New poll: Who is the best pitcher in the LoHud?
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- March
- 19
Now this is a tough question. There will be a lot of different opinions on the subject, but the question is cut and dry:
Question: Right now, who is the best pitcher in the LoHud?
(Obviously, this poll is not meant to include Somers sophomore Miguel Nunez. I think even the guys on the list would concede they are no match for the mythical powers of the Tuskers’ flamethrowing sensation…)
This entry was posted
on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 8:12 am 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.
The best pitchers ? does this include the CHSAA
Lets just pick the best of everything, best catcher, infielder, outfielder, hitter, defensive player, coach, even umpire. I am sure there are a ton of opinions out there. Lets hear them
Is there any online video available of some of the top pitchers?
I believe Benkwitt and Hagan are equally talented when it comes to baseball, Benkwitt just wasn’t given as much opportunity to prove himself. Aviles plays a good game too. They’re all awesome pitchers.
Steven Green is definitely the best. Particularly coming from the left side, but he has heat, accuracy and competitiveness. I believe he hit 91 on a gun against Scarsdale last year, his sophomore year.
Aviles has the best stuff at this time with his eletric fastball, but I have to go with Hagan, he has tremendous upside with his size and plenty of room to clean up his mechanics and still sits 88-90 mph on his fastball with a real hammer curve. Have not scene Green throw so my opinion might be skewed but i’ve heard great things about him as well.
Having worked games with all of these guys on the hill, let me say that they are all outstanding. To me the kid with the biggest upside and greatest potential to achieve in college and beyond is Aviles.Big time fastball with an above average breaking ball, and most important he loves to compete. He has the pedigree to achieve great success. Hagen also projects very high, there are not to many 6’5 lefties with his stuff I’m sure a few more years of growing will add more to his fastball. His teammate Benkwitt has outstanding control, does just what you want a pitcher to do, he changes planes with the ball and again with maturity will get higher on the radar gun. Green is a little bulldog, he has an exceptional breaking ball that makes his fastball that much more effective, I hope there are no lingering effects from last years injury, he also can be a very good colege pitcher. Volpe is a big strong kid that can blow people away he keeps the ball down in the zone and his pitches have late movement which is huge. Zlotnik to me is the best all-around player in the section he flat out flies, he can catch anything that is hit near him in the outfield and can steal a base any time he wants. On the mound he has a great breaking ball and change up again this helps with the fastball.
All of these guys have one thing in common, they throw strike one and they don’t beat themselves with walks. Any team would be lucky to have any of these guys. LEts not spend time bashing, lets enjoy their efforts and hope they all go as far as they can.
gracyzk from carmel is real good, proboboly not the greatest but one of the most solid. he also gives you a strong at bat and smart baserunning. we’ll see this saturday when my boys scrimmage yorktown and jjcr. we’ll be able to see if these jjcr guys are the real deal.
but up for the running of best pitcher has gotta be Roche from Iona Prep
and you cant forget volpe, he’ll throw all day. gracyzk and volpe make a great tandem
carmel up in this…Roche is obviously very good, but he hasn’t pitched nearly as much at the high school level as the guys already on the list to the right, who have all proven themselves over the course of the last season or two.
I will, however, change the wording on the right to include the Catholic and private school guys. Add them if you believe they are better than the six to the right. Roche, Thomas Cardona of Mount and Sal Lisanti of Fordham would probably be the three top guys in the Bronx-Westchester as of now.
Joey Arena of Lakeland ranks up there with anyone.
Although does not throw as hard as Steve Green, is now throwing in the low 80s and has a curve ball which he did not have last year, which complements his 3 other pitches.
He played 18u showcases last year as a 15 year old and was very effective, also pitched a no hitter in East Cobb Georgia as well as one for Lakeland as a freshman.
One thing we have to watch this year is how Green comes back from his arm injury. To have arm problems at such a young age is a concern.
zlotnick is def one of the best pitchers if not the best. his stuff is filthy and each year adds more mph to his fastball, he is going to lead somers to another sectional title
whos Miguel Nunez??
Jordan Sacks from BRIARCLIFF IS AWESOME!!!
zlotnick is the most consistent, one of the hardest throwing, big game pitcher in the section as well as being a lefty. i would take him over anyone in the section. not only does he do it as a pitcher but a fielder and hitter also. To go along with his high 80s low 90s fastball he has a hard diving slider and a great curve with a change up to mix in there. he is also one of the best 2 strike pitchers around not giving up those deadly 2 strike hits and when it comes down to the wire those are the things that matter.
