New England Insider: Updated Class of 2017 Player Rankings (March)
March 16, 2017
By Dennis Healy, Trevor Brown and PBR Staff
Co-Director of Scouting
New England Insider: Updated Class of 2017 Player Rankings (March)
As the winter showcase season comes to an end and the spring season being right around the corner, we at PBR New England would like to take a look at the Class of 2017 Player Rankings.
Our staff evaluated talent all across the region during the fall/winter seasons and we have had the pleasure of seeing a large group of solid players, both in the spring and summer. Prospects are popping up left and right, making velocity jumps, improving 60-yard dash times and showing more power with the bat.
With that being said, we will look into “What’s New At The Top”, some “Rising Prospects”, "The Newcomers", "Sleeper Prospects" and take a look at some of the top uncommitted prospects.
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Covering six states, New England is a prime area for legit baseball talent and now we would like to bring to you the updated 2017 Player Rankings.
At The Top
Super 60 attendee Matt Tabor of Milton Academy jumps up in the rankings to #2, with an impressive showing at the Super 60, where he touched 92 mph with his fastball a number of times. Christopher Holcomb, reclassified after reclassifying from a 2017 to a 2018, is now back to a 2017. The quick arm left-hander is ranked #5 and will attend Alabama to pitch in the SEC. Owen Batchelder, Northeastern commit jumped up the rankings to #14, as he is progressing very nicely. Joseph Sacco, right-hander headed for URI jumped up to #22 after his legit showing at the Preseason Massachusetts All-State event.
Matt Tabor, RHP
Ranked: #2
Scouting Report: Elon recruit. 6-foot-1, 163-pound right-handed pitcher, wiry-thin frame, narrow-shouldered. Working from a high-3/4 slot, Tabor’s arm is highly athletic, clean and ultra-quick. He works with tempo, repeats his athletic delivery and throws three quality pitches for strikes, showcasing true starter’s stuff. Every fastball Tabor threw was 92 mph, the only pitcher at the Super 60 to hold premium velocity both from the windup and stretch. His fastball showed arm-side life to both sides of the plate while peppering the lower half of the strike zone. He throws both off-speed pitches with similar aggressive, up-tempo arm action, also for consistent strikes. He worked his changeup at 80-82 with arm-side sink. His curveball sat 79-81 with tight spin and shorter 11/5 action.
Chris Holcomb, LHP
Ranked: #5
Scouting Report: Long and athletic left-handed pitcher who's fastball sits in the mid-80s with life and run. Good short arm swing on the backside and releases the ball out of a 3/4 arm slot. The changeup shows the same as his fastball out of the hand, could be a plus, swing and miss pitch at the next level The breaking ball is good and sits in the low-70s. The spin is 11/7 and will develop with time. The frame is long and the lanky, room to fill for sure. High end prospect.
Owen Batchelder, LHP
Ranked: #14
Scouting Report: 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-hander who pitches 84-87 with plus arm-side run. The slot is slightly above ¾ and he repeats an athletic delivery. The spin is a small slurve at this point, working its way to a slider. The pitch has a chance to be plus. The changeup is progressing nicely. Should be able to log innings right away in college. The frame projects and the arm speed is good. The delivery has tweaks to me made, as he is wide with the glove side and leans a bit to home at lift. Love the potential.
Joseph Sacco, RHP
Ranked: #22
Scouting Report: 6-foot-1, 220-pound right-hander who is developing very nicely since we last saw him. The fastball was up to 87 mph, with plays downhill plane to it. The breaking ball is much improved, as its harder and more 11/7 in rotation. The pitch sat in the mid-70s, with more to come to it. The changeup is coming along nicely, as it shows fade and sink to it. The pitch sat at 76-78 mph, which is bit to firm for me. The delivery is online and repeated, pitches out of a plus ¾ arm slot. Small amount of glove side pull to the delivery as he comes off target a bit early. Should have a good senior year as his fastball at times can be plus, and should make the jump to D1 with ease.
The Risers
Chris McGrory, Billy Black and Patrick Gallagher have all made jumps in the rankings as we head into the 2017 spring season. All three arms are going to be pitching at the Division 1 level and should be able to make the adjustments with ease. Looking forward to seeing them progress even more this spring.
