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PA Underclass Games Analysis: Pitchers

July 8, 2015

By Jacob Gill
Philadelphia Region Director of Scouting

The 2015 PBR Pennsylvania Underclass Games took place on June 23-24, with 51 prospects from around the state gathering at Tambur Field on the campus of Misericordia University. Our rundown of the participants concludes today with the twenty-five pitchers in attendance, broken down by graduating class.

PItchers

2016


Dillon Good, 2016, RHP/1B, Ephrata
6-foot, 200-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with long, clean arm action. Stuff was a bit down from when we saw him the previous week (fastball sat 82-84 then). This time out, fastball sat 79-81, and split with some late downward action registered at 71. Mixed in two distinct breaking balls, one with 11/5 action at 65-68 and a slower 12/6 version at 60-61.

Greg Grandelli, 2016, IF/RHP, Roman Catholic
6-foot, 185-pound frame. Pitched out of a low three-quarter slot. Stuff was a bit down from when we saw him the previous week (fastball sat 80-82 then). This time out, fastball sat 78-79 with occasional armside action. Breaking ball at 60-61 breaks early; at times, appears to back off it, could sharpen up if stays aggressive. Did not feature his change-up this time around, but the previous week it sat in the low-70s with some armside sink.

Jacob Kinsell, 2016, RHP, Carmichaels Area
6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with good tempo in delivery. Stuff was a bit down from when we saw him the previous week (fastball sat 79-81 then) and command wasn’t quite as sharp either. This time out, fastball sat 78-79 and was often up in zone or pulled gloveside. Curveball at 64-65 had solid 11/5 action.

Austin Kunkel, 2016, RHP/OF, Brandywine Heights
6-foot-2, 170-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot. Fastball sat 79-80 and touched 81. Struggled early on with the feel for his curveball at 69-70, but the pitch showed better 11/5 action as his outing wore on. Showed a straight change-up in between innings, but it was not a major part of his repertoire in game action.

Dante’ Vaniel, 2016, 3B/RHP, McKeesport
6-foot, 180-pound frame. Pitched entirely from the stretch out of a high three-quarter slot. At times, tried to be too quick to the plate with runners on base, not allowing his arm a chance to catch up. Fastball sat 77-78 for the second straight week, while he showed a better feel for spinning his curveball at 65-66 with solid 11/5 action that he used more as a chase than a grab-a-strike pitch.

Aaron Zechman, 2016, RHP/OF, Selinsgrove Area
6-foot, 170-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with low elbow and bow-and-arrow arm action. Employs chest-high leg kick into a slightly crossfire delivery. Fastball sat 73-75 and touched 77, a slightly higher peak than when we saw him the previous week. Also incorporated a slow breaking ball at 59-60.

2017


Jordan Art, 2017, OF/RHP, Lakeland
6-foot, 160-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with chest high leg lift. Fastball sat 75-77 with occasional late armside run, while he also dropped down sidearm at 74. Solid slider at 72-73 had short, late darting action, while he tended to slow his body to throw his change-up at 68-69.

Kyler Fedko, 2017, 3B/RHP, Vincentian Academy
6-foot, 155-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with clean arm action and compact delivery. Fastball sat 77-79 and was complemented by a curveball at 63-64 with 11/5 action and a change-up at 62-63 with a bit of sink. Both secondary pitches will improve when he learns to maintain his aggressiveness and not slow his body down when throwing them. Fielded position well.

Michael Haley, 2017, C/RHP, Franklin Regional
6-foot, 200-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with clean arm action and showed some arm speed.  Fastball sat 80-81 and was complemented by a curveball at 67-69 with 11/5 action on which he slows his delivery some, and a change-up at 72-73.

Adam Jeannette, 2017, RHP/1B, Riverside
6-foot-5, 185-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with abbreviated arm action. Chest-high leg lift and kicks lead leg at hitter. Fastball sat 79-80 and was complemented by a slider at 71-73 with early, slurvy break, and a curveball at 65-66 with 11/5 action for which he showed some feel.

Jack Liberatore, 2017, IF/RHP, Greensburg Central Catholic
6-foot, 160-pound frame. Pitched out of an over-the-top slot from a compact delivery. Got downhill fairly well with fastball that sat 78-79 with some late movement. Also incorporated a curveball at 66-67 with 12/6 action and a rare change-up at 70-72. Exhibited quick feet on pickoff attempts.

Isaiah Lockette, 2017, OF/RHP, Steelton-Highspire
5-foot-11, 170-pound frame. Pitched out of a three-quarter slot from slightly crossfire delivery. Deliberate leg lift, pushes hands away from body for separation, long arm action, has some hand speed out front. Fastball sat 78-79 and touched 80. Also incorporated a curveball at 65-66 and a slider at 70.

Santino Nave’, 2017, RHP/OF, Roman Catholic
5-foot-10, 160-pound frame. Very consistent performance from the previous week. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with slightly crossfire delivery that he repeats well. Good mound presence.. Fastball sat 80-81 (touched 82 the previous week), while breaking ball sat at 71 with tight rotation and late action.