He’s throwing low 90’s now? Are you sure?
I agree with JC about Zlotnic that he is very good. Not sure about the velocity. Aviles is going to be a high draft pick next year. He has the arm the size and he’s a polished pitcher. Green lacks size and strength although he has a live arm. He’s not 90 YET. He has to prove he can stay healthy since he was hurt during the school year then again in the summer and fall. Roche has the highest velocity 93-94 in the section but lacks experience as Josh pointed out. He also lacks some control. Nick Iuni is also a guy throwing 90 and could be a real suprise at Mahopac. Nick Modico may be the guy with the most stuff. Decent velocity and 2 other pitches that he can throw for strikes. Hagan has all the tools, LH, size, strength but has to stop throwing some many breaking balls. He needs to re-develop his fastball and challange hitters by hitting spots and changing speeds not spinning breaking balls. Volpe is going to get better and is already a top guy in the area. This will be a gid year for him and Carme should be able to play defense around him. Ryan Pennell could be a dominant force. He may not have Greens velo but he has the size and strength like Hagan. Expect to hear more about him.
A real bumper crop of Jr’s with Green, Aviles and Pennell right from this area.
If you include the CHSAA Pete Ladis will be the suprise of the season. Back from injury last season he was a close second to Adami. Consistently nails his spots and throws high 80’s and should touch 90 this season after a flawless fall. Also what about Ferguson?
Bill… Miguel Nunez is a Venezualen transfer at Somers who throws in the mid 90s consistently with a variety of other devastating pitches. The 15 year old, however, has been academically ineligible to play ball for the Tuskers these past two years (and it looks to continue, unfortunately). He is projected to be a mid-high round draft pick his senior year because college is obviously out of the question. So you ask, “Who is Miguel Nunez?” He is the biggest disappointment and “what if..?” in Section 1 history.
Green is prone to injury due to his violent motion and the stress he puts on his arm. Benkwitt and Hagan have a smooth fluid motion and they both use their legs.
That’s interesting. I have seen Green pitch several times and I actually remember saying how effortless he threw. Have you seen him pitch?
Aviles and it’s not even close.You will be watching him on TV for many years .He is light years better then anyone else and just in case nobobody noticed he is the 14th ranked overall player in the country.
I wouldn’t say Miguel Nunez is a disappointment, that is harsh to say about a kid- but the waste of his good potential in high school baseball is disappointing if that’s what you really meant.
I am surprised to see Volpe so low in the poll, the kid has great talent and is a really good asset to Carmel.
Mamaroneck has the best pitchers, and the best team in Section 1 considering not much has changed since last year. Does anyone not remember Benkwitt’s performance last season, especially his final pitches in the championship game? It’s almost a shame if talent like his is not continued throughout college. Benkwitt and Hagan make a great team and can both easily carry the Tigers to another state victory.
i go to somers and there is no miguel nunez so i do not know what u are talking about.
haha really?
i just wanna thank levster for finally brining notice to the fact that he is not real and even if he was who cares about him since hes not playing and therefore means nothing to anybody who follows high school baseball
haha allright. how about some of the best small school pitchers? I’d start off with jordan sacks from briarcliff and drew lizardi and forrest drucker from pleasantville.
bill come on your better than that
hmm just an observation haha
is miguel nunez real??
tell us a little bit about miguel nunez
By far Hagan and Benkwitt are the best one two punch in section one. For example look at the playoffs last year they basically pitched every other game no problem back to back.
Aviles is the best prospect in Section 1. At the Empire State Games, last summer, he was the talk of every scout.
Size. Strength. Poise. Velocity. Control. Three(3) different pitches. Complete package.
The others are very good…but he is a notch above. On a team with Beckwith, Ferguson, Hagan…he outperformed them all. Ferguson is a star. Beckwith and Hagan are really good, but are aided by a great supporting cast. After watching all of them…I would take Aviles to win the big game. He will be fun to watch as over the next two(2) years.
Volpe is THAT good.
end of story
Aviles is great and Roche can be good but has control issues. However, the best pitcher in the Lower Hudson area is someone who has gone unheard of, Mike Bradshaw of Stepinac. his is an imposing 6’4, 215. he was named Under Armour Pre-season All-American by Baseball Factory. his Fastball is easy low 90’s up to 92-93, he has three plus offspeed pitches and good control. The most interesting part about him is that he has just turned 16 years old and is a junior in high school.