Chris McGrory, RHP
Ranked: # 31
Scouting Report: 6-foot-6, 230-pound right-hander who projects to be a good arm at the next level. The fastball touches upper-80s with a good downhill plane to it. The secondary pitches are a work in progress but both show the makings of being usable. The spin pitch is a breaking ball in the low-70s. The changeup shows the correct fade and action to it. The delivery is clean and repeated. High ceiling for this young man who is also an outstanding student. Will attend Harvard and pitch for the Crimson.
Billy Black, RHP
Ranked: #33
Scouting Report: 6-foot-2, 160-pound long athletic frame, shoulders are sloped, has plenty of room to add for future development. A right-handed pitcher, arm is clean, free and works out of a ¾ slot. The delivery has good tempo, has a power leg kick, with some coil to it. The separation is clean, gets down the mound and the direction is inline. Throws all three pitches out of the same slot. The fastball sat at 84-86 mph with life to the arm-side. The curveball was at 67-70 mph with 10/4 break to it. The changeup has a chance to be big time pitch, showed proper fade to arm-side, was thrown at 73-74 mph. The backside could stay stronger, drops on it at times. Times to the plate were 1.34, without much effort, will get quicker as he develops.
Patrick Gallagher, RHP
Ranked: #57
Scouting Report: At 5-foot-10, 195-pounds, Patrick shows a quick arm, touching 85 mph and spinning the ball in the low-70s. Impressive arm speed out of a high-¾ slot with some effort. Delivery is repeatable and he spins off a bit. Shows an aggressive approach to pitching. Gets after it and shoves the ball in there. Shows a changeup at 73 mph and the ability to maintain his arm speed on it. Also showed the ability to handle the running game with a 1.38 time to the plate out of the stretch.
THE NEWCOMERS
Here is a look at some of the newcomers to keep an eye on this coming spring. Brendan Conley is a right-handed hitting utility guy headed to University of Buffalo. Jordan Allard, from the great state of Vermont is a dual athlete with plenty of potential. Eddie McCabe is a plus runner head to Georgetown. Keep an eye on him.
The sleepers are many, as I like a bunch. Matt Stansky, right-hander from St Johns Shrewsbury is a good one, he is headed to Bryant. Karl Johnson is a quality right-hander who could make a jump this coming spring. The same could be said for Fletcher Seudmeir. Keep an eye out for Luke Hall, as I like the way he swings the bat.
Brendan Conley, OF/INF
Ranked: #44
Scouting Report: 5-foot-8, 175-pound right-handed hitting utility player. Can play the infield, as the glove is solid, the feet work and the arm is plenty. In the infield, he sits 81 mph across the diamond with accuracy. The outfield arm strength was 80 mph. Shows the ability to play all three positions in the outfield but most likely fits in center. Ran a 4.24 on his dig to first base. At the plate, showed a tee exit velocity of 93 mph. The setup is one where his feet are close together and he gains distance to the pitcher as the ball comes in. The bat path is direct and has good life to it. The bottom half of the swing may need to get more under control as he advances levels. During batting practice he showed the ability to spread the field with plus bat speed.
Jordan Allard, RHP
Ranked: #65
Scouting Report: Athletic right-handed pitcher who pitches out of a plus 3/4 slot. The delivery is athletic and he repeats. The fastball is 86-88 mph with good life to it. The breaking pitch has the right shape to it, sits in the low-70s. The changeup is a work in progress. Positionally, plays in the middle of the field. The glove is solid and the prep steps need to be cleaned up. The arm has plenty of strength to it. Foot speed is optimal to stay in the middle of the field. The bat has life to it, and can expect him to use his foot speed to aid his offensive game.
Eddie McCabe, SS
Ranked: #32
Scouting Report: An extremely athletic right-handed hitting middle infielder, who can really run, 60-yard is 6.6, with a easy kick, by far his best tool. Offensively, the stance is even and taller. The hands are held above the back shoulder and elbow extended back. The swing path is level to up, stays in the middle of the field. Defensively, has an above average arm, hands are soft and keeps his feet moving throughout.
