Recruiting updates
-
- October
- 15
A few of you have clamored for more recruiting info. I’m still working on some players, but here are some updates I’ve been able to track down either this summer/fall or in the last few days:
Committed
— Anthony Iacomini, John Jay: South Carolina
— Sean Hagan, Mamaroneck: St. John’s
— Matt McGovern, Mamaroneck: Boston College
— Dan Zlotnick, Somers: Vermont
— Mike Volpe, Carmel: Towson
— Zack Graczyk, Carmel: CW Post
— Tyler Donovan, Iona Prep: Winthrop
— Mike Mercurio, Kennedy: High Point
— Steven Roche, Iona Prep: High Point
— Anthony Cervone, Beacon: St. John’s
— Taylor Mondshein, Mamaroneck: Williams
— Kevin Ferguson, St. Joe’s/Suffern: Northeastern
— Mike Orefice, Ketcham: Marist
— Nick Camastro, Arlington: Manhattan
— Dan Sorine, Eastchester: Fordham
— Anthony Corona, Kennedy: C.W. Post
— Ray Maggi, John Jay: Monmouth (Updated, 10/15, 8:32 p.m.)
— Tim Panetta, Fox Lane: UConn (Updated, 10/16, 9:50 p.m.
— Jimmy Brennan, Suffern: St. John’s (Updated, 11/12, 12:02 p.m.)
— Nick Iuni, Mahopac: Savannah College of Art and Design (Updated, 11/12, 12:02 p.m.)
— Luis Gonzalez, Kennedy: Concordia (Updated, 11/12, 12:02 p.m.)
Not committed but close
— Alan Filauro, John Jay: Elon, St. John’s, Monmouth (still undecided as of 11/12)
— Gabe Klein, Mamaroneck: Fairfield, Manhattan (still undecided as of 11/12)
Uncommitted
— Andrew Benkwitt, Mamaroneck: weighing interest for baseball (Siena, Navy) and football (Stony Brook, Hofstra) (still undecided as of 11/12)
— Thomas Cardona, Mount St. Michael: mulling offers
— Steven Rivera, Mount St. Michael: mulling offers (also deciding whether he’d rather pitch or play the field)
— Jon Cosenza, Lakeland: mulling interest (Marist, Albany, Jacksonville)
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 2:30 pm by Josh Thomson. 
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Josh Thomson has done some of everything since joining The Journal News in
March 2003. He began working for the Gannett weeklies during the winter of
2002 as a freelance writer. He joined the daily staff soon after and has
since covered various high school and pro sports. Away from sportswriting,
Josh lives in Westchester and spends his free time either with his
fiancee, Sarah, or expertly managing his various championship-winning
fantasy sports teams. He's visited 21 major-league baseball stadiums and
insists that Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are the best by far. Josh
graduated from Carmel High School in 1998, then went to Boston University,
where, in 2002, he received a degree in communications with a minor in
history. 
Jake Thomases has covered baseball, hockey, girls basketball, and girls soccer for the Journal News since arriving in 2003. He previously interned at The Poughkeepsie Journal while attending Vassar College. He is socking money away under his mattress to buy the Knicks, at which time he will trade Jerome James to Cleveland for a ham sandwich.
I thought Matt M. was verbally committed to Boston College??
ESG…My bad. Just a mistake. Obviously Matt is still headed to BC. Thanks for the catch…
No commits as of yet from Fordham Prep and Stepinac this year?
Will be interesting to see where last seasons 3 Bronx/Westchester CHSAA All-League selections play in college…Anthony Muccio (Stepinac), Jesus Jaile and John Stine (Fordham Prep) all live in Westchester…...Thomas Cardona from Mount, who lives in the Bronx, and was also named last season “ALL-League”, is “mulling offers”....So I would expect Stine, Jaile and Muccio to also be mulling offeres at this point…
Jimmy Brennan is going to St. Johns
whos alan filaro, the only players i know from here at elon are vasami ferrer ad maruri. vasami and maruri are the two of the better hitters to come out of this area in the last decade with sean o’brien and alex martinez and ferrer was the NY gatorade player of the year in 07 I dont know much about filaro is he good enough for elon?
I really doubt if Rivera pitchs this year. He did not throw one single pitch in fall ball!!!!!
filauro has the best arm behind the plate uncontested by any other ‘09
It’s so great to see all these players from the area committing to schools at local powerhouses as well as schools in the south and other parts of the country. The local schools like St John’s are fantastic and have always drawn good local talent, but it’s great that the entire college baseball landscape has been opened up to players to take advantage of. It’s also great to see schools like high point and elon attracting so many players after one or two local guys go and have success there. Elon is probably the best example as not many people heard of it until Vasami went there and had success, which then led the elon coaches to pay attention to kids from this area. I heard from the Ferrer family that Ken stayed with Chris on his recruiting trip to Elon and was a big part of why he went there. I’m sure it was the same with Maruri and now Filauro. Best of luck to all these players. It’s a great thing to have so many players going on to play in college, whether it be at schools close in proximity or in other regions of the country.
josh and jake youguys do a great job,but when you go to the college signing most of the basball players that have signed and have moved on ,are not listed ??? then if you gotoput the info in on a player it does not go to the e mail
Hey Josh, where is the listing for Anthony Corona – CW Post and Nick Iuni – Savannah? Shouldn’t we list the guys committed before we do the guessing stuff. Someone told me that Filaro is headed to a JC.