Sounds like the truth about Aviles, Roche and Bradshaw. The knock on Bradshaw is his maturity but he is young (16) and was almost at his 3rd school. Roche just doesn’t have enough innings and like Bradshaw. is young, (just turned 17). All 3 are power guys. Aviles has the edge and his dad was a former pro player. In Jupiter he played for the Royals scout team and the pro guys were lined up to watch him
Forget the Under Armour stuff. That’s a pay to go deal. They are the worst organization around.
The kid is good. All 3 are good and very nice kids.
to observer
Aviles in a big game as far as i know is a big no no. Look at the section final game last year against Mamaroneck. He got blown away. I’d rather take Hagan and Benkwitt in big game situations they have the experience
I can say that from watching Roche, he is more of a thrower than a pitcher. That being said when he is on there is no one better in the section, he throws low nineties consistenty with his fastball and his slider is devastating when thrown for strikes. He is definitely a work in progress (young and inexperienced)however it will be exciting to see where he ends up in a few years.
P.S. He is one of the nicest kids I know. Good luck in college and beyond Steven.
It is hard to tell who is best because the catholic schools and public schools don’t face eachother very often. Espescially this year with the public schools having to shorten therir schedules do to budget cuts.
Iona Fan, you are dead on about Roche. Dont get me wrong, he was a huge future, but just isnt quite there yet. What seperates Aviles and Bradshaw from him and the rest of the pack is that they have the whole package and are polished pitchers with control and the ability to spot all of their pitches.
Almost at his third school?? A word of advice—check your facts before putting things in writing! And remember, you are writing about HIGH SCHOOL KIDS!!!!
Bradshaw is very overated. Looks good in a showcase bullpen but put him in a game and he’s awful. Got shelled in the 15U Babe Ruth states last summer vs. Larchmont/Mamaroneck. Has a bad attitude and a parent who is a bit over the top. Plus he’s a bit out of shape. Not really athletic either and this is his 3rd highschool in 3 years.
LoHud scout don’t even put Aviles in the same sentence with Bradshaw. You gotta be kidding. Bradshaw has never done anything but pay Perfect Game alot of money to upgrade his status.
How sad that you have nothing better to do than malign a high school kid.
You are the one who claimed he was “the best pitcher in the lower hudson valley”. How dare you Mrs. B.
Why you have to bring someones family into something like this I dont know, it is low class. Take it from someone who has seen this kid play and watch kids play for a living(being a proffesional scout), he is not overrated, is a good athlete for a 16 year old that is 6’4, 215 and is absolutely the best pitcher and hitter for that matter in the Lower Hudson Valley.
First off he’s about 6’2” and can”t hit or play a position. He’s never even pitched in a varsity game yet. Has any school made him an early offer?
Mamaronecks offense and defense is awesome. Mamaroneck can pitch underhand and they will still beat most teams by 10. After Hagan and Beckwith, does anyone know who the #3 pitcher is going to be? #4?
Besides Dom Cecere is there anyone else who coaches pitchers really well?
Clearly you no nothing of NCAA sports. By rule you cannot be offered until Julynafter junior year. However, I understand Arizona, Virginia, Cal St. Fullerton, Coastal, Baylor, Clemson, Ole Miss and Southern Cal are all over him as a two way guy I also saw him play for the Pittsburgh Pirates scout team as a two way guy at baseball heaven so he is obviously getting pro attention 2.
Do you need to be convinced any more that he is legit!!
yea, win a Babe Ruth League game and then a Varsity game. Also college offers can be made at any time. You are not a scout or you would have known that it’s called an early verbal and most top prospects get them and make them. Also baseball is very regionalized so I’m sure no southern or western team is interested in him. Time will tell but you are no scout Mrs. B.
There are coutless players from this area at southern schools. An early verbal is a decision made by a player not a school. School can loose there scholarships or be suspended if they offer a scholarship before July after a student-atheletes junior year. Another sign of your ignorance on top of talking about a 16 year old kids family.
I believe some of you are misspelling Benkwitt.
They can offer a scholarship to an 8th grader if they want. You are ignorant. As long as the player is on that school’s campus(like during junior days, ball games etc.) they can talk to you all they want and make you a scholorship offer where you can give a verbal. Nothing gets signed till early Nnovember of senior year but by then all the top prospects have verballed. Also the player can initiate the phone call and talk all he wants to the coach.
