Prep Baseball Report

CPBA Scout Day: Top Performers


TJ Hunt
Director, PBR New Jersey

The Complete Performance Baseball Academy had their Scout Day recently and a trio of Rowan recruits really stood out from the bunch. The trio are also teammates on their high school team and State Champion, Pascack Hills (Montvale, NJ).

Check out the complete stats page in .pdf format HERE

Scrappy infielder uncommitted '19 Julian Bulzomi (Pascack Hills HS, NJ) is 5-foot-9 155-pounds and possesses a motor that is unwavering. His actions in the infield project well at all spots, and seems to be a true utility Ben-Zobrist-type defender at the next level. Ran a 7.28 60-yard dash and topped at 79 MPH across the infield. Starts in a tall, neutral stance with hands in line with back shoulder. Creates rhythm in hands and arms prepitch. Uses a small leg lift and stride to start swing. Line drive hitter that creates barrel extension and slight uptick on finish.

BULZOMI VIDEO

 

Rowan recruit ‘19 C Marc Hernandez (Pascack Hills HS, NJ) certainly stood out as one of the top overall athletes at the event. He ran the top recorded 60 time – a 7.02. He stands out with his quick catch-and-throw attributes behind the dish – recorded 67 MPH down to 2B and routinely between 2.13-2.27 down to 2B. He handles a high school staff that two high-caliber Division I arms in ‘19 LHP Ryan Ramsey (Maryland recruit) and ‘19 RHP Brandon Siegenthaler (Villanova recruit) with ease. Quiet at the plate, uses a small foot stride to start swing with minimal hand load. Flat barrel path creates line drive pop.

Rowan recruit 2019 SS Chris Curcio (Pascack Hills HS, NJ) was another impressive athlete from the event and stood out with his powerful display during batting practice. A lean, lanky-athletic frame at 6-feet 160-pounds, Curcio ran a 7.04 60-yard dash and topped at 85 MPH across the infield and a 92 MPH exit velocity. At the plate, the right handed swinger starts in an opened stance with hands above back shoulder and creates rhythm in hands and arms prepitch. Uses a foot lift and stride to start swing. Hands load down and then back with some fluidity. Hips fire and hands/arms follow to form a “whip” to the baseball. Quick, short stroke through the zone creates gap to gap pop. In the field, the actions speak for themselves. Similar to his high school teammate Julian Bulzomi, Curcio can play anywhere on the field. Clean, quick glove exchange into a high-¾ slot. The ball jumps out of his hand with some arm side run. Later in the night, Curcio jumped on the mound and revved it up to 83 MPH and sat mostly 81-83 in a bullpen setting. Showed some 11/5 feel for his curveball at 66-69 and a straight changeup for strikes at 72-73.

Another Pascack Hills athlete of note was 2020 C Christian Kim. Kim’s imposing, broad shouldered stature at 6-foot-4 215-pounds made him stand out from the start. Kim ran a 7.84 60 yard dash, and topped at 70 MPH from behind the plate with 2.08-2.27 pop times. Also plated 1B and topped at 72 MPH across the diamond. At the plate, starts in a tall, neutral stance with hands above back shoulder and bat parallel to the ground. Uses a small leg lift and stride to start swing. Drove the ball into the gaps from the right side with a slight uptick in finish. From behind the plate, clean glove exchange into a high-¾ slot with a short arm action. Small hitch in arm action. Throws were firm and on the base with backspin.

2020 LHP Brooks Thompson (Ramsey HS, NJ) is going to raise eyebrows this spring. Thompson emerged as a top performer from this event not by his velocity, but by his easy effort, projectable pitcher’s build, and long/clean arm action. The lanky 6-foot-2 180-pounder was 76-78 and showcased an impressive 1/7 breaking ball with sharp, late bite. Showed command of a changeup with armside run at 70-72, as well. With some polishing, don’t be surprised if Thompson is in the low to mid 80s come next spring/summer. Firm back leg at balance point, more of drop and drive type. Uphill shoulders at front foot landing. Front leg lands square and in line with home plate. Arm action is easy and smooth – high-¾ slot. Firm front landing leg and creates extension over lead side on release.

THOMPSON VIDEO

 

2020 INF Ben Bibergal (Ramsey HS, NJ) has a lanky build at 5-foot-11 155-pounds. Ran the 60 yard dash in 7.82-seconds and topped an exit velocity at 75 MPH. Bibergal’s foundation is there – another scrappy infielder with actions at SS that project to the next level. Bouces around and creates flow through the baseball upon fielding it – glove exchange is quick and easy and bring ball to a high-¾ slot. 72 MPH across the infield. At the plate, Bibergal starts in a quiet compact stance with neutral feet and a slight bend to his knees. Hands are below back shoulder. As pitch arrives, he uses a quick front foot stride and hands load up and back slightly. Line drive hitter now – but expect Bibergal to continue to add muscle to his lanky frame.

The measurables for 2022 C/3B Billy Mulholland (Pascack Hills HS, NJ) won’t jump off the page (yet) but if you could see, or rather, hear Mulholland’s bat during his batting practice round – you would understand why he is on the list of top performers. As just a freshman in the early months of high school – Mulholland put on an impressive display of power. He starts with a slightly opened stance and hands above back shoulder with the bat parallel to the ground and weight on back leg. As pitch arrives, he uses a small leg lift and stride to start swing. Hands stay stagnant throughout. Mulholland still needs to grow into his body and get stronger, and perhaps create some more rhythm to his load – but the power is there and will show more in the future.

Stony Brook recruit, 2020 RHP Brendan Pattermann (Emerson HS, NJ) was 83-85 on the bump in a bullpen setting with a short, quick arm action from a high-¾ slot. Showed flashes of briliance with his breaking ball with tight 11/5 spin at 66-69 MPH. Broad-shouldered and physical at 6-foot-2 200-pounds, Pattermann burst on to the scene early in the summer as a high follow prospect at the Summer Preview North at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Throwing strictly from the stretch, Pattermann rising into a high-firm balance leg and leads with his front hip down the mound. Uphill shoulders at front foot landing, finishes over a firm lead leg and creates extension on finish. Was up to 90 MPH at a Stony Brook camp a few weeks later.

Another Pascack Hills player, uncommitted 2020 OF Alex Couto impressed with his arm strength from the outfield. Couto topped at 83 MPH from the OF – and throws were firm with backspin on the bag each time. Shorter arm action from a high-¾ slot. Ball gets in and out of the glove quickly. At the plate, Couto starts in a tall, neutral stance with hands above back shoulder. As pitch comes in, he uses a small leg lift and stride to start swing. Minimal hand load. At 5-foot-6 125-pounds, Couto is still growing into his frame. Expect him to make marked improvements as he continues to add muscle.

Caldwell recruit 2019 INF Peter Durocher (Emerson HS, NJ) has an athletic build at 6-foot-1 172-pounds. Ran the 60 yard dash in 7.36-seconds and recorded an exit velocity of 86 MPH. At the plate, Durocher starts in a taller, athletic stance with hands just below back shoulder. As pitch arrives, he uses a quiet foot stride to start his swing with his hands loading slightly up and back. Creates some line drive pop with more to come as he continues to get stronger. In the infield, throws topped at 83 MPH across the diamond from SS. Fields ball in front of body into a glove exchange at his mid-section. Short, quick arm action with some arm side run.

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