Sean McGrath
Scouting Director, New Jersey

Name: Justin Willis
High School: St. Joseph Metuchen HS
Position: RHP
Commitment: -

Justin Willis is a top 2017 prospect from West New York who St. Joseph Metuchen High School. Willis is very athletic and gets the most out of his 5-foot-11, 170 pound frame. Willis has obvious arm speed and has a very compact delivery. He has a short compact arm action and pitches from a 3/4 arm slot. A high level competitor, Willis pitches with up-tempo mechanics that keeps the pressure on hitters. He attacks hitters with an 86-89 (91) mile-per-hour fastball with good run and a sharp 11-to-5 breaking ball with above average depth at 74-75. He also flashes a changeup that has a chance to be an average to above average pitch as it shows signs of late arm side run.

Willis shows advanced pitchability for his age and has done so since he was a younger, having participated in Team USA's developmental program. He has enjoyed a ton of success in 2015 and with continued improvement focusing on repeating his mechanics, he could wind up at a power conference school and competing right away for a prominent role.

PBR: Could you give us a brief history of your baseball background?

Willis: I started playing organized baseball at 6 yrs old, always "playing up". At 6 I played with 10 yr olds, at 8 I played with 12 yr old. At 12 I played with 15 yr olds. I played for my step dad's travel team until I was 13. I then tried out for Barry Larkin's Jersey City Reds and made the 13U team as 12 year old. After one season, I was then recruited to play for SoCal NTT, a national-level travel team. In 2013, after the USA East Championships, I was selected to the Team USA 14U National Team Development Program. In 2014, I made the St Joseph Metuchen varsity team as a freshman and finished with a 5-1 record on a Top 20 team in NJ, and helped the team win a Greater Middlesex County championship. In the summer, I continued with SoCal NTT and was once again selected to the 40-man trials roster of Team USA 15U. I was also one of six 2017-grad players that attended the PerfectGame Underclass All-American Games in San Diego. In 2015, I have enjoyed a very successful HS season, currently with a 6-0 record, with 2 saves and 0.46 ERA. This summer, I was recruited to play for the Evoshield Canes, one of the top travel programs in the nation.

PBR: What summer team will you be playing for in the summer?

Willis: Evoshield Canes 2017 Prime (16U).

PBR: Being such a highly touted 2017 prospect, the recruiting process has inevitably started early for you. What are your feelings towards the recruiting process and how have you dealt with it?

Willis: It's certainly an honor to be looked at by some of these top college programs as a potential recruit. At first, it was a little intimidating to talk to the coaches on the phone or in-person, but you start to realize you can just talk baseball with them and I have become more comfortable talking to them. Having met a lot of other top players across the country has helped because we keep in contact and talk about how their process is going. We are all kind of learning together, even though the process is different for every player and every school, so it is good that we are all in the same boat.

PBR: What are some of the schools that you are most interested in?

Willis: Miami, Vanderbilt, Oregon State, Wake Forest, University of San Diego, and Georgia Tech.

PBR: Have you made any unofficial visits yet?

Willis: NC State, Georgia Tech, Miami, University of San Diego, Vanderbilt, and University of Maryland.

PBR: What college coaches have you built the best relationships with?

Willis:

Pat Bailey – Oregon State

Gino DiMare/JD Arteaga – Miami

Greg Sullivan – Boston College

Rich Hill – University of San Diego

Sammy Esposito – South Carolina

PBR: Have you set a timeline for yourself in the recruiting process?

Willis: Much like I did with my high school decision, I want to explore all my options and find the best overall fit for me, both academically and baseball-wise. I have not set a definite timeline. If the right offer is made, then I will feel good committing to that program. I just do not want to commit without feeling 100% sure that it is the right decision for the next phase of my baseball career.