I heard that gabe klien is going to sign with Long Beach St., or some power house on the west coast. Is this true?
How is it possible for Mondshein to have committed to Williams, a division 3 school? They cannot offer athletic or academic scholarship, and cannot guarantee acceptance.
I know these D3 schools that are really into their sports like a Williams or Amherst give slots or no doubters to only a few players a year if they just apply early so i’m sure it is a situation like that.
Why can’t a D3 school give academic scholarships or grants? From what I read in the NY Times in a series they did on NCAA scholarships, baseball is a very neglected sport at every DI school. They can only offer 11 or 12 full rides but never do. They split whatever money the administration allots them among 30 or so kids..So, in reality, you hope to get several thousand from baseball, maybe some academic aid, and or some grant, and take a loan or pay the balance no matter how much a school wants you….Whatever you call it, athletic scholarship, academic scholarship, grant etc, all that matters is what you have to pay each year in cash or loan…..
I am very impressed with all the local talented baseball players who have committed to so many excellent college baseball programs….But does anybody know what these kids will need to pay each year?....Are these full free rides to these colleges??? Or do these kids need to pony up 20 or 30 grand each year for the privelage of playing baseball at these colleges? ....Does a verbal commit mean a full ride toward a degree ??
There are no full rides with regard to baseball scholarship money. You could end up paying zero or very little when they figure financial aid or academic money.
nope’s lyin..
Anybody know the top players for 2010 class.
The best Jr. position player in Dutchess, and possibly in Section One is Josy Espinal (OF) from Beacon H.S..He is being scouted by many schools. He plays his Summer ball with the Clippers. He has size, can hit with power, and has a rifle arm. A couple of pitching prospects are Dylan Weyant from JJEF and Michael Lang from Ketcham who is also a Clipper.
Clipper Committments for the class of 2009. These are guys that have played with us at some point during the season:
Nick Iuni RHP – SCAD
Chris Connelly LHP – ST Peters
Mike Mercurio SS – High Point U
Steven Roche RHP – High Point U
Wesley Torrez RHP – High PointU
Jamie Schultz RHP – High Point U
Tyler Donovan C – Winthrop U
Logan Gillis MIF – Northeastern
Shane Matthews OF – Marist
Clippers. First of all congratulations to all of the young men that have made college commitments. Now back to the Clippers, it wasn’t to long ago when there was a list like this that more than one Section One star would have committed to Concordia College. Its just shameful what the Concordia administration has done to a once proud baseball program. The only recruiting the current coach has done was to call players that had already verbally committed to other schools in his conference and try talk them into renaging and go to Concordia.. real ethical. It was just a few years ago that Concordia was one of the premier D-2 baseball prograsm in the Northeast. You reap what you sow.
You forgot ANthony Cervone RHP – St John’s
We should also have a few moe coming after a fun fall season. Interested in a tryout info@clippersbaseball.org
Hey Josh
what’s going on with the committments? The early signing period is next week and there are plenty of question marks on your board here?????????????????????????????????????? Give up the info
Gabe Klein to Fairfield is what I hear?????
How can anyone talk about the best 2010’s in the area and not mention Robbie Aviles? He’s one of the best 40 in the nation for his class, hit 92 in the Perfect Game Championships in Jupiter, FL last week while playing for a team run by KC Royals scouts.
Luis Gonzalez from kennedy will be signing this week to concordia
Congratulations LUIS to you and your parents. A job well done !!!!
Klein has not yet committed to anywhere. Who knows what is taking him this long to commit, he is the last one the tigers to commit for this year
He is not going to Manhattan. That we know
hey i was reading some of the comments above and seeing people talk about some prospects for the up coming baseball season and i was wondering if people know about someone called eric luksis. He is a lefty attending john jay east fishkill his fastball hits around 88 on the gun and is getting looked at by some major division one colleges, just wondering why nobody is talking about him
Because he’s from Dutchess County and players from Dutchess don’t get too many mentions in this blog. LOL ! Yes ,Eric is a Senior at JJEF and will be one of the best lefties in the section this year. I believe he threw a no-hitter in the PG qualifier on L.I. this Fall, and won a game pitching for the NY Nine in Jupiter , gave up 2 runs I think in 6+ innings down there. Has a real bright future I agree. Hope to hear he ends up at a good school.
