Prep Baseball Report

Updated and Expanded 2020 Rankings: April 2018


TJ Hunt
Director, PBR New Jersey

The spring season is just about halfway completed so it is time for our update of the 2020 rankings in New Jersey. Coinciding with the Overall 2020 Rankings Update (CLICK HERE), the New Jersey 2020 class seems to be a microcosm of the overall talent on a more local scale. There have been big jumps, high risers, and surprisers so far this spring. Take a look at some of the names that perhaps are familiar and/or more importantly, the names that you should look for the rest of the season and into the summer.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE COMPLETE NEW JERSEY 2020 UPDATE

THE TOP 10

RANK   NAME STATE SCHOOL CLASS POS COMMITMENT
1 Kyle Teel NJ Mahwah 2020 C Virginia
2 CJ Pittaro NJ Steinert 2020 SS Vanderbilt
3 Tommy O'Rourke NJ Seton Hall Prep 2020 RHP Stanford
4 Adam Boucher NJ St. Joseph's Metuchen 2020 RHP Duke
5 Braedin Hunt NJ Christian Brothers Academy 2020 RHP  
6 Kenneth Levari NJ St. Augustine Prep 2020 SS Old Dominion
7 Teddy Sharkey NJ Wall 2020 RHP  
8 Christian Kane NJ Washington Township 2020 OF  
9 Jackson Green NJ Haddon Township 2020 3B Nebraska
10 Charlie Sanzio NJ Bishop Eustace Prep 2020 3B

THE TOP 10 ANALYSIS

  • The Top Four in the rankings go unchanged since our last update before the winter began. Virginia recruit C Kyle Teel remains at the top of the list. The left handed hitter is one of the most feared hitters already as a sophomore and stated his claim as such in the first game (and first at bat) I was able to see of the spring:

TEEL HOMERUN

  • Vanderbilt recruit SS CJ Pittaro (Steinert HS, NJ) has quietly become a mainstay in the top state and national rankings with his smooth left handed swing and quick-twitch actions in the field.

  • Stanford recruit RHP Tommy O’Rourke’s (Seton Hall Prep HS, NJ) meteoric rise into the national rankings last fall is certainly in part to his command of three plus pitches – including a fastball that sits 83-87 touching 88 and a big 11/5 breaking ball. Still baby-faced, O’Rourke will continue to grow into his body and fill out his wiry frame.

  • RHP and Duke recruit Adam Boucher (St. Joseph’s Metuchen HS, NJ) is long and wiry-athletic with a fastball that seems to move much like Bartolo Colon’s currently – with heavy sink and a strikeout slider to go with it.

  • Newcomer to the Top 5 is RHP Braedin Hunt (Christian Brothers Academy HS, NJ). Hunt was oustanding this winter at the Future Games Trials in February showcasing not only his high-voltage fastball but a legitimate wipeout slider that plays at a high Division I level right now.

  • Old Dominion recruit RHP/SS Kenny Levari (St. Augustine Prep HS, NJ) is one of 8 Division I recruits on St. Augustine’s pitching staff – so although his total innings won’t be as much as some of the other pitchers in the state, it’s hard to look over his lanky-athletic frame and long, loose arm. Another guy with plus offspeed, Levari has been a mainstay in St. Augustine’s top of the order so far this year as a second baseman and No. 2 hitter.

  • RHP/OF Teddy Sharkey (Wall HS, NJ) remains uncommitted as of now, but definitely won’t last long after the season ends. The broad shouldered right hander consistently sits 85-86 with a vicious 11/5 curveball to go with it. And let’s not look over yet another legit two-way guy. Sharkey has been manning center field for Wall so far this year, and has been hitting in the 3-hole and produces gap to gap power, as referenced by this homer last week:

SHARKEY HOMERUN:

 

  • OF Christian Kane (Washington Township HS, NJ) has been a triples machine since we first saw him last spring, and after showing well at the Future Games last year, will be another player to watch as the summer curcuit closes in. Projectable and fast (6.7 runner), Kane can play all three OF positions with ease.

  • Perhaps the best 2020 player that you don’t know about is Nebraska recruit 3B Jackson Green (Haddon Township HS, NJ). Green has advanced gap-to-gap power already and stood out as a top performer at the Underclass Games in September. Strong and physical, yet fast twitched, Green ran a 6.80 laser-timed 60 yard dash in September and has all the makings of a true middle of the order type hitter down the road.

  • Rounding out the Top 10 is RHP/INF Charlie Sanzio (Bishop Eustace Prep HS, NJ). Hampered by an injury that has sidelined him for most of the season so far, Sanzio hasn’t been able to showcase his stuff… yet. In february at the Future Games Trials, Sanzio was 85-86 with an advanced 11/5 breaking ball for strikes. Long, and loose arm action, Sanzio looks to be another big arm to come out of the Garden State.

OTHER NOTABLES

  • No. 13 RHP John Nimeth (Red Bank Catholic HS, NJ) has solidly built at 6-foot 195-pounds and throws from a high-¾ slot. When we saw him in February, he at 86-88 with his fastball and broke out a breaking ball with tight 11/5 spin at 66-68.

  • No. 14 RHP Jared Zimbardo (Middlesex HS, NJ) has an athletic frame at 5-foot-11 155-pounds. Another arm to come out of the Future Games Trials that was 

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