2,074 MLB PLAYERS | 14,476 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
High School  | General  | 2/25/2019

Regional HS Preview: Northeast

Photo: Jack Leiter (Perfect Game)

For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2019 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.


2019 Perfect Game High School Preview Index

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

Top 10 Northeast Region High Schools

Rk. Nat'l School '18 Rec. '18 Finish
1 10 Delbarton (N.J.) 22-9 NJSIAA Non-Public A State Finals
2 40 Malvern Prep (Penn.) 30-7 PAISA State Champions
3 47 St. Augustine Prep (N.J.) 26-4 NJSIAA Non-Public A State Champs
4 NR Monroe Campus (N.Y.) 43-4 PSAL AAA Champions
5 NR Bishop Eustace (N.J.) 23-5 NJSIAA Non-Public A State Quarterfinals
6 NR Bergen Catholic (N.J.) 20-5 NJSIAA Non-Public A State Quarterfinals
7 NR West Allegheny (Penn.) 17-3 PIAA 5A State Semifinals
8 NR Austin Prep (Mass.) 24-1 MIAA Division 3 State Champs
9 NR Westhill (Conn.) 10-13 CIAC State First Round
10 NR Exeter (N.H.) 21-3 NHIAA Division I State Champs




Northeast Region High School Dream Team

C - Tate Ballestero, Sr., Morristown HS (N.J.)
One of the more projectable athletes in the region, Ballestero earns the nod here not only because of what he can do right now, but also because of how those tools project. He's a good athlete behind the plate who moves well and shows good defensive instincts, and he has above-average arm strength right now that projects plus. A switch-hitter, he's shown good contact skills from both sides of the plate to go along with developing power, and as he continues to mature physically, he has the potential to end up with very loud tools. 

1B - Chris Newell, Sr., Malvern Preparatory (Pa.)
One of the more interesting players in the class of 2019 from our perspective, Newell is a lefthanded hitter who has shown pretty solid power and power projection, performed well in high-level events, and has very intriguing athleticism. He's shown center field traits and could be a long-term fit there, and also has the potential to play the other two outfield spots as well as first base, where he's slotted for the purposes of this list. The bat is substantial as well, with very good hitting tools to go along with solid present pop. He's signed with Virginia. 

2B - Nick Maldonado, Sr., Seton Hall Preparatory (N.J.) 
A very talented two-way prospect who has every chance to both hit and pitch for Vanderbilt, Maldonado is a very interesting prospect in the class of 2019. He handles the middle infield well and has shown the ability to play any of the three main infield spots, and his arm plays from all three spots as well. He's always shown a loose, quick stroke at the plate and has unlocked some power as well, and on the mound he's into the low-90s with a three-pitch mix. He's a definite follow for Northeast scouts this spring. 

SS - Anthony Volpe, Sr., Delbarton HS (N.J.)
A Perfect Game All-American, Volpe really just kept raising his draft stock consistently over the course of last summer and fall, culminating in a .958 OPS performance in Jupiter. He has solid all-around tools and consistently plays the game at a high level. A very good defender in the middle infield, scouts are split on if Volpe has the arm strength to play shortstop at the professional level, but if not he'll still be a plus second baseman. He handles the bat really well and is an above-average runner as well as having quality extra-base pop, giving him an extremely well-rounded toolset that scouts will monitor closely this spring.  

3B - Andrew Compton, Sr., Governor Livingston HS (N.J.)
Compton has some very interesting tools at his disposal, and he has a chance to be an immediate impact type of player at Georgia Tech next season. He hits from both sides of the plate and has shown both feel to hit as well as power from each side, giving him automatically one of the more unique hitting profiles in the country. A power-hitting corner infielder, Compton can play both third base and first base, and shows the athleticism, hands, and footwork to be able to play third base long term while also continuing to grow and refine that power. 

OF - Bobby Zmarzlak, Sr., Westhill HS (Conn.) 
The owner of some of the better raw power in the country, Zmarzlak has a pretty ideal right field profile that is enticing to evaluators for several reasons. The raw power is at least plus, and showed as some of the loudest in the country both at PG National and East Coast Pro last summer. He's also a very good athlete, with above-average speed at 6-foot-5, 205-pounds to go along with above average arm strength, giving him that ideal right field profile long term. Zmarzlak is signed with Maryland. 