Are you sure Erik won in Jupiter for the Nine? I was told that the Nine got smoked in Jupiter and were shut out in 3 games in pool play and relegated to the consolation field….. Only scoring 4 runs in 5 games..last place …..Also, I thought the best from JJEF would play for some other AAU team other than the the NY Nine..
Eric pitched the first game against the Yankees Scout team. it was the first game and he was pitching against the #2 team in the tornament. Eric pitched 6 1/3 only giving up two runs and had 9 Ks. they ended up winning 4-2. and the nine were in a very tough pool playing 3 awssome teams. they ended up going 2-3 in florida, but the point is that Eric is a real contender and i hope a college is lucky enough to have him
Where a kid plays can determine a lot. There are so many travel, elite, AAU etc etc but there are only a few College Development teams where winning is not as important as showcasing the players and getting them into schools. ie. NY Nine, Clippers and the Bandits. They are at all the big events and don’t play a league schedule
clearly eric luksis is on the blog protecting himself because he’d be the only one to know the stats like that
his stats are on the website from the Jupiter tournament
Eric is good. Saw him in Jupiter. What year is he? Why is he playin for the 9?
yo luis gonzo needs to get that pop time down before he hits Concordia
solid hitter, good frame just needs to get quicker on the pop
yo u waz watchin AC not gonzo. luis got Kennedy to da states behind the dish, threw every robber out
Sounds like Erik was the only bright spot for the NY iIne in Jupiter if he was the winning pitcher in the only game that the Nine scored any runs in 4 pool games. I don’t count the 5th game because that was a consolation game where playing those previously benched in the 1st four games more important than winning.
As far as college developement. Good players should stay with local travel teams that enter several tournaments at baseball heaven and locally and make contact with colleges on their own. These teams like Bayside Yankees and NY NIne have grown so big that that are now simply cash cows for the coaches. They really do not make any cuts and will accept checks from anyone willing to pay up, And as you see, they can’t compete in Florida when it counts…That is unless this kid from JJEF is on the hill, and he should be playing with the rangers or the ironmen anyway if he is that good
All i said is its an area for improvement I’m sure he did throw out a lot of runners but Division II baseball is much different and always room for areas of improvement. Its a whole new level when you get to college baseball
Nice job 77 of speaking nonsence. what guys from local summer teams are going anywhere to play? you don’t need to pay money and travel if your dream school is here in NY. The programs like the 9, Clippers and Bayside year in and out put their kids in front of the big schools and get their kids scholarships to those guys. may as well stay in wpba and hope that one of the D2 schools in rockland find you.The Bayside Americans don’t make cuts, they only take kids that THEY invite to play. They are one of the top teams in the country and that’s why you don’t see our local hero’s on the Bayside Americans. If you don’t attend the right tournaments and have contacts you don’t get seen. Ask the guys from Team Rawlings/Golden Arm
9 You are right. There is always room for improvement and that’s for all the guys. When you think you’re good enough. Your done. Well said. What year is the kid from JJEF?
He’s a Senior.
Any news on Dan Diaz?
You sound like one of the guys who is making a killing by cashing checks from all the unknowing parents who will buy into the the BS that you will get “exposure” on these so-called college development teams…The truth is that a lot of the top players on these teams have no grades and most real big time D-1 programs do not even want anyone from this area for baseball..There is no reason to line the pockets of self proclaimed “experts”... My point is that any capable local coach can take a squad comprised of the top players from a few high schools and compete with any of these money pit programs that take your check and quarantee nothing… There is no reason that good local talent should not stay together. Just pay the entry fee and enter all local tournaments, including baseball heaven…No value in going to Fla and Ga and getting your butt kicked. No one is watching you get shut out at some outlying HS or college facility.
sounds like you never done it so you don’t know. where you going to college? how many wpba trophies you got? these local coaches don’t have a clue and the college guys want to see how you do against the top caliber guys not some local nobody who isn’t even a top guy on his hs team or maybe even a jv player. you just keep worrying bout what ur stats are against jv playas. i know where i’m headed. look at where the top guys go and how they got there.
btw, are there really any capable “local coaches” those are the guys that are bs’n ya. find out who they know
Josh, any word on the other top catchers? Filaro, Cosenza? We have the info on Panetta, Donovan and Corona. How about the other Mam’k guys?
Alan Filauro, John Jay: Elon, St. John’s, Monmouth (still undecided as of 11/12)
Jon Cosenza, Lakeland: mulling interest (Marist, Albany, Jacksonville)
says right up there dude
The early signing period ends on Wed dude so they would have to commit soon to sign or have to wait till spring. Not that there is anything wrong with that. They are just high talent guys so we haven’t heard any updates?
Just for those who are interest in seeing all the schools.
http://www.collegebaseballinsider.com/Early%20Signs/EarlySigns2010.html
What about Siciliano?
