By TJ Hunt
Director of Scouting, New Jersey

With the fall and winter showcases coming to a close, Prep Baseball Report New Jersey takes a look at the Updated 2018 rankings. Many new prospects come into the rankings while many prospects have made jumps, some drastically. 

+ Nothing changes within the Top 5, as Vanderbilt-bound 3B Justyn-Henry Malloy (St. Joseph's Montvale HS, NJ) still reigns as the No. 1 prospect, followed by Maryland recruit Jack Herman (Eastern Regional HS, NJ), Duke-bound RHP Jack Carey (St. Peter's Prep HS, NJ), Maryland-bound OF Nick Decker (Sencea HS, NJ), and Alabama recruit RHP/OF Tyler Ras (Middletown North HS, NJ).

+ RHP Nick Payero (Monroe Township HS, NJ) emerged as one of the top uncommitted players in the state at No. 9. Payero was 87-88 in Fort Myers last October with a quick arm from a high-3/4 slot.

+ No. 17 RHP Ryan Cardona (Livingston HS, NJ) burst on to the scene earlier this month, sitting 88-90 and touching 91 in an extended bullpen session. Cardona shows impressive athleticism and explosiveness going down the mound. Showcased a 70-72 mph breaker and a changeup with armside fade at 78-80. 

+ No. 21 Arbert Cipion (Passaic County Tech HS, NJ) is another athlete that burst on to the scene this winter - with an impressive showing at the Preseason All-State Showcase, eventually leading him to be named the Top Overall Prospect from the event. The broad shouldered and physically built Cipion stands 6-foot-1 177-pounds. Recorded the PBR NJ record 6.64 60 Yard Dash, threw 89 mph from the OF, and a 93 mph exit velocity.

+ No. 26 LHP Andrew Vail (Gloucester Catholic HS, NJ) was another top performer at the Preseason All-State Showcase showing a lightning quick arm at 85-86 and a changeup with some fade. No. 34 RHP/1B Joseph Sprake (Middletown South HS, NJ) was 86-87 touching 88 at the Preseason All-State Showcase and tied a PBR NJ record for the exit velocity at 101 mph.

+ No. 29 RHP/OF Nick Houghton (Nottingham HS, NJ) exudes athleticism at 6-foot-1 158-pounds. Long, wiry frame that has a quick arm on the mound and is equally as impressive at the plate. Houghton was a major part of Nottingham's run in the state tournament last year, and will continue to make an influence in Mercer County this year. The right hander was 83-84 at the Preseason All-State and also ran a sub-7.00 60 yard dash at 6.96.

+ No. 41 Raul Ortega stated his case for one of the top catching prospects in a NJ class that is chock full of them. The switch hitting Ortega showcased impressive strength from both sides of the plate with a quiet, controlled approach in the box. Recorded pop times between 1.91-1.97 at 77 mph down to 2B as well.

Prospects on the rise

+ No. 46 OF Conner MacNeill (Haddonfield HS, NJ) has a strong, physical build at 6-foot-5 200-pounds. Tied the PBR NJ record for exit velocity at 101 mph at the Preseason All-State Showcase. Shows explosive hips and hands in swing creating power.

+ No. 50 RHP Gerry Siracusa (Bergen Catholic HS, NJ) has a lanky athletic build with a loose, quick arm. Sat 82-84 touching 85 from a high-3/4 slot earlier this month.

+ No. 53 RHP Aiden Tucker (River Dell HS, NJ) has a projectable 6-foot-3 190-pound build. Sat 83-84 earlier this month from a high-3/4 slot and a slider at 72-73.

+ RHP Marcus Eusebio (Passaic County Tech HS, NJ) is 5-foot-11 165-pounds with an athletic build. Sat 86-87 at the Preseason All-State Showcase. Creates power and velocity from strong lower half with a long, loose arm action from a high-3/4 slot.

+ RHP Billy O'Brien (Don Bosco Prep HS, NJ) has a lanky, projectable build with long wiry limbs. Sat 82-84 touching 85-86 earlier this month. Separates himself from the pack with an exceptional 11/5 breaking ball at 69-70 for strikes. Also flashed a slider with smaller, harder break at 75-78.

+ C Drayven Kowalski (Steinert HS, NJ) has a lanky athletic build at 6-feet 168-pounds. Another impressive switch hitting catcher from the Preseason All-State Showcase, Kowalski still has room to put on muscle to his frame. Pop times between 1.91-2.00, and threw 74 mph down to 2B. Explodes out of the crouch.

+ RHP Patrick Spina (Holy Spirit HS, NJ) is another pitcher to be sure to follow throughout this spring and summer. Physically built with broad shoulders already at his age at 6-foot-3 200-pounds. Sat 81-83 at the Preseason All-State. Arm action is clean and mechanics are sound and repeatable. Recently was up to 83-85 in scrimmages earlier this month. Watch for Spina to emerge as one of the top uncommitted 2018s as the summer approaches.

+ C Thomas Rodgers (Christian Brothers Academy HS, NJ) has a strong, athletic build at 6-feet 180-pounds. Explosive lower half at the plate helps him generate some gap-to-gap power. Tied for the highest catcher velocity at 77 mph at the Preseason All-State Showcase. Recorded pop times between 1.94-2.01.

The Top 25

RANK	NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
1	Justyn-Henry Malloy	NJ	St. Joseph's Montvale	2018	3B	Vanderbilt
2	Jack Herman	NJ	Eastern Regional	2018	OF	Maryland
3	Jack Carey	NJ	St. Peter's Prep	2018	RHP	Duke
4	Nick Decker	NJ	Seneca	2018	OF	Maryland
5	Tyler Ras	NJ	Middletown North	2018	RHP	Alabama
6	Christian Hlinka	NJ	Delaware Valley	2018	OF	Virginia
7	Matthew Rivera	NJ	Holy Spirit	2018	C
8	Nick Payero	NJ	Monroe Township	2018	RHP
9	Sean Heine	NJ	Shawnee	2018	RHP	Maryland
10	Evan Giordano	NJ	Gloucester Catholic	2018	SS	Stony Brook
11	Kevin Eaise	NY	St. Augustine Prep	2018	RHP	Pennsylvania
12	Alex Havlicek	NJ	Indian Hills HS	2018	RHP	Virginia Tech
13	Brandon Hylton	NJ	Watchung Hills	2018	1B
14	Ian Murphy	NJ	Gloucester Catholic	2018	RHP	St. John's
15	Darius Diaz	NJ	Perth Amboy	2018	C	Kennesaw State
16	Colin Wetterau	NJ	Shawnee	2018	C	St. John's
17	Ryan Cardona	NJ	Livingston	2018	RHP
18	Nick DeGennaro	NJ	Toms River East	2018	RHP	Stony Brook
19	Danny Serretti	NJ	Governor Livingston	2018	SS	St. John's
20	Jack Zyska	NJ	Seton Hall Prep	2018	OF	Notre Dame
21	Arbert Cipion	NJ	Passaic County Tech	2018	OF
22	Chris Gerard	NJ	Bergen Catholic	2018	LHP	Maryland
23	Billy Price	NJ	Delbarton School	2018	LHP	Virginia
24	Matthew Stil	NJ	Cherokee	2018	RHP	Charleston Southern
25	Cole Patten	NJ	Sparta	2018	RHP	Seton Hall

To view the rest of the NJ 2018 Rankings CLICK HERE>>


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