Looks like someone is a bit jealous of Mike Bradshaw – WOW
I know for a fact that Aviles has been made several offers already.
I think Mrs. B should stay off the blog. She is embarrasing her son.
looks like its hard to say anything but hmmm when you have something in your mouth
Mr Scout, what team do you work for? Just want to clear up some things.
Your throwing around alot of misinformation here. Your two true facts are:1 There are a lot of kids from the NE playing in the south. Not many out west.2 Michael will attract alot of attention. he is a very talented player and guys who are RHP and throw 92+ like Aviles, Roche, Cervone will get noticed by the colleges as well as the pro guys.
It is not a violation for a school to offer a scholarship to a player early. There are kids that verbal during their soph years. A coach cannot call a player until July 1 between his jr and sr year true. A player may make as many unofficial visits to schools at any time while he is in HS. During these unofficial visits they can meet with and talk to any of the coaches. The Coach can at that time make an offer if he sees fit. The coach can also write to or e-mail a player any time after Sept 1 of their jr year. If said coach asks a player to call him, once a gain he could make an offer over the phone. A player can call a coach as often as he wants at any time while he is a HS athlete.
If I am correct, Sean Hagan gave his vebal committment in January of his Jr year.
Mike Bradshaw players for the Baseball U Team not a Pirates Scout Team. They have no affiliation with the Pirates. before Buddy Paine (Pirates Scout) sadly passed away, the Baseball U coach was an associate. He is no longer associated and has not been for a while. This is also the same team that Filaro and Maggi played for. Also very talented players.
Robbie Aviles on the other hand, played on the Royals Scout team in Jupiter last year. Financed and Coached by the KC Royals Organization.
Oh yea by the way Bradshaw just throws hard thats it. He cant hit or field, and I would take Eddie Byrne as the number 1 over Bradshaw anyday. He is just a big kid with a serious attitude, and thinks he is gods gift to baseball its so sad lol
Clipper coach you are exactly right… I am also confused on how a scout would confuse the baseball U team as the Pirate Scout team because the late Buddy Paine also helped start and evaluate players for the roster of the New York Nine, which is in your territory playing their home games at Fox Lane High School
who’s uncle?
Robbie Aviles is easily the best pitcher followed by Steve Green
Robbie Aviles is easily the second best pitcher preceded by Steve Green
What about Dan Dilascio, aka the Garbage Man
Let Steve Green pitch a bit before you put him on a pedastal. Aviles, Roche and some of the others have already proved themselves in the BIG tournaments. As soon as Steve does then you can put him there. He has been injury prone and no one knows how he’ll be. He doesn’t throw 90 YET and he’s not 6’ tall YET, See if he can make it through the tough schedule that JJCR will play and then thru the summer with Taconic.
How is Jake Nathanson out of Scarsdale getting no love. The kid had an ERA under 0.6. He didnt get that many innings on the mound until late in the easy but he threw complete games against new rochelle and clarkstown south, and in the Raiders first round sectional game shut came in in relief and shut down now St. John’s infielder Joe Panik.
Probably because he can’t touch 70
The best Pitcher in the lower Hudson Valley area is Junior Ryan Blicker from Hastings High School. He has just come off a great sophomore year and has worked hard during the off season developing new pitches. His fastball can reach 90+, and that’t not even his best pitch. he’s overpowering and still has a lot of control and baseball IQ. School like Duke and UNC are already scouting Blicker, and he is a future MLB prospect. With Blicker leading the pitching staff and the returning hitters they have, they are a good pick to win the section.
let’s get one thing clear, Panik had 2 bombs in that game, a ball that the first baseman had to dive to make a stop on the outfield grass, and a ball that was a missle to centerfield that was only caught 5 feet in front of the 400 foot sign in center because the centerfielder was playing 390 feet away. True that they did win that game, but by no means did anyone shutout Panik that game. Maybe 4 of the hardest hit balls i’ve ever seen
hold on….read what i wrotehe came in relief…so he faced Panik once and he got him out, which the rest of the pitching staff was unable to do and reggie bush….jamie moyer can’t throw hard but I bet you couldn’t touch him its just as much about the movement on the pitches as it is about the speed
The point is that Nathanson had a 0.6 ERA and deserves some credit. He pitched some of Scarsdale’s tougher games and got the job done. His only bad outing was when he came in to close the next sectional game against Suffern, and gave up a 1 run lead in the seventh due to a walk off 2 run double. He definitely has a bad taste in his mouth going into this season. With Nathanson as the #2 behind Markel this year, I see Scarsdale surprising a lot of people. They have solid hitting with Wolfer,Morris,Wheeler in that lineup; whom are all playing college ball. They’re going to turn a few heads this year…just wait and see.