The key to being recruited is being seen. Obviously, attending a Perfect Game showcase or tournament is a great way to get your name out there and get on someone’s watch list. I often wondered why so many top flight players in the area that I am from , never were recruited at a level equal to their talent. I have come to the conclusion that this was because they chose not to attend any PG showcase events, or play their Summer Ball where they could be seen by more than the local colleges and maybe a few of the MAAC schools. This is where teams like the Clippers, NY Nine, etc.really have value. Once teams like this have developed a track record, schools will be looking at their kids with more than just a passing interest. I don’t know how anyone could question this after looking at the list of kids that played on the Clippers this year. They had something like a 100 % success rate at placing this years Senior class at D1 schools(or in the case of Iuni – a very good NAIA program). Its one thing if you don’t want to pony up the cash to play on a team like this, but it is ignorant for anyone to say these guys are in it to make money, or some of the other stupid comments you see on this blog. Take a school like High Point. I believe the tuition at that school is about 30K or more per year for an out of state resident. I know at least one Clipper pitcher is going there for basically nothing next year between his scholarship and other aid. How can you beat that ? That kid gets to continue to play baseball now for a few more years and gets a chance at an excellent education at a good school. That’s what it’s all about if you ask me.
How did these guys end up with scholarships, Iuni, Roche, Cervone and even Connelly? None of first 3 was even an impact starter for their HS teams. They all pitched less then 30 innings according to Varsity Central and Connelly played like 3 innings for the Empire State team. Now according to the information on Perfect Game the 3 of them are all throwing 90 or better.
How can this happen? Do you get better playing against better competition even if you lose games. Was it worth it for them to fork over the money and get beat up by the teams from GA or FL.
I looked at the list of recruits above and 90% played for either the Clippers, Taconic, NY9 or Bayside. I don’t see any Bulls, Bulldogs or Kittens. There are is a Shrub Oak Legion guy and 2 or 3 that I don’t know or couldn’t find information on.
If you think your a player/parent, now is the time to start looking for information.
in iunis case here is a kid who was told was not high school material at his school but has been on college radar many colleges coaches the past 2 years go figure do high school coaches really know …..........
NY 9, Clippers and the Bayside yankees are very good programs and get there kid out there most of the time, can anyone name at least 5 good players from Team Rawlings/Demarini/Golden Arms if anyone can please say them it will be intersting to hear these names
And has anyone heard about Matt Petrone, Nick Raptis, Pat Farina?? anyone from mahopac except iuni
anyone know how you can tryout for one of these teams? do they have workouts during the winter? websites? I’m hopeing to play college baseball and on my summer team we never see college coaches.
You can play for any of these teams. just bring a check. Ny nine is holding winter work outs for a few hunded bucks and then will take a lot more from you in the summer . rosters are like 20 or more. the clippers will take your check up at the danbury frozen ropes. if you don’t make the “a” team your check will be cashed and you will be assigned to the play with the scrub team (nationals).no one gets cut but bring a check and be prepared to lose to many local travel teams comprised of kids from the same area if not the same school
Facts , you get what you pay for. Bottom line, the Clippers got most all of their players signed and about 75 % are going to play below the Mason-Dixon line, and others are going to schools like St. Johns. Doesn’t matter that these kids did in H.S.. The Beacon coach obviously chose not to pitch Cervone, but the kid is a big kid , touches 90, and “projects well”. Look at the PG site for comments on the top 1400 2009 grads. You will see, comments like that all the time.Maybe he had control problems or something of that nature that made the coach shy away you never know. And with the H.S. coaches it is all about winning. This is why you get the kids developing arm problems, and all of the other nonsensical things you get from these coaches. The Clippers dont’ really care to win games and they will tell you that themselves. Look at the web site. They exist to showcase players and get them signed. I don’t know about you, but it looks like they just had one helluva year in that regard. So the comments about money are just plain out of line. You pay out, and in return, if the kid has talent, they get money for playing in college. The Nationals don’t look like a scrub team to me. Mostly 2010’s and the American was 2009’s. Obviously, the 2009s were the better team since they had all of these pitchers that were just signed. Just to clarify a few things I just ready in the above.
By the way, what I saw of the Clipper National team they did look pretty good to me. They finished second in a TCS event in Newburgh in Sept. against some decent comp.. The position players were mostly 2010s , and the pitchers may have been a combo of 2009/2010. None of the pitchers they used ever pitched more than 2 inn. a piece in the tourney. They use them all, and never try to ride an ace for an easy win. There was a scout there from a MAAC school, checking out Iuni, who went like an inning or two. Wins don’t mean anything for these travel teams anyway. Who remembers who wins these things ? Be forgotten in about one week. As a parent you go to the team that has the track record of getting their players recruited. Check the web sites. The Rangers, NY Nine, and Clippers all list where their graduates ended up playing in college. Will give you a feel about where to play. Also, these teams do hold “tryouts” and don’t take just anybody. If they do not take your kid, they usually recommend a place for them on another team. The younger the team, the more you will find that there are kids of an uneven talent level. You should only look at the 17/18U age groups to get an indication of the level of talent an org. possesses. Might be able to say it may be a “money thing” at the lower level, but looking at a rosters for these teams, and I am not as familiar with a lot of the NY Nine roster, you don’t see too many lower tier players.
