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High School  | General  | 2/24/2023

Northeast All Region Team

David Rawnsley     
Photo: Thomas White (Perfect Game)
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States Represented: NY, CT, MA, RI, VT, NH, ME
 
In an imaginary tournament between the All-Region teams the Northeast Region might have some trouble scoring runs but one thing that would be guaranteed is that the games would be low scoring on both sides.  The Northeast pitching staff has three PG All-Americans, including the top left-hander in the country in Massachusetts’ Thomas White, and plenty of hard throwing depth after the first five.



New York also has, at least momentarily, become a hot bed for shortstops, forcing the number two shortstop in the 2025 class, Jayden Stroman, over to third base.  Owen Paino, the second ranked shortstop in the junior class, and fast rising senior Sammy Stafura, a potential Day One draft, are the middle infielders.  Virginia signee Eric Becker missed the cut despite being one of the best hitters on the PG summer circuit over the last two years and looks to be a future college standout.

Perennial Rhode Island powerhouse Bishop Hendricken, behind PG All-American lefty Alexander Clemmey and an outstanding junior class, is the only team ranked in the PG Pre-Season Top 50, checking in at 49th nationally.

 
C –  David McCann (Sr., Avon Old Farms HS, Conn.)
McCann is one of the more polished catchers to come out of the Northeast in years and has stood out as the starting catcher for the Dirtbags travel club for the past two years.  He’s a left-handed hitter with some pop in his bat and is signed with Virginia Tech.

1B –   Gabriel Tirado (Jr., The Loomis Chaffee School, Conn.)
Tirado is a primary catcher who also plays first base but his best position is in the left-handed batters box.  An extra strong 5-foot-9, 205-pound athlete with some athletic twitch, Tirado has outstanding bat speed and an explosive swing.  He’s a career .375-10-58 hitter with a 1.142 OPS in 82 PG games and impressively was named All-Tournament at the 2022 WWBA World Championships after hitting .400 with four RBI.

MIF –  Sammy Stafura (Sr., Walter Panas HS, N.Y.)
Stefura’s outstanding summer and fall on the travel circuit has made him the top ranked senior position player in the Northeast at 37th overall and put him in consideration for being a Day One draft pick heading into the spring.  A Clemson signee, Stafura hit .360-4-10 at the 2022 WWBA 17U National Championships and almost led the Dirtbags to the 2022 WWBA World Championship by hitting .474 with five steals and playing outstanding defense at shortstop.

MIF –  Owen Paino (Jr., Roy Ketcham HS, N.Y.)
Paino is a bigger middle infielder at 6-foot-3, 205-pounds but is exceptionally smooth defensively at shortstop and projects to stay at the position unless he continues to grow.  A left-handed hitter, Paino is the eighth ranked player in the 2024 class nationally and the second ranked shortstop.

3B –  Jayden Stroman (So., The Stony Brook, N.Y.)
The younger brother of Cubs RHP Marcus Stroman, Jayden Stroman is a strong-bodied switch-hitting middle infielder who is the fourth ranked player in the 2025 class nationally.  A 6.69 runner in the sixty already, Stroman’s best present tool is his bat.  He’s hit .458-5-38 with 29 stolen bases in 46 PG games over the last two seasons. 

OF –  Chad Falcon (Sr., St. Joseph’s HS, N.Y.)
Falcon is a strong left-handed hitting and throwing outfielder with a St. Johns scholarship who also is an upper 80’s pitcher on the mound.  He hit .406-6-25 last spring as a junior and has hit .348-7-57 in 72 games of PG play over the past two years.

OF –  Isaiah Shivers (Jr., Midwood HS, N.Y.)
Shivers is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-handed hitting outfielder with big power potential and a strong throwing arm.  He has stood out at PG tournaments playing for the MLB Breakthrough Series and for 3N2 Sticks Baseball.

OF –  Dominick Carbone (Sr., Rocky Point, N.Y.)
Carbone was the most dominant player on the Northeast travel circuit this past summer and fall, winning three Most Valuable Player awards at WWBA events for his two-way ability and being named All-Tournament as both a left-handed pitcher and a player at the WWBA 16U National Championship.  The Coastal Carolina signee hit .418-3-27 with 31 stolen bases in 41 games while also striking out 52 hitters in 34 innings on the mound.

LHP – Alexander Clemmey (Sr., Bishop Hendrickson HS, R.I.)
A 2022 PG All-American, Clemmey is one of the most uncomfortable at-bats in the country with his long limbed 6-foot-6, 210-pound build and a high energy crossfire delivery that has produced fastballs up to 97 mph to go with a big sweeping slider and a surprisingly good change up.  The Vanderbilt signee is the sixth ranked left-hander in the country headed into the spring and is ranked 49th overall.

