Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Tale of the Tape: '24 Draft (NJ Edition)

July 10, 2024
Dan Valerio
Assistant Scouting Director

Prospects: 

OF Luke Dickerson (Morris Knolls) Commitment: UVA 


National: 29 / State: 3 


H/W: 6’0” 190 


Stat Line: .467 I 18 HR I 64 R I 46 RBI I 27 SB I 1.086 SLG I 24 BB I 11 2B 


Dickerson has really solidified his stock this spring after a strong summer/fall circuit. The hockey star also seemed to make some significant jumps coming out of the winter. In my opinion it wasn’t many physical tweaks Dickerson made. Mentally he was just on another planet this spring. Seemed he was always 5 steps ahead of everyone else. The game appeared to be in slow motion for him. Very minimal strikeouts and errors. The biggest question is what position Dickerson will play. 


Showcasing a very physical frame. Broad chested and athletic lower half. The first tool that Dickerson possesses is his running speed. In terms of 60’s it is in the 6.4-6.5 range. His H to 1B times also have classified his speed as plus. The hit tool is on display as well, such a simple operation. Hands have a circle load. Lower half has an efficient forward move; the front side has a small hover. Stays very connected and inside the ball. Ability to hit the ball line to line. Also showcasing power with 18 home runs. 

RHP Chris Levonas (CBA) Commitment: Wake Forest 


National: No. 26  / State: No. 1 


H/W: 6’2” 175 


Stat Line: 31.2 IP I 68 K I 10 BB I 9 H I 5 R I 0.44 ERA 


Levonas spark plugged his draft buzz at the Super 60 where he showcased 5 pitches with a FB into the mid to high 90s. This led to 31 innings of work. Where he showcased elite spin in front of every MLB organization. 


Velo, spin, consistent strikes are all being checked off. A start to highlight was on 5/8/24 which in my opinion was his most impressive. FB was on full display (93-96). CB looked sharp and picked up whiffs. Also showcased a CH,CT,SL. His 5 pitch arsenal led to a semifinal W (12K I 0 BB). 

RHP Bryce Meccage (Pennington) Commitment: UVA 


National: 36 / State: 2 


H/W: 6’3” 215


Stat Line: 22 IP I 47 K I 9 BB I 0 H I 3 R I 0.64 ERA 


Meccage had a great spring. Looks filled out and strong. He gets down the slope with ease. Meccage is very respectful and “mature” for his age. Communicates well from all my interactions with him. Handles interviews with class. Made really nice strides from the Winter to Spring. On the mound the fastball has been up to 97. SL has been 79-83 with down action. CB 76-77. CH (kick-change) 84-86. Interested to see where Meccage goes. 


On The Bubble: 


LHP Will Kirk (Ramsey) Commitment: UVA 


H/W: 6’2” 190 


Stat Line: 32 IP I 62 K I 9 BB I 15 H I 3 R I 0.22 ERA 


Starter profile out of Kirk. Throws a lot of strikes in all four quadrants. 


Strong lower half. Broad shoulders. FB/CB/CH mix. 

1B Ryan Costello (Ranney) Commitment: LSU 


H/W: 6’3” 215 


Stat Line: .562 I 14 HR I 34 RBI I 24 R 


The power hitting LHH has homered at a very high clip this spring. Was 2nd in the state and 5 away from breaking the NJ record. Finished the season with 14 homers. 


Strong physical frame. Bat speed and bat to ball are real. Not much swing and miss in Costello’s game. A standout moment  for Costello this season is when he homered off ‘25 Miquel Sime (LSU commit) sits 95-98 (100). 

LHP Jake Marciano (Donovan Catholic) Commitment: Virginia Tech 


H/W: 6’1” 170 


Stat Line: 46.1 IP I 88 K I 14 BB I 1.51 ERA 


Such a lean, athletic frame from Marciano. Loose arm swing. Pitches with conviction. Emerged on the circuit last spring. Landing a commitment to VTech. The Fastball this spring was mostly 87-90 and saw flashes of 91 and 92. Breaker ticked up into the mid 70’s. Flashes the CH which I believe is his best secondary. 