Evryone of these teams serves a purpose for the kids in the area. Some fit the needs of the better playes, some fit the needs of the kids who don”t wish to travel and some fit the needs of those that want to play in leagues and others fit the needs of the local WBA, ECTB, TCS route. Find what you want as a player and that group is right for you. One doesn’t make you better, doesn’t make you right and doesn’t make the others wrong.[[
It costs a lot of money to travel, airfare, hotels, meals and tournament fees in the thousands of dollars. This is not for all families but if your a top player approach the team. Many have ways to help less fortunate players. If you choose a team and your happy with it great. If you don’t get out of it what you wanted then you can only blame yourself. Each of these teams has a track record. Make sure you do your homework so there is no one else to blame.
If your a player who HOPES to stay in the Northeast find a program that plays events in the NE. If you want to go to a state school, find a team that playes in the Binghamton area or a showcase in that area like College Select, Legion or Empire States. If you hope is to go South the find a team that attends numerous events down south and has kids playing in the south, NY9, Clippers. Want lower NY/LI/NJ tri state area, the Rangers play a heavy LI schedule with multiple trip to baseball heaven and thus have kids going to Post, Manhattan, Stony Brook, St John’s etc.. Want to just play games and local events with the hope of getting better for your school season then there are a variety of locals, Bulls, Ironmen, Bulldogs etc.
Thre is one that will be right for you but don’t make it that someone is right or wrong. There is one for you out there, You go find it.
654 who is petrone, farina, raptis and where do they play
I am not going to defend and of the “elite” travel teams that I know little about. I will say, with personal knowledge, that the NY9 is a class organization and the people that run and coach in the organization simply are reimbursed for expenses. The coaches are not paid. In fact the Nine rosters at least 1/2 the teams with city players who are expected to pay what they can afford and many are fully funded. There are a great many folks on this blog who continue to bad mouth programs that they know little about or have personal grudges against.(Interesting to note that the Nine also advanced to the final 4 of the N.A.B.F. world series in Jackson Ms. 2 of the last 3 years and this past suimmer lost in the regional finals).
Well here is the answer to the Elon catching question:
Joe O’Hagan from Carmel/Fordham Prep who is now at Guilford Tech in NC has committed tonight to attend Elon next fall. Joe will have 3 years of eligibility when he gets there.
This is great news from Joe and congratulations to he and his family..for those interested he will be joing a host of other local players who will be playing for the Peekskill Robins of the ACBL during the summer.
http://www.robinsbaseball.com/index.asp
Also big news: Kennedy Catholic will be receiving their State Championship rings on Friday morning. Coach Fletcher will be looking to move on after tomorrow toward a repeat.
EAR TO THE WALL…
I THOUGHT HE WENT TO WOFFORD COLLEGE OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. wHAT HAPPENED AY WOFFORD?
Word was that after he had committed to Wofford they had a coaching change and the new Head coach had a different style. He then did the smart thing and transfered to a 2 year school where he’ll graduate in June with 3 years of eligibility left and free to go any where. He was scouted by Elon and they offered him the scholarship spot. What a great opportunity and he’ll be joining 4 or 5 other section 1 guys there as well as a host of guys that will be playing right in that area.
What “elite” teams are there in the 16U & 14U age group? It is very hard to find any info on teams in these age groups.
Keep an eye on this blog for a big announcement from the Cliipers coming in the next week.
As of now the Clippers will host a class of 09’ team and a team from the classes of 10’&11’.
The schedule will include tournaments at Baseball Heaven, Port Chester, Winthrop, SC, East Cobb, Ga and Virginia Beach. Along with that will be a few weekends of preparation vs some of the local competition who want to book games.
more information can be requested at info@clippersbaseball.org
if you can make and “play” for the 18u team, then your money is better spent. but if you are from westchester and pay the full freight (2-3K), do not be upset if you are subsidizing players who can’t pay but are invited to select tournaments that your money paid for. the will to win is a very strong, at any cost sometimes. loyality to those who paid is nonexistent. can’t call yourself “elite” if you get waxed at the major tournaments on a regular basis.
it is like i said previously, and it is absolutely true at the 16u and 14u..if you have a check in hand, you make the team…fyi the clippers national’s were “horrible”. and that is coming from a friend who made the unfortunate decision to join the clipper nationals last winter at the danbury frozen ropes. he will not being going back next year
only looking for equal time here. if organizations are going to freely advertize, for new money. i feel obliged to tell it like it is to help parents make more informed decisions
If your friend was on the National team and they were horrible, how good is your friend? I too am not a good player but I made my varsity team.
From what my friend/teammate had told me and he too was on the Nationals I also had 2 who were on the Americans, only 5 or 6 of them were even invited to continue during the fall season and he has a few college opportunities pending.
