New England Insider: Updated Class of 2017 Player Rankings (August)
August 26, 2016
By Dennis Healy, Trevor Brown and PBR Staff
Co-Director of Scouting
New England Insider: Updated Class of 2017 Player Rankings (August)
With the summer showcases coming to a close, Prep Baseball Report New England takes a look at the 2017 rankings. Many new prospects come into the rankings while many prospects have made jumps, some drastically. Below we will take a look at “What’s New At The Top”, “Rising Prospects”, and some of the top uncommitted prospects.
To view the entire list of 315 prospects please click here.
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For insider information and scouting notes from the PBR staff during the 2016 spring and summer seasons visit the 2016 New England Scout Blog by clicking here.
Covering six states, New England is a prime area for legit baseball talent and now we would like to bring to you the updated 2017 Player Rankings.
At The Top
Ben Casparius, Staples High School, right-handed pitcher headed to North Carolina heads our rankings. Also will swing the bat at Chapel Hill.
Chris Lanzilli, Dexter School, right-handed hitting physical middle infielder who projects to stay in the middle of the field and let his bat speak for itself.
Jack Hodgson, Choate School, right-handed pitcher, headed to Boston College. Possesses and upper-80s fastball and a spin pitch in the mid-70s.
Matt Tabor (pictured right), Milton Academy, is still developing right-hander who has spiked in velocity and turned heads at the Area Code game and East Coast Pro Invitational.
Jared Shuster, Tabor Academy, left-handed arm head to Wake Forest. The velocity has jumped in the last year, making his downhill plane tough to ignore.
The Risers
Sam Cooper (pictured right), Keene High School, is a UMass commit after attending our Top Prospect Games. Comes right at hitters and possesses a heavy fastball with good secondary stuff.
Michael Lisnicchia, Westhill High School, is a potential two-way guy. Touches 88 mph on the mound and swings the bat from the left-side. Good looking player.
Raymond Bartoli, Wolcott High School, just committed to Army. The quick armed right-handed spin in the mid-70s and shows a good fastball in the mid to upper-80s.
THE NEWCOMERS
Jacob Shrader, Hopkins School, just committed to Tufts. Came to our Academic event at Harvard and touched 89 mph with a good slider.
Eddie McCabe, Norwalk High School, athletic 6-foot-2 right-handed hitting middle infielder headed to play for the Hoyas.
Brendan Conley, Bishop Hendricken, quick twitch right-handed hitting outfielder who also can play in the infield. The arm is plus and the bat has life.
Teddy Hague (pictured right), Amity High School, left-handed hitting outfielder who can also pitch. Profiles as a reliever on the mound. The body is live and he can run it down in the outfield.
Christopher Gijsbers, Cheshire Academy, shows promise on the mound and at the plate. Long frame and good looking arm.
TOP UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS BY POSITION:
Below we look to name the top two to five prospects in specific categories for the 2017 class. Beyond the top three, there are numerous prospects that can help a collegiate program in some capacity.
Top Right-Handed Pitchers: Dario Tarqinio, Brian Gaughan, Christopher Gjisbers, Ryan Towle, Matt Barrett, Justin Hurley
Top Left-Handed Pitchers: Jake Randolph, Noah Wachter, Andrew Wood, Jordan Weber
Top Catchers: Anthony Clark, Michael Doyle, Nicholas Martin
Top First Baseman: Ryan Hernandez, Steve Pickering, John Paul McDonald
Top MIddle Infielders: Ronan Chisholm, Kyle Cortese, Christopher Rotondo
Top Outfielders: Connor Mulligan, Frank Diorio, Brendan Conley, JD Bailey, Alex Parrott, Owen Amigo
2-Way Prospects: Jonathan Mikosz, Michael Lisinicchia (pictured right), Kevin Hummer
New England Class of 2017 Rankings
| Rank |
Name | State | School | Class | Pos | Commitment |
| 1 | Benjamin Casparius | CT | Staples | 2017 | RHP | North Carolina |
| 2 | Chris Lanzilli | MA | Dexter | 2017 | SS | Wake Forest |
| 3 | Jack Hodgson | CT | Choate | 2017 | RHP | Boston College |
| 4 | Matt Tabor | MA | Milton Academy | 2017 | RHP | Elon |
| 5 | Jared Shuster | MA | Tabor Academy | 2017 | LHP | Wake Forest |
| 6 | Robert Cerulle | MA | Phillips Academy | 2017 | RHP | Pennsylvania |
| 7 | Beau Dana | MA | Deerfield Academy | 2017 | RHP | Georgetown |
| 8 | Ian Seymour | MA | St. Johns Shrewsbury | 2017 | LHP | Virginia Tech |
| 9 | Tommy Seidl | MA | St Sebastian's | 2017 | OF | Harvard |
| 10 | Joseph Simeone | MA | Groton-Dunstable | 2017 | RHP | Connecticut |
***** To view the entire Top 315, please click here.