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Dan Cevette
Director, New York

We are only 6 days away from the biggest and most anticipated preseason event to hit Upstate New York, ever. The Preseason All-State Invite-Only will be used as a springboard for these athletes as they enter their high school season. Top Performer lists - Updated Rankings - Plus Content - all to be expected from this preseason showcase. This event will highlight the Who's Who in Upstate New York providing long-lasting exposure to the talented players attending. Here's a sneak peek at the catchers coming Feb. 15th.

past PBR event catchers to keep an eye on Feb. 15th

+ Austin O'Shei, C, Hamburg HS, NY (2016)
O'Shei stands 5-foot-10, 154-pounds with a solid frame who also plays up the middle.  He shows a ton of upside at both positions.  Though slightly undersized right now, his arm plays like a next level catcher.  He had a 26” vertical leap and jumped over 8’ on the broad jump.  Behind the plate he’s still mechanically a little green with his receiving skills but his transfer, release, and arm strength is second to none in the state right now.  Being a dual position player we can tell he hasn’t gotten enough work behind the plate to really see his full potential.  As an infielder you can see he’s fundamentally sound with good footwork getting around the baseball and limiting the extra movement to show quick release.  He fields everything out in front and doesn’t let the ball spend much time in the glove.  At the plate he shows quick hands and good use of his lower body.  He generates good power with a frame that has not yet filled out.  He does get a little longer than we’d like to see with his bat path occasionally.  With added strength in the weight room and still early in his junior year, this 2016 is definitely one to keep an eye on this spring and summer.

+ Benjamin Monti, C, Lancaster HS, NY (2016)
Monti stands 5-foot-11 160-pounds with a frame able to handle more positive weight. Behind the dish he shows off a plus skill-set. He uses a wide base receiving the ball to a high clean transfer, short arm action to an over the top release. His arm strength will improve with strength which was 73 mph, footwork showed quickness, pop time ranging 2.18-2.28. At the plate he starts with his weight shifted back, hands high. On the pitch he drops his hands, strides for timing, and gets the bat to the ball on a short path. His path is inclined through the zone using extension through contact and a high finish. His exit velocity off a tee was 78 mph.

+ Jake Zurat, C, Williamsville North HS, NY (2017)
Zurat stands 5-foot-9, 190-pounds and is well put together with some raw tools.  Shows athletic footwork and average arm strength at this time.  With some work on his blocking/receiving skills could turn out to be a solid college backstop.  Also a standout Hockey goalie, Zurat shows a competitive attitude that coaches like to see in their Catcher.  At the plate Jake starts with a balanced stance with little movement.  He has a short path to the ball.  For the strength that he has in his lower body he has not learned yet how to use it all.  With his raw athletic ability and strength, he shows a lot of potential to hit for power by the time his junior year rolls around.

+ Nate Grimm, C, Webster Thomas HS, NY (2016)
Grimm stands 6-foot-2, 175-pounds with great size behind the dish. He shows a strong glove and solid receiving and blocking ability behind the plate.  He needs some work on his transfer and release mechanics as he stands up a little tall on his release which causes him to lose some power.  He’s a strong kid though so with some added arm strength and work on his release could really see some improvements.  At the plate Grimm showed his strongest asset right now.  He’s a LHH with good pop in his bat.  He stays short to the inside of the ball and consistently barreled the ball up.  He’s got a slight uphill path to the ball.  A LHH backstop with power potential is always an added bonus at the next level.

+ Troy Hattala, C, Orchard Park HS, NY (2017)
Hattala stands 5-foot-9, 175-pounds with a sturdy build. He shows a lot of upside both behind the dish and at the plate.  As a young sophomore he’s got the build of a well put together senior in high school.  We can see he relies on a naturally strong arm right now and needs to learn to finish through his throws a little more with his body.  With good blocking/receiving mechanics though he’s going to be a next level catching prospect by his junior year. At the plate he showed power potential that hasn’t been harnessed yet.  With a very strong lower body, he relies on his upper body to do most of the work.  He starts with a balanced lower half and quiet hands, stays nice and short to the ball but could finish through it a little longer.  Has a good idea at the plate and consistently barrels the ball up.  If this kid puts in the necessary work he’s going to turn a lot of heads in only his sophomore summer this year.

+ Jacob Sisto, C, Liverpool HS, NY (2017)
Sisto stands 5-foot-10, 165-pounds with a solidly built frame. He looks the part behind the plate using proper technique receiving, makes his body big, soft quiet hands. He has above average blocking skills. His glove to hand transfer is very good, clean and fast. Throws from a high-3/4 slot with 68 mph arm strength. Pop time was 2.25-2.3 and accurate. With a focus on arm strength and footwork Sisto will catch at the next level.  At the plate his setup is athletic. He uses a leg kick on the pitch, hands stay inside the ball, barrel stays mostly level through the zone, with slight extension after contact, shoulder height finish. 78 mph exit velocity off a tee.

Catchers attending

Benjamin Closson	C	Lancaster HS
Ben Monti	C	Lancaster HS
Matthew Millers	C	Bethlehem HS
Matthew Cerrillo	C	St. Francis
Jake Zurat	C	Williamsville North
Antonio Fisher	C	Husdon HS
Troy Hattala	C	Orchard Park HS
Nate Grimm	C	Webster Thomas
Jacob Sisto	C	Liverpool HS
Matt Carroll	C	Aquinas Institute
Austin O'Shei	C	Hamburg HS
Dennis Gagliardo	C	St. Joe's Collegiate Inst.
Matt Cross	C	Starpoint HS
DJ Berry	C	Aquinas Institute