Is your friend not going back because he doesn’t want to or he wasn’t asked back? I guess that’s the hard part to face. These programs will let you know whether you can play at that level.
BTW I checked their web site and they don’t have a 14U or a 16U team. They are having teams based soley on graduation years. Also your statement about winning is very wrong. Neither of their teams won a lot of games since they don’t let their pitchers throw more then 2 innings a game. Also, recheck with your friend because they never worked out nor had tryouts last year at Frozen Ropes. All 3 guys confirmed that. Wrong team. There is more to finding the facts
I did my homework here before I wrote this and you should also because some of what you wrote is true and some not.
Like others wrote, these teams are not for everyone. Some parents or players have non-realistic opions of their abilities. It is a great opportunity if it’s for you. For me, I’d rather pay $600 to play on a local town travel or legion team and not have to worry about college coaches or scouts. I am not that good. If I was an all-league, all section player with the desire to play in college then I’d be looking.
my objection is that these teams use the “american” and “national” label without disclosing that the one team is the “A” team and the other a take your money team. my friend will be an all nyc player this year or next and he did join the clippers nationals at frozen ropes danbury last winter becsause i was also there …please check your homework again…i played for another team that beat the BY nats and the ny nine future and the clipper nats….my point is that those teams are a money grab unless you make the “A”squad. but after coaches son’s and friends and relatives are factored in , there are not many open spots….i am only speaking facts and trying to help the unknowing
play with a combined local travel taem of the best players from 3 or 4 high schools and you can compete with anyone for 1/4th the cost
these teams are out here looking for money to subsidize the better team by placing you on a BS team and taking several grand
the fact with the American and National team is that what you’ve been hearing about the National team sucking and being a waste of money is not true. sure they didn’t win every game but the team was not composed of kids who weren’t good enough to play on the American team. the National team was composed of players from the graduating class of 2010 or 2011. if you don’t believe me then tell me why a kid like josey espinal, an outfielder from Beacon who toped out at 93 from the outfield and has and unbelievable right handed bat played for the national team and not the American team. sure as hell isn’t cause hes not good enough. the only reason why this team may not have won as many games as the American team is because they are just younger and less experienced. you wouldn’t expect your freshman or jv team to obliterate your varsity team would you? the younger clippers teams are to work on developing younger players to move up to the next level and most of those kids on the younger team will come back next year bigger, stronger, and faster. so to criticize 15 and 16 year old kids now and telling them there not good enough to play at the college level when there 18 is just crazy.
Fact, if you guys were so good that you beat he Clippers National, Bayside National and NY9 furure team (National if you will) then how many guys has your team placed in college? “Zero” is my guess because teams that focus on winning can’t properly showcase their players. If your team doesn’t have players that have a “name” to the coaches and scouts, they aren’t coming. These other programs you mention are followed by colleges and correspond with them.
If a player gets everything he told for his money, games, practice, uniforms, air travel, hotels, meals and tournaments fees. How is this a money grab. Just like your team pays for games, uniforms, little league patch, and league fee. Your getting what you paid for.
BTW how good is Fordham going to be this year?
These teams try and come up with creative names to not make it sound like “A” and “B”. Scout Team, Prospect Team, “American”, National, Showcase Team, Futures, Underclass.East, West, Terminators, Seniors, Juniors, Bayside has done it for years and years. No one wants to hear I’m on the B team.
you’ve made my point exactly. UNLESS you make the “a” squad, whatever it is called, stay away from these program teams. Make your name in HS and on other copmpetitive teams . If there is room after “connected kids” ie relatives or kids of coaches,friends and associates, you will be welcome for the 3k or so on the 18u team…And I am speaking about all these teams. Not any team in particular. i have watched them grab a kid for a particular tournament. in fact, several kids played for several of these teams at one point last summer. that is disgraceful to those who paid the full freight and got shafted.
Fordham will be a lot better than you’re team, i am certain of that. but they still will probably finish behind iona and stepinac. everything is relative . save your $$ and stay with a good local squad that will enter regional tournaments in addition to many local games and you will do just fine after introducing yourself to the colleges of your choice..
How many kids from Fordham have gone on to play in college in the last few years that did not play with one of the teams mentioned above (NY9, Clippers, Bayside…Answer “0”.
Your Babe Ruth/LL team is going no where. The C is the only good player
Does anyone think that because you charge a lot of money and fly to Florida that you are an elite team ? Baseball is a game of pitching + execution and defense. Give me a couple of good pitchers and I will assemble a group that will beat your ass almost every time..