Names for the Future:

RHP Howard Tate DeRias (Gloucester Catholic) Commitment: Miami 


H/W: 6’4” 195 


Stat Line: 53.1 IP I 91 K I 22 BB I 0.66 ERA 


An injury sidelined DeRias’s pitching efforts for most of ‘23 and beginning parts of ‘24. He ramped up this winter and was ready to go this Spring. He showcased a low 90’s fastball with a gradual breaking ball and a CH that had a lot of fade in the 81-84 range. It's a loose throw with lean levers. With years to come we could see the Canes commit throwing into the High 90’s. 


RHP Ryder Garino (Cherry Hill West) Commitment: South Carolina 


H/W: 6’5” 180 


Stat Line: 53.2 IP I 94 K I 14 BB I 0.39 ERA 


Definition of projection. Such a lean frame with so much room to fill out. Garino mostly pitched 87-89 this spring. Which is on the lighter side but his ability to win and throw strikes make it such an intriguing follow. His fastball has a lot of carry and ride up in the zone. Causing a bunch of whiffs this spring. Punched people out at such a high %. Garino also showed a sweeper. Late action. Missed a lot of RHH barrels. 

3B Sean Griggs (Red Bank Catholic) Commitment: Alabama 


H/W: 6’2” 190


Stat Line: .430 AVG I 7 2B I 1 HR I 17 RBI 


High character kid. Off the charts makeup. Was someone who was on the circuit his whole high school career. Starting with underclass area codes. Has some bat to ball skills. Will be interesting to see if Griggs can access his power in college. AVG. defender. Has some versatility to him with ability to play 3B, 2B, and LF. It's a smooth lefty stroke and a follow for years to come.  


RHP James Kleiven (Randolph) Commitment: Miami 


H/W: 6’3” 225 


Stat Line: 43.2 IP I 58 K I 29 BB I 3.37 ERA 


East coast pro put Kleiven on the map. He sat 94 with his fastball with spin rates into the 2700-2800s. In the same time frame he dropped his commitment to JMU due to a coaching change and shortly after chose Miami. Should be super interesting to see how much better Kleiven gets with the decision to stop playing football. This spring it seemed it was hard for him to find the same slot he had in the summer. Velo was all over the place. Sometimes 91 and others 86. So with the Dual athlete solely focused on one sport now. It will be interesting to see what he turns into at Miami. 

RHP Matthew Kouser (St. Augustine Prep) Commitment: Northwestern


H/W: 6’4” 204


Stat Line: 50 IP I 56 K I 14 BB I 0.83 ERA 

A name that deserves attention. Kouser went toe to toe with some of the names on this list and showed he belonged. Everything he throws has high spin. His heater is 88-90 with flashes of 91 and 92. SL has 11/5 break and throws it at 77-80 (81) with spin over 2700. Also throws a heavy CH at 83-86. Really reliable front end arm for the Hermits this spring and look for him to make an immediate impact at Northwestern. 

SS Yomar Carreras (North Brunswick) Commitment: Rutgers 


H/W: 5’11” 188 


Stat Line: .464 I 13 2B I 3 HR I 20 RBI 


A Super60 participant. The switching hitting shortstop #’s wise had himself a good spring. He plays a solid SS. With clean and fluid actions. The arm slot is smooth. The glove plays. With all that being said Carreras is good enough to stay at short. The biggest question is will the bat play. Curious to see what happens here with Carreras. If he does make it to campus, Rutgers will be getting a high end defender with some flick in his swing that could fit in the leadoff spot. 


RHP Landon Mack (Bishop Eustace) Commitment: Rutgers 


H/W: 6’2” 195 


Stat Line: 51 IP I 85 K I 8 BB I 0.55 ERA 


Mack caught some attention this spring. The fastball was seen up into 94 and 95 but mostly pitched at 90-91. The FB has life on it with a cut action. The breaking ball has a gradual break. He also flashed a CH on occasion. Mack is an athletic mover.