Northeast/Mid-Atlantic JUCO Scout Blog: Final Edition

March 20, 2020
Staff
PBR Ground Forces

There was major anticipation this season for Junior College baseball in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as the early weather had teams out and about along with several already making their spring trips south. While some teams were able to get a bunch of games in many others were unable to play one inning of their 2020 campaign.

NE/Mid-Atlantic Scout Blog

Joshua Lopez C / Danbury, CT / 2018 / Monroe College

Athletic build at 6-foot-0 185 pounds. The RHH sets up even in the box with a balanced, repeatable swing path. Showed a short stroke vs. Sullivan CC going 4-for-4 with early count contact. Hard, line drive results. Strong, above average arm behind the dish; works well in the dirt. 2019 was a red-shirt season. Finished the year at .400 (10-for-25) with 1 2B, 1 HR and 5 RBI.

Giovanni Diaz SS / Christopher Columbus , NY / 2018 / Sullivan CC

Compact, physical build at 5-foot-10 190 pounds; Showed tremendous gloves side range with the ability to make the play on the run vs. Monroe college. Strong left side arm as evidenced by his efforts last fall at the JUCO Soph. Showcase. Turned around 90 MPH FB just missing a go-ahead grand slam through the wind in the 9th inning vs. Monroe College, settling for a game tying SAC fly. Was 3-for-9 on the season with a 3B and 3 RBI; 13-for-13 in total chances defensively.

Ajay Sczepkowski 2B / Governor Mifflin, PA / 2017 / Harford CC

Strong, athletic body type and 6-foot-1 210 pound frame. Toolsy prospect with versatility to play anywhere in the outfield and in the infield. Tracks the ball well to the gaps and possesses a strong arm. Relaxed, balanced stance at the plate. Compact uphill swing with a front leg kick load. Showed quick hands and fast bat speed through the zone working gap-to-gap. Was 1-for-4 in game one against Monroe College with a double to the gap. Present strength and power present at the plate.

Brelon Harden SS / Great Bridge, VA / 2018 / Harford CC

Athletic body type; 6-foot-0, 180 pound frame. VMI transfer. Quick twitch athlete with range in the field and a knack for making things happen offensively. Hits from a slightly more spread out stance with a small stride. Stays short to the ball with quick hands and fast bat speed. Was 2-for-4 at the plate in game one against Monroe with a stolen base and scored a run. Plus runner with developing power also at the plate.

Jeremy Lapp-Barger RHP / Century, MD / 2018 / Harford CC

Athletic body type and 6-foot-0, 165 pound frame. West Virginia transfer. Pounded the zone striking out seven batters in four innings pitched against Monroe College. Featured a 86-89 mph fastball, 82-84 mph change-up and 76-79 mph swing-and-miss slider. Showed command of all three pitches and used the slider as an out pitch. Slider was tight and hard with a 2200-2350 spin rate. Small side-step wind-up and leg kick into a compact quarter corkscrew balance point. Smooth stride down the hill landing in-line with home plate. Athletic follow through and finish. Throws with long, loose arm action from a mid three-quarter slot.

Leivin Rodriguez SS / Saunders, NY / 2019 / Monroe College

Athletic body type and projectable 6-foot-3’, 160 pound frame with plenty of room to add strength. Worked in relief on the mound in game one against Harford CC. Struck out three in 2.1 innings pitched allowing just one hit and no runs. Gets to a compact balance point and showed clean hand separation with uphill shoulders. Lands in-line with home plate with a slightly upright finish. Loose arm action throwing from a mid-three quarter slot. Fastball sat 83-85 mph and touched 86 mph. Breaking ball was 71-72 with 11/5 shape but also showed some 10/4 sweep at times. Changeup was 78 mph with some fade to it. As a position player vs. Sullivan CC; showed effortless actions at SS with easy arm across the diamond. Quick to contact in the box with some juice to the pull side gap. Had some hard contact knocked down by the wind. Legitimate two-way ability for the remainder of his college career. Was hitting .415 (17-for-41) with 3 2B and 7 runs scored on the year with 5 K over 3.1 IP on the mound.

Miguel Toribio OF / James Monroe , NY / 2019 / Monroe College

Athletic build with a compact, muscular frame at 5-foot-8 160 pounds. The LHH flashes a short, direct swing path with barrel control. One of the top hitters in NYC during his scholastic days. Finished the season at .308 clip in a platoon role in the outfield.

Vladimir Ceverino RHP / Franklin K. Lane, NY / 2018 / Monroe College

Physical 6-foot-3 200 pound build. The St. John’s transfer (redshirt in 2019), exhibited some command issues but showed no shortage of velocity working 89-91, T 93 MPH with a power change up at 83-84 MPH. Has a chance to dominate once able to get ahead of hitters. 10BB to 7 K over his 4 outings (10 IP).

SO. Corner INF Paul Hamilton (Raritan Valley CC)
Full frame RHH with a simple approach; showed power with a 2-run opposite field HR and bat speed to turn on middle in. Corner infielder, middle of the order bat for the 4-year level. Finished the year at .371 (13-for-35) with 3 2B, 4 HR and 16 RBI.

FR. C John Rosario (Raritan Valley CC)
Athletic RHH catcher with an open setup. Short compact stroke with a high contact, line drive approach. Clean exchanges with a quick release behind the dish. Throws hold the line out of the hand and are accurate on-the-bag. Finished the year at .444 (12-for-27); 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR and 6 RBI.