The thing we are all after is to see improvement in our players and I compltely agree that there are various ways to do it.It can be done to some extent with the lost cost alternative, if they go to places like Baseball Heaven to compete against the better players in the Northeast, and if your goal is strictly to play in the Northeast. But you are just not paying attention in the things written in this blog if you think there is no value going down south to play against even better competition. Look at a case like Anthony Iacomini which was written about here. I have never seen this kid play, but I notice he is of a smaller stature, and that off some tremendous play this Summer, he was recruited by the U. of South Carolina and will have an opportunity to play in one of the best bb conferences in the country. This would not have happened to the kid if he had not been with his travel team on their southern swing.A coach/scout is going to want to see a kid first-hand over a few games,and obviously the coach saw something he liked and signed him.Also, the pitching they see at these tournies, along w/ the level of play in general, is a cut above what they see anywhere in the Northeast – most all over 88, and mostly 90+. If a kid from the north is consistently good over time at multiple tournaments this is how they can get noticed, and the more you face the top level , the better you will get. The goal for our family is for our player to continue to improve, and to play in college at a level equal to his talent, while getting some money to help to defer the expense of college. In order to know what that level is he plays on a team that goes south. As a parent , wins and losses mean nothing to me, the things that matter – is he in a place that allows him to get better as a player , is he facing the best comp. we can find to test his mettle, and is he playing for a team where he will be seen by many schools, hopefully finding the one that is the right for him along the way. Finally , lets not kid ourselves. These teams that have existed over many years also have built up a series of connections that they can tie into. So if player A plays his ball for a local team that wins their league or finishes well in a number of tournaments, but the coach knows nobody at any of these schools, and Player B plays his ball for the so-called “elite” travel team and he is of an equal or even possibly a little lower talent level than Player A, Player B is most likely to receive the better offers from schools. That’s just the way it is.
Hey Bambino you may beat us but I bet you that my teammates go on and play in college, with scholarships and possibly get drafted !!! that’s a fact jack. you could only hope to play our type teams since that’s how you could possibly get a coach or scout there. we play our home games at st john’s and pace how bout you? this could be your chance to play at a college LOL
We would like to thank all of the teams and their outstanding players who came to Port Chester over the last two years . This is a list of just some of the great players that have come to play in our tournament and now have moved on or committed to their schools.In year three we will have even a stronger field of teams competing.For any teams interested go to our web-site and contact us.http://portchester.baberuthnetwork.com/template/classic.php?league_id=13&division_id=4122&style=det
Battle at the Border Pro and College Players from the 2007 and 2008 Tournaments
1.Jean Carlos Rodriguez Philadelphia Phillies Tournament Team 2007
2.Carlos George Milwaukee Brewers Tournament Team 2007
3.Fernando Frias Chippola JC/Washington Nationals All Tournament Team 2007/2008
4.David Perlleshi Dominican College Tournament Team 2008
5.Will Baine Middlebury College
6.Jorge Ynoa Caldwell College
7.Gabby Molina Caldwell College TournamentTeam2008/2007MVP
8.Julian Mcwilliams Ohio University
9.Raymond Frias UNC Greensboro
10.Joe Lombardi Le Moyne College
11.Sean Hagan St Johns University
12.Daniel McGrath Quinnipiac University
13Yariel Nieves George Wallace CC
14.Josh Herzenberg SUNY Oneonta
15.Jose Espinosa Amherst College 2008 sportsmanship award
16.Andrew Rinaldi Quinnipiac University
17.Michael Delorenzo Molloy College
18.Raymond Quinones UNC Greensboro 2008 MVP
19.Ethan Liederman University of Minnesota
20.George Isabel George Wallace CC
21.Eric Strauss Queensborough CC
22.Shane Matthews Marist College
23.Tyler Donovan Winthrop University Tournament Team 2008
24.Anthony Cervone St Johns
25.Nick Iuni SCAD
26.Logan Gillis North Eastern Tournament Team 2008
27.Steven Roche High Point
28.Frank Luongo Pace University
29.Jim Quigly Purchase College
30.David Gibbs Tufts
31.Joe Gallace Manhattanville
32.John Kain Manhatanville
33.Jason Cusamano Bentley College
34.Rich Iarossi Binghamton
35.Andrew Amadeo North Eastern
36.Pat O’Conell SUNY Albany
37.Mike Daraio Stonehill College
38.Tony Negrin La Salle Tournament Team 2007/2008
39.Brian Nasti Villanova
40.Sal Lisanti Bryant University
41.Pat Cullen Merrimack
42.Kyle Foti Flager College
43.Arik Abrams Queens College
44.Brian Freedman Queens Collge
45.Mike Anderson East Carolina
46.Russell Carone Oral Roberts
47.Kenneth Castro Queensboro CC
48.Marco Castro Queensboro CC
49.Frank Cebek Siena
50.Ken Ferrer Elon
51.JJ Flores Maine
52.Gabriel Guerrero St Johns
53.Dawin Rivas New Mexico Most Valuable Pitcher 2007
54.Thomas Rivera George Wallace CC
55.Anthony Velazques Caldwell College
56.Matt Mcgovern Boston College
57.Dan Sorine Fordham
58.Luis Ricci John Hopkins
59.Eric Reyes Queensboro CC
60.Nester Bussi Clarendon College
61.Frank Fiumara Purchase College
62.Jesse Burba St Rose All Tournament Team 2008
63.Andrew Pezzuto Franklin Pierce
64.Gavin McCollough Vermont
hey ironboys did you check the list from battle at the boarder didnt see any of your players
The Ironmen have several players that will play college baseball. They are all 2009,2010. The list above is full of NYC hs players and a few Westchester kids that would have played in college even if they stayed home on a team such as the Mahopac Ironmen.
