, unsigned seniors, draft prospects, and anything else that is notable. We will provide a wide range of information, including player evaluations, velocities, pop times, home to first times, and more.

4/21/14 Scouting Notes from the Buffalo Area HS Action (Crosschecked by Charles Karstedt)

4/14/14 - 4/15/14, coverage from the Mingo Bay Baseball Classic / Ripken Experience

In two days filled with several rain delays and unfriendly playing conditions, here are some scouting notes from Myrtle Beach, SC.

Zach Neirstedt, SS, Elmira HS, NY (2014)
The big body 6-foot-4 SS has next level tools that stand out when you see him play. He went 4-4 with two hard hit doubles in front of five professional scouts in his first game south. Nierstedt shows an above average arm at the high school level with good hands. He looks like a possible first baseman at the next level with his size. He needs to improve his footwork and arm strength to stay at the SS position. Nierstedt is a very solid player whose stock is rising early on this season.

Jake Dimon, C, Horseheads HS, NY (2014)
Jake has average size for his position with a solid lower half. At the plate Dimon swings from the left side showing some power with good hand eye coordination and working all sides of the field. He crushed a one-hopper to the center field fence showing quick hands and some power. He also hit a hard double down the left field line showing good control of the bat using all fields in his approach. From the catching position Dimon needs to improve on his release time to second base. He shows a pop time of 2.19 with accuracy throwing out the only runner that attempted to steal. If Dimon can quicken up his transfer from glove to hand speed I see his pop time lower. Overall Dimon is definitely a college prospect being a solid defensive catcher with good control of the bat from the left side.

Calvin Blish, 1B/P, Elmira HS, NY (2015)
Blish has been swinging a hot bat to start 2014, and he didn’t disappoint me when I saw him play. He has a strong lower half with quick strong hands. Blish turned on a Fastball hitting an RBI double down the left field line in action Tuesday. On the mound Blish sat 81-84 mph with the fastball, and mixed in a curve ball at 70. His arm action on his curve ball looked a bit shorter than his fastball so with some adjustments that could be a sharper, more velocity pitch.

Jake Sisson, SS/C, Jamestown HS, NY (2014)
Sisson is put together especially in his lower half. He was a star for his high school football team as their starting quarterback. In his first at bat he connected with a fastball and hit a two run home run over the left field fence. His swing was compact and quick and his approach was balanced.

Brett Weiland, 1B, Horseheads HS, NY (2014)
Weiland passes the eye test as a next level guy. He stands 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and swings a strong stick with power from the left side. He has the hand eye coordination to be effective at the next level along with impressive bat speed and power. He's working on improving his footwork around first base which currently is average.

Brett Bouchard, LHP, Fairport HS, NY (2014)
Bouchard stands at 5-foot-10 185 pounds with an average body. He throws a fastball sitting at 78 mph, topping 82 once. He has natural late arm side action with slight sink. His curve ball has good spin and his change up ranged 70 mph with good deception. All three pitches were above average for a high school pitcher.

4/9/14

Scott Blewett, RHP, Charles W. Baker HS, NY (2014)
Blewett stands 6-foot-6, 220 pounds with a strong, athletic body. His legs are solidly built, but his upper body shows room for projection. In the first inning, Blewett pumped a few fastballs at 93 mph before settling in at 87-90. He works well downhill using his leverage to his advantage with a smooth, clean delivery. Through the first four innings Blewett worked quickly and efficiently, setting most hitters up with his fastball, and putting them away with his 74-77 mph curveball. His curveball has a ton of spin and sharp downward action that is a next-level pitch. In the fifth inning, his fastball stayed strong at 88-90 with good control. He pitched six innings, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out 15.

Jeff Belge, LHP, Henninger HS, NY (2016)
Belge stands at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds with a strong body type. For only being a sophomore, Belge shows a lot of room for growth and development, which every scout loves. In the first inning, Belge fired a handful of fastballs at 91, before settling in around 85-87. For the first three innings, he showed a lot of late, arm-side run. His slurve needs to be a little tighter but he's young and he was consistent with it, sitting 72-74 mph. What impressed me most was how he handled the fourth-inning, bases-loaded jam. After two errors loaded the bases, Belge refocused and was able to strike out the last batter to end the threat. If Belge's development stays on track, look for these same scouts to be at his first start of his senior year. He finished the day with four innings pitched and 11 strikeouts while allowing a hit and three walks.

Damon Ozelek, RHP, Henninger HS, NY (2014)
Ozelek is 6-foot-4, 185 pounds with a lot of room to grow. He flashed an 84 mph fastball, before sitting consistently at 79-82 mph. His curveball had some good break and deception, which sat at 72-73 mph.

John Larca, IF, Henninger HS, NY (2014)
The 5-foot-7, 175-pound middle infielder turned on a 90-mph fastball from Blewett in the fifth inning, which one-hopped the fence for a double. He shows quick hands and good bat speed at the plate with some pop.