Alright, it’s tough to judge the section 1 pitchers. Aviles has about as much upside as I’ve seen, but as of right now i wouldn’t want anyone more than Benkwitt and Hagan as they have been as consistent as anything. I would also like to see what this Nuñez kid really is.
Someone asked a question about Mamaroneck’s pitching after their top two, and the answer is that there is a pretty sizable drop off, but still some solid guys. After Hagan and Benkwitt, Eric Windsor did a did a very servicable job last year with 26 innings and a 2.6 ERA, he returns this year. They’ve got centerfielder Matt Mcgovern who has a very good arm but has not pitched much. They’ve got Mike Rosenfeld, a superstar hitter with another cannon arm. Sam Gruppo can pitch will probably do some relief work. There is also Greg Denyssenko (sp?), i kid who played JV last year and seems to know how to pitch, i think he’s got some good breaking stuff. Max Frankel is a returning reliever and will probably be seen some as well.
Long couple of days with the flu.
All Green has to do is stay healthy. He has proven that he can perform in BIG tournaments and that he deserves to be considered on of the best pitchers in the LoHud. He pitched for the Taconic Rangers in the 18u and 17u WWBA tournament where his fastball was 84-88 with a good breaking ball.
Blicker is a very good pitcher, but isn’t quite on the level of Bradshaw, Aviles, Green or Roche. He has a tall projectable body with a strong arm in the mid-high 80’s. I havnt seen him 90+ but as he fills out he frame he could be at 90+ in the near future.
Yo amen to michael phelps…Blickers the truth.
Bradshaw does not throw 90+. Last fall at a Pennsylvania showcase he topped out at 88. He got cut from the Bayside Yankees (which Blicker is the ace for) because he couldn’t throw strikes. When he played in that same Pennsylvania showcase he couldn’t get through the 1st inning against some scrub Pennsylvania team.
sorry to do this to my classmate, but baseball fan is right. bradshaw throws hard but he just cant throw strikes, the kid cant do anything against top level talent or any talent for that matter. Blicker can locate, throws mid 80s and has an excellent diving circle change(his best pitch). the kid can flat out pitch.
Bradshaw sucks there’s no other way to put it. He has a raw arm, but what does speed mean when you can’t throw strikes. I am disguisted by reading this that a father would hype is son up like this.
Bradshaw is a hothead and its obvious who he gets that from. He’s already at his third school I believe which is rediculous. Time to start focusing on academics because where is he going to go? PRO POTENTIAL? YEAH RIGHT…GOOD LUCK. Time to get a sense of reality.
Blicker is VERY good. Very projectibile and he has a bright future. AND actually throws strike, hits spots and knows how to pitch, not just throw the ball as hard as you can everytime.
In fact, I’ve seen Bradshaw pitch and throw the ball over the backstop…thats how bad it really is
Blicker is an incredible young pitcher, can locate his pitches with ease and he throws strikes. His circle change is very good and it compliments his fastball real well.
Bradshaw has a tough time locating the plate. i feel though that he can develop once he gets on a college program
Tre wilson will be a huge surprise this season for the Harvey Cavaliers with his high 80’s fastball and unhittable curve. Watch out for him and the Cavs to make a run at the HVAL title.
Zack Tax at rye country day went 6-0 last season as sophmore, played for the ny nine with some of the players mentioned above, pitches in the mid to high 80’s , has a curve ball and also pitches side arm doubling the number of pitches in his arsenal, he stacks up well against the bigger players and he hits the balland playa a good infield, check it out yourself, he pitched the second game against an 18 and under ct team, benkwiit pitched the first, Zack shut them out, giving up only one or two hits.
at headfirst in jupiter last october, the coaches were waiting to see him pitch, he also pitched a couple of innings at the wood bat world series in jupiter the week before
Sal Lisanti? Fordham’s best pitcher. Very underated. He has experience and was the ace as a junior.
Harvey has a baseball team? I remember a kid from there a long time ago who threw pretty hard. His name was Mark Rose or Rosen and he easily threw in the mid to high 80’s. Problem was, he walked a ton of guys and couldn’t find the plate.