how good is Joe panek and how will he do at the next level
Scout,
who are the ironmen 09’ that will play in college? I don’t see any on the signee list that starts the thread. Who are their top 2010’s. Come on B give up the names? I tcan only help tp get the names out there since no one knows them. What league/tournaments do they play in?
Give us some info so we can make decisions as parents/players as to why anyone would want to play on a team from Mahopac. We can find info on all the other big teams from the web sites. Nothing hidden.
This is not a bash just asking question.
Joe Panik is a very good player and should see some time for the Johnies this spring. He’ll be just fine.
scout i also cant find any info. on the ironman team
I can name 2 good players right off the bat that played for the HV Bulls..Filauro and Maggi. Maggi is commited to Monmouth, which is a great D1 up and coming program and Filauro is looking at St. Johns and Elon also…
I think that Maggi and Filauro are both by far better athletes and better ball players than any of the Ironmen or even any team there is out there
Both Filaro and Maggi are better then anyone of the Bulls or Ironmen. Maggi is headed to Monmouth and Filaro is NOT headed to St John’s or Elon. Both have already completed their recruiting. Elon has 2 or 3 catchers already signed.
why is iuni on the list above. isn’t he the ironman getting slammed for bad behaviour? or is that a list include the ironmen and other travel teams in the westchster area. never even heard of most of those players on tha list..
Isn’t it amazing, a few years ago there would have been a handful of players on the above list that were committed to Concordia, the once proud program has become the a doormat of a program. Hopefully the new coaching staff will turn things around. New conference, same old field. Coach Griner had them in the NCAA’s every year, Aviles is in the bigs and a half dozen players drafted. I hear the college has put many of their campus residences up for sale. The end is near for a once proud program.
are you kidding me. concordia has a baseball field that is on route 22 in eastchester. a terrible field in poor condition and quite the joke for a college program. no wonder they stink. what good player would go there
Well maybe now that Iona College has dumped their football program they will funnel some of that money toward baseball. They right now are as bad as it get’s in D1 baseball. However, the program can be brought from the dead with $$$. A quick deal with the City of NR could quickly make City Park a small stadium with fences and seating. It just takes money
Wasn’t to long sgo that Concordia was one of the premier D-2 programs in the northeast. Oh how the mighty have fallen. They were a powerhouse in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s .
Why put money into a program that was 4-41 last year.
appears the only person slamming iuni is this person known as jake
Observer, “why put money into a progarm that was 4-41?” That is one of the stupidest comments yet. Are they just supposed to let it die like your beloved Concordia. The only way programs can survive and succeed is with financial support from the school. Iona has been playing with fewer scholarships then almost all D1 schools couple that with playing off campus and it’s tough to succeed. Concodia wasn’t supporting their program either and couple that with a crappy field, no coach and thus a disaster in the making.
Reading along, don’t get me wrong, Iona has put a ton of money into the field at Salesian. As Concordia proved a fiels does not guarentee success. Iona does need to put more money into scholarships. Maybe they can take some of the football money and put it into the baseball program. Coach Carey is busting his butt with little support from the administration. The whole Iona Athletic dept. is waiting for the other shoe to drop when Craig Holcomb’s suit aginst the school goes to trial. Iona is finding that it is very difficult to compete at a D-1 level in basketball and still be competitive in all of their other sports.
I know this blog isnt about this but I figure what better place to ask this than a baseball blog… I see on All-Section football page it says Steve Greene from BREWSTER… did he transfer back from John Jay?
guys how do you think ARLINGTON will do now that AL HAMMEL has taken over as the new varsity coach ,
How did he get the job ? I had heard the assistant was going to get it?
its a done deal al hammel arlington varsity baseball coach
So who cares. They haven’t been in contention for anything. middle of the pack AA schools with more kids then anyone else. whoopdido
o k, your comments are like your i. q , i just asked a question
For any HS player looking to get ready fo the season The Clippers are offering 8 weeks of open workouts in Elmsford at the brand new HardBall Training Center. Checkout the website http://www.clippersbaseball.org or email info@clippersbaseball.org
I PANIK IS THAT GOOD HE IS STARTING SHORTSTOP AT ST JOHNS AS A FRESHMAN , GREAT FOR DUTCHESS COUNTY BASEBALL
I can name 5 kids from Mahopac that are underclassmen and also can make a bang soon.