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2017 Rankings Update Preview: Top Newcomers

August 16, 2015

By Jacob Gill
Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting

Today's article on the top newcomers to our soon-to-be updated 2017 rankings is the first installment of a preview for the entire list being released at the end of the week. Other articles will feature big risers as well as a sneak preview of the first seventeen prospects on the list (i.e. the Top 17 in '17).

Pocono Mountain East right-handed pitcher Zach McCambley has drawn a significant amount of attention this summer. Armed with a fastball at 85-88 that has some action down in the zone, the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder wields a tight mid-70s curveball with hard 12/6 bite and a change-up that he just developed recently, but for which he already has shown a quality feel.

Right-handed pitcher Riley Christner has been a three-sport stud at tiny Meyersdale Area in his first two years of high school. The athletic 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has a live arm that generates a fastball that sits 86-87 and will touch 89 at times.

[Note: The initial version of this article indicated Christner's initial intention to attend Somerset Area beginning this fall. However, he will continue to attend Meyersdale Area. Our apologies for the error.]

Pottsville Area outfielder Darion Jacoby has been setting the tone at the top of the order for the Crimson Tide since his freshman year. The physical 5-foot-11, 185-pound right-handed hitter has a compact stroke with some juice in his bat and can cover ground in the outfield as well.

Peters Township right-handed hitting outfielder Tor Sehnert is another really good athlete, possessing a quality toolset across the board to go along with a feel for the barrel and some pullside power.

Seeing only four pitches is hardly a lot to go on, but sometimes the pieces just seem to fall into place. Radnor right-handed pitcher Charlie Connolly came out of the bullpen in a district playoff game with the tying run on first base and two outs in the seventh inning. Four fastballs at 82-84 later, a strikeout ended the contest. The athletic 6-foot-3, 190-pounder's arm works and he is also a lineman and linebacker on the Red Raiders football team.

After we had the chance to see Springside Chestnut Hill on multiple occasions during the high school season, infielder Christopher Alleyne was on our radar even before he verbally committed to Maryland. The switch-hitter is a quick-twitch athlete with solid wheels, smooth defensive actions, and quick hands on double play turns.

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