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High School  | General  | 2/29/2016

Regional HS Preview: Northeast

Photo: Perfect Game




For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2016 high school baseball preview content, the Dream Team is available for free. The region top tools can be viewed with an Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game's subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.




2016 Perfect Game High School Preview Index

Northeast Region: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

The Northeast region, traditionally pretty strong at producing pitching talent, is once again strong on the mound in 2016. Consensus No. 1 prospect Jason Groome (Barnegat, N.J.) leads the way in that regard, but not far behind him is Ian Anderson (Rexford, N.Y.), ranked fifth in the class of 2016. Both of them possess undeniable first round talent, with Groome the early favorite to go first overall in June.

However, even with the tremendous pitching talent that we have come to expect from the Northeast Region, there is still a wealth of talent in both the 2016 positional class as well as the 2017 class as a whole. Alex Kirilloff (New Kensington, Pa.) and Nolan Jones (Langhorne, Pa.) are both potential first rounders for this coming draft, each with impact tools both offensively and defensively.

Several 2015 Perfect Game All-Americans are from the Northeast as well. Groome, Anderson, Kirilloff, Jones and Jeff Belge all represented the Northeast, and did so quite well, at the All-American Classic back in August.


Northeast Region High School Dream Team

C – Brandon Martorano, Sr., Christian Brothers Academy, Marlboro, N.J.
The physically projectable Martorano, a North Carolina signee, has continually progressed with the bat and behind the plate, and now looks the part of a high-level catching prospect at the next level. His body and actions both project very well, and he’s shown high-level offensive tools as well.

1B – Alex Kirilloff, Sr., Plum HS, New Kensington, Pa.
The smooth-swinging, highly athletic Kirilloff has cemented himself pretty firmly into the first-round conversation for this coming draft, thanks to an enticing power/athleticism combination that many scouts believe profiles perfectly in right field, where he should be just fine defensively.

MIF – Jimmy Titus, Sr., East Catholic HS, Stafford, Conn.
Titus has two-way potential and could potentially play both ways at Bryant, where he is signed to play. A plus runner with excellent arm strength, he projects well both on the mound and defensively in the middle infield, to go along with advanced hitting tools and developing power.

MIF – Nolan Jones, Sr., Holy Ghost Prep, Langhorne, Pa.
Jones, with an outstanding performance at the WWBA World Championship in October, really vaulted himself into the first round conversation thanks to high-level hit tool projection. He also projects to hit for quality power while playing above average defense at the hot corner at the next level.

3B: Daniel Bakst, Sr., Poly Prep Country Day, New York, NY.  
Bakst has the potential to play several positions at the next level, and it remains to be seen which one will ultimately be his home. He projects extremely well with the bat, both in terms of power and average, so his future defensive home, while in question, is of little consequence when compared to his offensive future.

OF – Kobie Taylor, Sr., Portsmouth HS, Portsmouth, N.H.
Taylor can impact the game in a variety of ways, with smooth defensive actions, plenty of speed and a highly projectable bat. His swing is quick and simple with an innate feel for getting the barrel onto the ball, and as he continues to physically mature and add strength he will develop more and more power.

OF – Leugim Castillo, Jr., Lancaster HS, Lancaster, N.Y.
One of the best power/speed combinations in the country, Castillo has excellent size at 6-foot-2, 215-pounds and with that size he runs a tremendously impressive sub 6.4 60-yard dash time. At the National Underclass Main Event Showcase, Castillo, in addition to that raw speed, showed excellent power as well, with very good bat speed and carry off the barrel to all fields. 

OF – Quentin Holmes, Jr., Monsignor McClancy Memorial, East Elmhurst, N.Y.
An extremely quick-twitch, high performance athlete, Holmes is an elite runner with potentially excellent defensive skills, along with a highly projectable bat. He uses the whole field when hitting and has progressively added more strength to his swing, giving him a chance to hit for some power in addition to a high average.

UT – Nick O’Day, So., Bishop Shanahan HS, Coatesville, Pa.
Nick O’Day projects to be a very good two-way threat at Texas Christian University, where he is committed. He has excellent power at the plate and projects very well to a corner outfield spot, where he can impact the game both defensively and with the bat. He can also be an impactful on the mound, where he can currently get into the low-90s and projects for more.

P – Jason Groome, Sr., Barnegat HS, Barnegat, N.J.
The No. 1 prospect in all of baseball, Groome combines a rare combination of size, athleticism, projection, raw stuff and mechanical smoothness that is not often seen, let alone seen at the high school level. Working downhill with angle in the low- to mid-90s with a plus curveball and above average changeup, he may be the first player selected in this year’s draft.

P – Ian Anderson, Sr., Shenendehowha HS, Rexford, N.Y.
Blessed with one of the faster arms in the nation, Anderson’s combination of arm speed and physical projection lead many scouts to believe that he’ll eventually throw even harder than he does presently, when he can reach as high as 95 MPH. Coupled with advanced feel for a pair of off speed pitches and a clean, easy delivery; Anderson should hear his name called pretty early on draft day.

P – Matt Cleveland, Sr., Windsor HS, Windsor, Conn.
After bursting onto the scene at the Area Code Games, Cleveland again shined in Jupiter in October. With a long, easy arm action that fires the ball without much effort, Cleveland can work in the low-90s and sit there easily, touching as high as 94 mph with plenty of projection for more. He should be a name to watch this spring.

P – Jeff Belge, Sr., Henninger HS, Syracuse, N.Y.
Belge is a physically imposing presence when he steps on the mound, and has the stuff to back up that presence as well. He has touched as high as 94 mph before, and works comfortably in the low-90s with command to both sides. His curveball is also advanced, with very good spin and two-plane break, giving him two potentially bat-missing pitches.

P – Robert Peto, Sr., Monroe Twp HS, Monroe Township, N.J.
Peto is another of the Northeast arms who really project, with a highly athletic and projectable frame to go along with an easy delivery. His fastball already touches 93 and could really take a jump this spring, and the North Carolina signee also shows a developed curveball with sharp snap, missing bats consistently.


Northeast Region Top Tools


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