OF - Austin Hendrick, Jr., West Allegheny HS (Pa.) 
The class of 2020 looks to be extremely strong in terms of position players, and the Northeast region has two of the top ones in Hendrick and Trejyn Fletcher. One of the top talents in the class, Hendrick has long shown some of the more exciting hitting tools in the country, with consistently elite bat speed and hard contact after hard contact. He's a solid athlete with legitimate arm strength as well, with the potential to play center field, and he could even be a potential two-way player in college, as he's a talented pitcher as well. 

OF - Sammy Siani, Sr., William Penn Charter (Pa.)
The younger Siani (brother Mike was drafted in the fourth round in 2018), Sammy's profile is actually pretty substantially different from that of his brother. An extremely talented hitter, Sammy Siani could stake a claim as being one of the top pure prep hit tools in the country, and he's consistently done a good job of gaining strength and continuing to grow into power as well. A solid defender in the outfield with an average arm, Siani's total package of tools is very solid, with that carrying tool being the most important one in his bat. 

UT - Trejyn Fletcher, Jr., Trinity-Pawling HS (N.Y.)
A legitimately high-end two-way talent, Fletcher is the No. 1 player in the class of 2020 for a reason. With outstanding physicality and above average speed to go along with plus arm strength and raw power, Fletcher is loaded with tools and looks like a potential star in the making. His positional profile notwithstanding, Fletcher is also very talented on the mound, where he's run his fastball up to 93 mph and shown a sharp, bat-missing slider as well. A Vanderbilt commit, Fletcher looks like the preeminent talent for the 2020 draft right now. 

P - Jack Leiter, Sr., Delbarton HS (N.J.)
Leiter first appeared on the scene at the 2016 Sunshine Northeast Showcase, where, as just a freshman, he was up to 85 mph with a good delivery and threw strikes with three pitches. Fast forward nearly three years and Leiter is one of the top arms in the draft class, having been up to 96 mph with Team USA last summer as well as owning four pitches that he can throw for strikes. He is a bit undersized by power-armed righthander standards, but his pitchability and overall feel more than make up for that perceived deficiency. Leiter is signed with Vanderbilt and will likely have a decision to make later this spring. 

P - Sebastian Keane, Sr., North Andover (Mass.) 
Keane definitely gives hitters a different look, and that deception is part of the reason why he's so effective and therefore finds himself on this list. He has an extremely cross-body delivery that hides the ball well from hitters and creates a ton of angle to the plate. He works in the low-90s with his fastball and can throw a pretty good cut-fastball to the glove side, while also mixing in a sharp, late-breaking slurve that can consistently miss bats. Keane is signed with Connecticut. 

P - Kellan Tulio, Sr., Emmaus HS (Pa.)
Tulio's upside has long been vast, and he really put some things together in terms of command for his start in Jupiter last October, and showed evaluators a glimpse of how good he could end up being. He has great size and remaining projection, and while there are some moving parts and length to the mechanical operation, Tulio is a very good athlete and has shown the ability to repeat that delivery. He usually works in the 87-91 mph range with his fastball, and his separator is his curveball, a pitch that could potentially be plus in time. Tulio is signed with Louisville. 

P - Michael Limoncelli, Sr., Horseheads Senior HS (N.Y.) 
Limoncelli, a Coastal Carolina signee, stood out over the course of the summer both at the 17u WWBA National Championship and again at East Coast Pro. He's a lithely-built righthander who projects quite well, and shows excellent arm speed that helps produce fastballs that have been clocked up to 92 mph. His breaking ball is what sets him apart, however, consistently showing as an above-average offering that should get to plus with relative ease over the course of his development. 

P - Jack Kochanowicz, Sr., Harriton HS (Pa.)
A highly-projectable righthander with a long, lean build; Kochanowicz's arm strength has taken several big steps forward and as such has become a highest-priority follow for scouts in the Northeast. The ball comes out of his hand cleanly and explodes, having touched as high as 94 mph last fall in Jupiter, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he's already throwing harder by the time high school baseball seasons gets going in the North. Kochanowicz is signed with Virginia. 


Northeast Region Top Tools


This is PG 'DiamondKast' Level content.
You must be either an DiamondKast, Crosschecker Rankings & Scouting Reports, or Scout subscriber to read the rest.
Sign in
DiamondKast
PG Special Events
Travel, Lodging, Entertainment
PG Partners
Recommended
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2024 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.