Surveying some of the top performers in Section V Baseball from the past week (May 3-8).
CARTER CLARK 6-foot-5-inch Jr. RHP/INF Hilton Cadets (Monroe County Division I) — Siena College commit attacks the zone on the mound with his fastball, effectively uses both sides of the plate and changes eye level of batters, spots up his off-speed pitches which he is comfortable using in a variety of counts, but is most comfortable with his fastball that shows late movement; disciplined at the plate, uses all fields and makes consistent contact.
MITCHELL KELLY 6-foot-3-inch Sr. OF/RHP Webster Thomas Titans (Monroe County Division II) — Game-changing speeds on the basepaths and in the field, Kelly shows natural instincts in centerfield where he reads the ball well off the bat and understands how to take effective angles to track fly balls; a doubles-out-of-the-box guy, he is an effective leadoff man for the Titans, makes consistent barrel contact while using alleys to drive the ball; fearless on the mound, he challenges hitters with his fastball and uses both sides of the plate.
DANIEL McALINEY 6-foot-4-inch Jr. RHP McQuaid Jesuit Knights (Independent) — SUNY Binghamton commit with a penchant for working his off-speed pitches, McAliney routinely induces weak contact using his breaking ball and/or slider in any count to any batter, not that he can’t dial it up a little, the right-hander spots his mid-80s fastball on either side of the plate, not bothered with men on base, those occurrences appear to heighten his focus on the strike zone.
VIEW MORE DENNIS JOYCE PHOTOS HERE.
BRIAN REINKE 6-foot-1-inch Sr. LHP/INF Honeoye Falls-Lima (Monroe County Division IV) — University of Richmond commit continues to impress with a breaking ball that induces weak contact, left-hander attacks the zone and uses both sides of the plate, comfortable getting batters to swing over top before ball breaks out of zone.
COOPER ROMICH 5-foot-11-inch So. C Churchville-Chili Saints (Monroe County Division II) — Smooth transition from glove to throwing motion, Romich has the ability to limit opposing baserunners, accurate from behind the plate with little to no effort in his motion; disciplined with a bat in his hand, he understands how to use all fields and adjusts well within at-bats.
CASEY SAUCKE II 6-foot-3-inch Sr. INF/RHP Greece Athena Trojans (Monroe County Division IV) — University of Virginia commit who impressed during his sophomore season with play at shortstop, took the mound in Athena’s opener on Tuesday as a half-dozen MLB scouts watched and he retired all 15 batters faced – 12 on strikes. Smooth and easy delivery, Saucke pounded the zone with fastballs, radar had him between 87-91 MPH but it’s easy to believe that number will be higher as the season progresses, spots his change up well and is developing a slider; at the plate he takes advantage of what few pitches he gets over the plate, short to the ball with a level plane through the zone he consistently makes barrel contact.
CHRIS SLEEPER 6-foot-2-inch Sr. RHP/INF Rush-Henrietta Royal Comets (Monroe County Division I) — West Virginia University commit deftly changes speeds and eye level with his fastball that he works on both sides of the plate, capable of maintaining motion while going to off-speed pitches, he is unflustered with men on base/in scoring position, adept at controlling the running game with pick-overs used to disrupt the rhythm of baserunner and coming set in the stretch before a comfortable lead can be had, uses athleticism to convert plays around the mound, he has eight strike outs in 10 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a batting average of .200; makes consistent barrel contact at the plate and uses all fields with power, shows plate discipline; underrated in the field with a reliable glove.
AIDEN STEWART 5-foot-10-inch Jr. INF McQuaid Jesuit Knights (Independent) — Siena College commit is a slick infielder who makes plays look routine, comfortable taking away hits up the middle with his backhand while going into the hole between first and second and getting his feet set for throws, high-level footwork helps Stewart stay on balance throughout plays; contact hitter who is comfortable making adjustments deep in counts while able to identify fastballs early in the count.
GAGE ZIEHL 6-foot-1-inch Sr. RHP/INF Penfield Patriots (Monroe County Division II) — University of Miami commit started the week with seven MLB scouts behind the backstop while he sat 92-94 MPH and touched 95, he struck out 13 over six innings of work; at the plate he collected four hits including a home run and a double, four walks and eight runs scored for the week, disciplined approach at the dish while able to cut it loose with a smooth and loose swing, makes consistent barrel contact and uses all fields, comfortable driving the ball into gaps; with his velocity on the mound and power at the plate, it is easy to overlook his glove work, always looks comfortable in the field, makes difficult plays look routine. Looking forward to seeing him pitch.
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