Nick Picariello, 2017, OF/RHP, Germantown Academy
5-foot-9, 185-pound frame. Pitched out of an over-the-top slot with high leg kick, back shoulder dip, and some effort in delivery. Fastball sat 81-83 and was complemented by a solid curveball at 73-75 with 12/6 action and some depth. More of a thrower than a pitcher right now, but the present velocity and ability to spin a breaking ball provides some intrigue.

Shane Souchuck, 2017, RHP/1B, Conwell-Egan Catholic
6-foot, 200-pound frame. Last time we saw him, we described his delivery as “up tempo.” That may not have done it justice. In “fast forward” or, perhaps even “time lapse,” would be more appropriate. Pitched out of an over-the-top slot. Fastball sat 80-82 with some downhill plane. Occasionally drops down sidearm with fastball at 75. Also, flipped in a curveball at 68-69 with 11/5 action.

Trey Weaver, 2017, 1B/LHP, Franklin Area
5-foot-10, 220-pound frame. Pitched out of a low three-quarter slot with overhead rocker, slight hip coil over rubber, hesitation at the top of balance point and upright finish. Fastball sat 69-71 with some sink, while curveball at 58-60 varied in shape from 10/4 to 11/5 action.

2018


James Balogh, 2018, RHP/OF, Pocono Mountain East
5-foot-10, 155-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with long, clean arm action. Repeated his delivery well in the wind-up; was less consistent in the stretch. Fastball sat 81-82, with the arm action projecting for more velocity, especially as he adds strength to his frame. Good feel for spinning his curveball at 69-71 with 11/5 action. Maintained arm speed on change-up at 72-73 with some horizontal, 1-plane fade.

Donnie Faux, 2018, LHP, Tunkhannock
6-foot, 125-pound frame. Pitched out of an over-the-top slot with a very short, bow-and-arrow arm action and chest-high leg kick. Maintained direction to home plate well. Fastball sat 62-64, while secondary stuff included a curveball at 56-57 and a change-up at 59-60.

Hutch Gagnon, 2018, LHP, Downingtown East
6-foot-2, 175-pound frame. Pitched out of a three-quarter slot with lots of moving parts in his delivery. Long, loose arm action with slight hook in back. Fastball sat 79-80, touching 81, with occasional cut when thrown gloveside or run when thrown armside. Slurvy, sweeping breaking ball with three-quarter action at 64-66 and change-up at 74-75. Was generally in the zone with all three pitches.

Joe LaFiora, 2018, LHP/1B, Neumann-Goretti
5-foot-9, 200-pound frame with developed lower half. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with overhead rocker and good rhythm in delivery. Fastball sat 76-78 with more in the tank when he learns to consistently work over his front side instead of around it. Showed a good feel for a big breaking curveball at 61-63 with 11/5 action, while also mixing in a change-up at 69-70.

Ben Mongelluzzo, 2018, OF/RHP, Penn-Trafford
5-foot-11, 160-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot, kicking lead leg out of balance point. Maintained direction to the plate well. Fastball at 76-77 had consistent, natural cut away from the barrel. Also utilized a curveball at 67-69 with 11/5 action.

2019


John Deenis, 2019, IF/RHP, St. Joseph’s Prep
5-foot-9, 135-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot from slightly crossfire angle. Fairly compact delivery with high leg kick; incorporated slide step in stretch. Maintained direction to the plate well. Threw strikes with a fastball at 70-73 and a curveball at 63-64 with 11/5 action.

Nick Embleton, 2019, RHP/OF, East Pennsboro
6-foot-1, 160-pound frame. Pitched out a three-quarter slot, showing good arm speed. Fastball sat 79-80 and touched 81. Especially for his age, showed a very good feel for spinning his curveball with 11/5 action at 63-65. In fact, he actually showed better command of his curveball than his fastball on this day. Also mixed in a change-up at 68-70 with some fade.

Ryan Kutz, 2019, 1B/RHP, Lower Dauphin
6-foot, 185-pound frame. Pitched out of a high three-quarter slot with some funk in his delivery, including a slight hesitation on his way to the plate after he separates his hands. Fastball sat 76-78, touching 80, with occasional armside action. Physically developed relative to peers; if he keeps growing, will have a chance to get solid downhill plane on his fastball. Secondary stuff -- a curveball at 60-61 and change-up at 64-65 -- will improve as he learns to trust them and maintain aggressiveness with fastball armspeed.

Tristan Lockett, 2019, RHP/IF, Mifflin County
5-foot-6, 140-pound frame. Pitched out a high three-quarter slot from an up-tempo delivery and was quick to the plate in the stretch. FB sat 72-74 and he located it to his gloveside well. Showed a good feel for both secondary pitches. Curveball was 63-65 with 11/5 action, while straight change-up was thrown with fastball armspeed at 65-67 with some sink.

Previous PA Underclass Games News

 2015 Eastern PA Fall ReviewCreate a Free Player ProfileWestern PA Fall Review 2015