Matt Stansky, RHP
Ranked: #59
Scouting Report: 6-foot-1, 200-pound ultra quick armed right-hander, who has a stocky build and fast twitch actions. The delivery is uptempo with a leg lift and glide to home. Tracking his shoulders and controlling his balance all the way through should help his development. The fastball sits in the low-80s and has life to it, as it comes out of the hand very well. The spin pitch is a slider, and could be an out-pitch at the next level. The slider sits 73-78 mph. The changeup is a work in progress, touching 79 mph. Threw strikes in the bullpen session and did it with confidence. Has a legit arm, should be followed by everyone.
Karl Johnson, RHP
Ranked: #131
Scouting Report: 6-foot-3, 175-pound long-armed right-handed pitcher. Pitches with an easy ¾ arm slot, arm circle is short and clean. The delivery is repeated easily and he's a good athlete who can handle his body. Pitches in the low-80s with a good feel for throwing strikes, and controlling the sequences. The slider is small and a work in progress at this point. The changeup is a pitch in the makings. He is a big follow for me, and with some physical strength and innings under his belt will take him to a high level.
Fletcher Suedemeir, LHP
Ranked: #79
Scouting Report: UMass commit: 6-foot-7, 160-pound, thin, long and lengthy frame. Arms and legs are extremely long. The hands are huge and he has a ton of room to fill out. A left-handed pitcher, who continues to get better. Fastball sits consistently in the low-80s with much more in the tank. The delivery, has tempo and timing to it. The hands start low and work in sync with leg raise which is controlled and gets to a powerful gather. The arm action has good clean length to it, comes out of a natural ¾ slot and shows the ability to throw it to both sides of plate. The breaking ball was clocked at 68-71, the break is 11/5 from pitchers view. The changeup, when he stays behind and lets the grip do the work is good, with proper spin to arm side, clocked at 68-70 mph is an above average pitch, threw it left on left without much trouble. The backside lower half could get involved more, gets tied in on the finish, reps and practice, will help with angle to plate and depth to pitches. Look for him to take another big jump by the spring.
Luke Hall, C
Ranked: #211
Scouting Report: 5-foot-11, 180-pound Brandeis University commit. The frame needs strength, don’t get wrong, but the setup and path are genuine. The setup is wide and he has a small pick up and put down of the front foot. Ran a 4.61 down the line on his dig. Behind the dish, threw 79 mph with a pop time of 1.99. The throwing path is short and very quick. With added strength to the frame, this guy could be a legit guy. Tee exit velocity of 88 mph.
TOP UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS BY POSITION:
Below we look to name the top 2-3 prospects in specific categories for the 2017 class. Beyond the top three, there are numerous prospects that can help a collegiate program in some capacity.
- Top Right-Handed Arms: Brian Gaughan, Dylan Presnal, Christopher Gijsbers
- Top Left-Handed Arms: Noah Wachter, Jordan Weber, Matthew Kubel
- Top Catching Prospects: John Prentice, Michael Doyle, Daniel Steiner
- Top Outfield Prospects: Alex Almonte, Connor Mulligan, Stefen Strachan
- Top Middle Infield Prospects: Enyel Santana, Christopher Rotondo, Liam Sullivan
- Corner Infield Prospects: Sam Majewski, John Paul McDonald, Evan Balzano
New England Class of 2017 Rankings
| Rank |
Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Commitment |
| 1 | Benjamin Casparius | CT | Staples | 2017 | RHP | North Carolina |
| 2 | Matt Tabor | MA | Milton Academy | 2017 | RHP | Elon |
| 3 | Chris Lanzilli | MA | Dexter | 2017 | SS | Wake Forest |
| 4 | Jack Hodgson | CT | Choate | 2017 | RHP | Boston College |
| 5 | Chris Holcomb | MA | Barnstable | 2017 | LHP | Alabama |
| 6 | Jared Shuster | MA | Tabor Academy | 2017 | LHP | Wake Forest |
| 7 | Robert Cerulle | MA | Phillips Academy | 2017 | RHP | Pennsylvania |
| 8 | Beau Dana | MA | Deerfield Academy | 2017 | RHP | Georgetown |
| 9 | Ian Seymour | MA | St. Johns Shrewsbury | 2017 | LHP | Virginia Tech |
| 10 | Joseph Simeone | MA | Groton-Dunstable | 2017 | RHP | Connecticut |
***** To view the entire Top 370, please click here.