New York Games: Buffalo / Niagara Position Analysis

July 30, 2015

Dan Cevette
Director, New York

The New York Games took place July 7-9, hosted in Rochester NY - allowing over 180 high-level NYS baseball players the chance to be seen on a larger platform. Over 70 colleges and a handful of MLB scouts made their way to Rochester in hopes of uncovering a hidden Gem. Six players have already committed to D1 programs due to their high-end performance at our event and many more are taking visits and weighing college offers.

Here's a look at the Buffalo/Niagara position player reports from our New York Games:

Buffalo/NIagara Team

Vinny Chiarenza, Outfield, Orchard Park HS, NY (2016) Stands at 6-foot-2-inches, 185-pounds a strong, athletic body type. He has a good glove from the OF and shows some range on both sides of the ball. Clean and loose arm action with good accuracy to the target. At the plate his setup is balanced and relaxed, using timing mechanism to start hands through the zone, no stride. Keeps bat level through the hitting zone and has a short, quick path with his hands. Shows good contact ability with a mid-section finish after contact. Follow guy.

Troy Banks, Middle Infield, Orchard Park HS, NY (2017) Athletic look at 5-foot-7-inches, 170-pounds. Aggressive instincts as a fielder, smooth hands and glove work is clean, shows great ability to move side to side and has solid range. Arm slot is versatile and can be released at multiple points, plays through his throw well to ensure good accuracy to his target. At the plate he has an open and relaxed stance, he has a short stride to the ball with hips opening slightly early which he makes up for with a long bat path through the zone and some uphill tilt in his bat plane. Shows projection as a solid hitter.

Peter Battaglia, First/Third Base, Williamsville North HS, NY (2016) Stands at 6-foot-0, 188-pounds has a strong, thick body frame. Clean and quick approach as a fielder. Smooth and quick glove work which makes up for his average footwork and range. Throws accurately with a high-3/4 arm slot. Relaxed and balanced approach at the plate. Short stride with a smooth back load before contact. Compact and strong hand path through the zone with full bat extension to a high athletic finish. Solid contact and power potential with a lot of projection.

Matt Cross, Catcher/Utility, Starpoint HS, NY (2016) Has a strong, thick athletic body type at 5-foot-11-inches, 175-pounds. Wide receiving base, big target behind the plate. Receives well with clean and soft hands, great transfer and solid catching demeanor. At the plate begins with a slightly open stance and shows a relaxed approach. Smooth load and short stride, into a short, quick compact swing. Some uphill tilt at the point of contact, Solid hitter with power potential and great upside.

Mike O’Connor, Middle Infield, North Tonawanda HS, NY (2016) Athletic body type. Very clean and smooth approach in the field, quick glove and hand work, has average range side to side but makes up for it with clean, loose arm action towards target. Good arm strength as well. At the plate setup is slightly open, uses short toe touch to begin movement to the pitch, hands and bat stay on a level swing plane to the ball. Hands are quick and compact through the hitting zone and ends with a high finish. Some projection with a contact approach.

Jeff Palczewski, Third Base, Orchard Park HS, NY (2016) Athletic body frame of 5-foot-10-inches, 170-pounds. Aggressive fielding instincts with quick, smooth hands during receiving and transition. Great arm strength with carry to the target, high -3/4 arm slot with average range. Shows a good balanced setup with a slightly open front foot stance at the plate, smooth back load and short stride towards the pitch. Has long swing path through the hitting zone with full extension and some uphill tilt on the swing. Shows good projection as a hitter.

Jake Woodrich, Outfield, Orchard Park HS, NY (2016) Athletic, slim frame of 5-foot-11-inches, 140-pounds. Average fielding instincts and range that will improve with hard work, stays deep but has quick glove transfer to get up to throwing motion, throws primarily over the top, has good carry towards his target. At the plate shows a relaxed, balanced stance with a smooth back load to start motion towards the pitch. Hands take a long path through the hitting zone which allows hitter to make consistent contact, bat plane shows some uphill tilt and a mid-section finish.

Brendan Sheehan, First/Third Base, Grand Island HS, NY (2016) Athletic, thick body frame of 6-foot-2-inches, 180-pounds. Average range and is able to field position, hands stay deep but has a quick glove transfer to help get rid of the ball and to the target, recoils on throws and has a high-3/4 arm slot. Begins with an open, relaxed stance at setup, has a balanced short stride with a smooth back load to the pitch. Hands are quick and short through the zone with some uphill tilt of the bat plane, high finish but stays balanced after contact.

Austin O’Shei, Catcher/Infield, Hamburg HS, NY (2016) Standing at 5-foot-10-inches, 160-pounds has a small, athletic body type. Aggressive and shows quality range in the field, stays deep with glove and looks balls into his hands when receiving, throws at a high-3/4 arm slot and has good accuracy to target. Behind the plate he uses a wide base, receives with confidence, uses very quick hands and a clean transfer. Accurate sub 2.0 pop time to second. At the plate shows a balanced and open stance, uses a smooth back load and long stride to generate potential power at contact, hands stay long and over the plate with some uphill tilt of bat plane. Shows projection as a hitter with solid contact ability.

Dan Dallas, LHP, Canisius HS, NY (2016) Stands at a solid, athletic 6-foot-1-inch, 215-pounds. At the plate shows a relaxed, balanced setup, smooth back load and short stride to the pitch, hands and bat path are quick, compact and stay level through the hitting zone. Shows great hitting potential with ability to hit to all fields.

Ben Closson, Catcher/Third Base, Lancaster HS, NY (2016) Athletic body standing at 6-foot-1-inch, 165-pounds. Great hands behind the plate, receives clean and soft, fast footwork and excellent transfer into throwing motion, arm action is loose with arm strength. At the plate begins with a slightly open stance, smooth back load and long stride to the ball, great bat speed through the hitting zone and bat plane stays level through contact, ends with an athletic and balanced finish. Great hitting potential and has solid projection.

Zach Mitchell, Outfield, Canisius HS, NY (2016) Small body type. Fields ball cleanly and focuses on hand-eye recognition when receiving, has average range and side to side movement that will improve with more work, uses a low-3/4 arm slot but is relatively accurate to target. At the plate hitter is relaxed and balanced at setup, uses minimal load and a short stride to begin swing, hands a short and compact through the hitting zone with some uphill tilt on the swing, ends with a balanced mid-section finish. Has some projection and makes good contact.

Garrett Baugher, Outfield, St. Joseph HS, NY (2016) Stands 5-foot-10-inches, 160-pounds with an athletic frame. Great fielding instincts, shows aggressive mindset and has very smooth feel for the position, glove transfer is quick and has good arm strength with carry to the target. At the plate setup is relaxed and balanced, smooth load and short stride to the pitch, hands are compact and short through the zone, makes good contact and ends at an athletic finish after contact. High end athletic player who will help a program at the next-level.

Andrew Vincent, Outfield, Canisius HS, NY (2016) Athletic body type at 5-foot-10-inches, 165-pounds. Shows average range but is able to field the ball cleanly, hands work well during receiving and transfer, has good arm action to target with a slight recoil after release. At the plate setup is relaxed and balanced, smooth load and short stride to the pitch helps hitter with timing and consistent contact, hands are compact and short through the zone, bat path has some uphill tilt and ends at an athletic finish after contact.