NYS Games Player Preview: 2018 C Steven Carullo (Commack HS)
May 3, 2017
Dan Cevette
President, New York
Over 200 of the top players in the state will all travel to Binghamton, NY for the 2017 New York State Games on the evening of June 25th through June 27th. Over the next two months we will highlight some of the players attending this years event through our new feature.
NYS Games Player Preview
Scouting Report
Winter Open (February 26, 2017)
Carullo is a solid 5-foot-9 170 pound catcher who ran a 7.79 60 and 4.47 home-to-1B. Offensively- Slightly open setup; hands work straight back into a strong launch position. Stride gets back to even with some weight shift to his front side; hands sweep through the zone with pull side/line drive results. Will have better barrel control keeping hands inside contact longer. Exit velocity was 84 MPH. Defensively- Low to the ground, compact setup; exchanges feet tight to the plate while gaining ground towards 2B. Short action from a high 3/4 slot, arm strength at 70 MPH with pop times ranging from 1.91-2.04. As arm strength continues to improve, Carullo's stock will rise.Top Prospect Preview (January 16, 2017)
Carullo, a 2018 right-handed hitting catcher/outfielder, stands at 5-foot-9 and weighs 175 pounds, ran a 4.62 from home to first. Offensively- Starts with an open balanced lower half, hands above the back shoulder and barrel of the bat resting on the back shoulder parallel to the ground. Initiates the swing with a moderate shift of weight to the back side while the lead foot elevates striding forward landing on the toe, with the hands loaded straight back slightly outside the back shoulder and barrel of the bat getting slightly more than 45 degrees with a slight wrap towards the pitcher. Displayed an ability to drive the ball, located middle in, from the pull side gap to the center of the field. Recorded an exit velocity of 83 MPH on the day, but could significantly improve the bat speed with an ability to keep the hands behind the rotation of the hips and stay more linear, keeping the back knee deeper than the lead knee, from contact thru extension. Defensively- Triangular primary setup is athletic, with the elbow above the knee and glove in front of in front of the left shin guard. Receives the ball well, using a shift of hips and sway and ankle sway getting around the ball on the inner and outer third to give quality presentation. Displayed a quick release, but could be quicker as the hands drop below the chest as the ball is transferred with a circular motion rather than a more direct straight transfer from the center of the body. Showed a quality top pop time of 1.90 (range of 1.9-2.0) and arm velocity of 71 MPH. Strong bodied catcher that has some tools to build on and help a program at the next level.