FR. RHP Julian Minaya (Sullivan CC)
Athletic build in the 6-foot-0 180 pound range. Up tempo pace and fills up the zone at 83-85 MPH with three pitches. CB on the harder side with a smaller break. More in the tank. 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 8 K, 2 BB vs. Kingsborough CC.

SO. RHP Joshua Perez (Sullivan CC)
Slight frame; quick arm out in front. Varies delivery using hesitations and double pumps/leg drives. FB works 82-85 in the lower ⅓ of the zone. Mixes mid 70’s slider with a 2S FB that was able to chase RHH hands. Battled a tough Monroe College lineup going 6 IP scattering 7 hits and allowing 3 ER.

SO Utiity Assaf Lowengart (Sullivan CC)
Athletic build for the Israeli native who is a transfer from San Joaquin Delta JC in California. Tracked down several balls in the gap vs. Monroe College in CF but also finished the game at SS. Patient approach at the plate with a short, on plane swing with line drive results. High average/contact mindset who can hit deep in the count. Was 3-for-8 with 5 BB, 2B, 3B and 3 runs scored on the year.

SO. LHP Elvin Ramos (Monroe College)
5-foot-10 180 pound southpaw can navigate his way through a lineup living on the edges while able to fade a change up off his fastball location. Sat 84-87 MPH vs. Sullivan CC with a plus change at 78-79 that was same plane out of the hand. Backdoored a slider on occasion at 73-75. Could elevate or crowd RHH when needed. The Panama City, Panama native accumulated 14K’s over his 10 IP this season. Two starts and two appearances of the pen.

FR. RHP Angel Ventura (Monroe College)
In only his second outing of the year, Ventura was dominant sitting 88-90 MPH, T 92 MPH with a tight 77-78 MPH slider, racking up two K’s vs. Sullivan CC. Against #1 ranked NJCAA DII LSU-Eunice earlier in the year he struck out 3 in his 3 innings of work while battling some command issues.

SO. LHP Tomas Ramirez (Monroe College)
Ramirez checks in at 6-foot-2 195 pounds. The Bayamon, Puerto Rico native had a tidy one inning appearance vs. Sullivan CC striking out the side showing command of his offerings. Worked 83-85 MPH with his FB showing 77-79 MPH change and 68-70 MPH CB.

FR INF Joan Sosa (Monroe College)
Athletic body type; 5-foot-11, 190 pound frame. Smooth middle infield prospect with range from the Bronx. Was outstanding at the plate in game one against Harford CC hammering balls all afternoon. Hits from a balanced stance with hands pre-set. Small controlled stride and stays short to the ball. Showed extremely quick hands and bat speed through the zone staying balanced and compact throughout the swing. Gap-to-gap line drive approach with surprising pop. Plus runner on the bases and a really head’s up player. Went 2-for-3 in game one against Harford CC with a double and scored on a bloop single to center field from first base. Finished the year at .321 (9-for-28) with 3 2B, 1 HR and 7 RBI.

SO OF Jose Martinez (Monroe College)
Athletic body type; 6-foot-0, 165 pound frame with room to fill out. Hit leadoff for the Mustangs in game one against Harford CC. Went 2-for-4 with a home run and drove in three runs. Plus runner in the outfield and on the bases. Hits form a balanced, square stance at the plate with rhythm. Loose hands and slightly uphill swing path. Stays behind the ball well with good extension. Showed power to the gaps - home run was to RCF. Against Sullivan CC he tracked down a few balls in the gap and smoked a walk-off 2B to CB. Finished the season at .359 clip (14-for-39) with 3 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBI and 4 SB.

SO RHP Patrick Morrissey (Monroe College)
Strong, physical body type and 6-foot-4, 230 pound frame. Power righty, sat 84-86 mph and touched 87 mph. Also featured a 73-75 mph breaking ball with hard, tight 11/5 shape and an 81-83 mph changeup. Small side-step wind-up into a tall compact balance point. Strong kick-out stride landing in-line with home plate with a slightly upright finish. Throws with shorter inverted W arm action from a high three-quarters slot with effort. IN 15 ⅔ IP Morrissey had racked up 16K.

SO. LHP John Torres (Harford CC)
Strong, athletic body type and 6-foot-0, 180 pound frame. Cincinnati transfer. Came in relief in game one against Monroe College. Worked 2.2 innings and struck out five. Featured a fastball that sat 80-82 mph and showed excellent control of his offspeed which included a plus changeup at 73-74 mph and 70-71 mph breaking ball with 11/5 shape. Pitches from the stretch with a controlled stride down the mound. Lands square to the plate and showed some arm speed through release. Clean hand separation throwing with shorter arm action from a high three quarter slot with light effort.

SO. C Tom Brosnahan (Harford CC)
Athletic body type and projectable 6-foot-3, 210 pound frame. Ohio transfer. Left-handed hitting catcher with plus power at the plate. Hits from an open stance and uses a leg kick to load. Gets nice hand separation and showed strong lower half involvement. Quick hands and bat speed through the zone. Has the ability to turn on the ball with ease. Stays behind the ball very well with balance, excellent extension and a strong finish. Went 4-for-4 at the plate in game one against Monroe College with three RBI’s, a double, and another laser that just missed going over the wall by a foot that was a long single. Strong arm behind the dish, arm velo was 82 mph in the fall with pop times ranging 1.92-2.02.

FR. OF Samuel Canela (Kingsborough CC)
Long, athletic frame with raw physical tools. Corner OF projection. Small sample but was 3-for-5 on the year with a 2B and 3B.