RHP – Josh Knoth (Sr., Patchogue-Medford HS, N.Y.)
Knoth was a 2022 PG All-American and owns one of the best curveballs in the country, a low 80’s hammer that produces spin rates over 3,000 rpm and strongly passes the eye test.  Just as impressively, Knoth, who touches 94 mph with his fastball, is a strike throwing machine.  He struck out 107 hitters in 45 innings last spring while only walking five hitters and has a similar strike out to walk ratio in PG play over the past two years with 79 strikeouts and nine walks in 47 innings.

LHP – Justin Leguernic (Sr., Half Hollow Hills West HS, N.Y.)
Leguernic is a very projectable 6-foot-5, 200-pound southpaw who is the 98th overall prospect in the 2023 class and the 15th ranked left-hander.  He throws from a cross body mid ¾’s arm slot that gives him big angle to the plate and tops out at 92 mph on his fastball.  Leguernic’s best pitch is a big sweeping low 80’s slider that plays up due to his release slot.  He is signed with Clemson.

RHP – Jack Cropper (Sr., Norwood HS, Mass.)
Cropper has been getting huge buzz already this spring in the Northeast as the 6-foot, 180-pound right-hander has been working in the mid-90’s and topping out at 98 mph in bullpens to go with a low 80’s breaking ball.  Cropper, who is a Northeastern signee, went 2-0, 2.58 with 63 strikeouts in 35 innings as a junior.

LHP – Thomas White (Sr., Phillips Academy, Mass.)
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound White is the top ranked pitcher in the 2023 class, checking in at sixth overall, and is armed with a fastball that sits in the 94-96 range to go with a huge sweeping 80 mph slider with 2700+ spin rates and a silky smooth delivery.  He went 6-1, 0.21 last spring with 70 strikeouts in 30 innings for Phillips Academy.

UT –  Sebastian Lippman (Jr., Plainview Old Bethpage/JFK HS, N.Y.)
Lippman is a primary right handed pitcher who has already topped out at 95 mph to go with 74 mph curveball and has plenty more potential in his very athletic 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame.  The Georgia Tech commit also doubles as a switch-hitting middle infielder when not on the mound.

 
Northeast Region Top Tools


Best Hitter for Average: Sammy Stafura (Sr., Walter Panas HS, N.Y.)
Stafura seems to hit better with wood than metal based on his performance numbers and hits better against better pitching as well.  Both bode very well for his future at professional level if that is where he’s playing in 2024.

Best Hitter for Power: Jayden Stroman (So., The Stony Brook, N.Y.)
This is a bit of a projection for sophomore Stroman but the Northeast doesn’t have many power bats and there is little doubt that Stroman is going to have plus power down the road, probably from both sides of the plate.

Best Runner: Sammy Stafura (Sr., Walter Panas HS, N.Y.)
Stafura has run an impressive 6.41 sixty but his speed is more the first step quickness type that plays up in games on the bases and in range in the middle infield.  It’s an impact tool for him.

Best Defensive Catcher: David McCann (Sr., Avon Old Farms HS, Conn.)
Years of catching high level pitching on the travel circuit have certainly impacted McCann’s defensive skills.  He’s a 6.94 runner with very good agility behind the plate and an 80 mph throwing arm.

Best Defensive Infielder: Owen Paino (Jr., Roy Ketcham HS, N.Y.)
Paino slows the game down very well and has exceptional hands and balance through the ball.  Even if he ends up at third base he should be above average there.

Best Defensive Outfielder: Dominick Carbone (Sr., Rocky Point, N.Y.)
Carbone is a plus runner with a 90 mph arm off the mound, so all the tools are there to be a impactful defensive outfielder.

Best Defensive Arm: Adam Agresti (Sr., Kennedy Catholic HS, N.Y.)
Agresti has what one PG scout called a “hand cannon” for his prodigious arm strength behind the plate and has been gunned at 87 mph in drills.  The 6-foot-3, 225-pound receiver is signed with St. Johns.

Best Fastball: Alexander Clemmey (Sr., Bishop Hendrickson HS, R.I.)
Other fastballs in the strong armed Northeast Region might bump a bit more in pure velocity than Clemmey, such as Jack Cropper, but Clemmey’s combination of delivery deception and late life make his fastball the most difficult to hit of the group.

Best Off-Speed Stuff: Josh Knoth (Sr., Patchogue-Medford HS, N.Y.)
Knoth’s curveball has proven unhittable both on Long Island and on the travel circuit and will continue to produce tons of swing and miss at the next level.  Thomas White’s slider is not far behind both in quality and command.

Best Pitchability: Thomas White (Sr., Phillips Academy, Mass.)
White throws so easily with such a clean delivery that it’s sometime surprising when he misses the strike zone.  He spots his fastball and slider with intent and has the ability to add and subtract from his slider and change the shape.

Best Multi-Sport Athlete: Javar Williams (Sr., Tabor Academy, Mass.)
Williams posted huge numbers on the football field as a speedy running back but the 6-foot-2, 180-pound left-handed hitting outfielder is signed to play baseball at Wake Forest.  Owen Paino is an outstanding basketball player who was named All-Section as a junior.