Follow @PBRVirginiaDC 
Facebook + Periscope + Instagram

We continue our series of looks back on players who are recent prep graduates from Virginia/DC and how their careers have continued after high school. Today we look again back at the Class of 2016, which was a very deep and talented class of players who will be draft eligible again next spring. We will check the career progress of the eight primary pitchers and one position player who has converted to the mound and another who has become a true two-way player. These players finished their prep careers ranked in our VA/DC rankings between 30 and 45. 

 

 

 

Trey Alderman RHP / RHP / Forest Park, VA / 2016 Rankings  StateRank: 33 / POS: 13 Alderman went to Radford after graduation and has seen action exclusively as a reliever for the Highlanders during his first two seasons. As a freshman, he threw 18.1 innings in 14 appearances and walked more batters than he struck out while compiling a 9.82 ERA. He improved as a sophomore, cutting his walk rate significantly and throwing 15.1 innings in 11 appearances with a 6.46 ERA. Alderman has a big arm and could be a prospect to watch this spring if he continues to improve like he did between 2017 and 2018.

 

 

Jared DiCesare 3B / 2B / Chantilly, VA / 2016 Rankings  StateRank: 36 / POS: 4 DiCesare went to George Mason as a primary position player who had emerged on the mound during his senior season at Chantilly. As a freshman at Mason, he played both ways but he continued to emerge on the mound and has become one of the Patriots' weekend starters as a sophomore. During the 2018 season, he went 6-5 and threw 83.2 innings with a 3.33 ERA. He allowed just 67 hits and 15 walks while striking out 71. In the summer of 2018, DiCesare had a stellar season in the Cape Cod League, putting up a 2.94 ERA for Bourne in 36.2 innings, striking out 28 batters and walking just 2 in the premier college summer league.

 

 

Connor Gillispie RHP / 2B / Miller School, VA / 2016 Rankings  StateRank: 41 / POS: 17 Gillispie had a dominant senior season at Miller School and built off of that when he arrived at VCU in 2017. As a freshman he got 31.1 innings of work and showed his ability to strike batters out, picking up 38 strikeouts. As a sophomore, he started 18 games and went 7-3 with a 2.57 ERA in 73.2 innings. He allowed just 62 hits and walked 20 batters while striking out 97 as he cemented himself in the Rams' weekend rotation.

 

 

Conor Grammes SS / 2B / McLean, VA / 2016 Rankings  StateRank: 32 / POS: 6 College Draft 100Rank: 35 / POS: 9 Grammes was a two-way star for McLean during his prep career and that has carried over to his career at Xavier. As a freshman, he was named the Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player and hit .341 in 232 at-bats with 7 home runs and 41 RBIs while also contributing 25.1 innings out of the bullpen. As a sophomore, Grammes hit .330 in 209 at-bats with 10 home runs. He also threw 28 innings and struck out 45 batters on the mound. In the summer of 2018, Grammes played for Brewster in the Cape Cod League and hit .253 with 7 home runs in 79 at-bats. He also struck out 13 in 9.1 innings on the mound and was up to 98 MPH.

 

 

Kevin Kelly RHP / C / Paul VI, VA / 2016 Rankings  StateRank: 44 / POS: 19 Kelly was a monster his senior year at Paul VI and that carried over immediately to James Madison, where he earned Freshman All-America honors in 2017. That season, he threw 34 innings with a 2.91 ERA, striking out 38 and walking just 8 batters. As a sophomore, Kelly started 11 games and threw 67.1 innings with a 3.74 ERA, leading the team with 75 strikeouts and again walking just 15 batters. He followed up his strong 2018 season for the Dukes with an outstanding summer for Orleans in the Cape Cod League. He threw 36 innings and led the league with a 1.25 ERA, allowing just 23 hits and 4 walks while striking out 27 in the best college summer league in the country.

 

 

Grey Lyttle RHP / 3B / Hanover, VA / 2016 Rankings  StateRank: 31 / POS: 12 As a freshman at High Point in 2017, Lyttle threw 22 innings across 13 appearances and posted a 6.14 ERA. He showed improvement as a sophomore, making 17 appearances across 39 innings while putting up a 3.46 ERA and striking out 45 batters.

 

 

Keagan McGinnis RHP / 3B / Battlefield , VA / 2016 Rankings  StateRank: 39 / POS: 16 As a freshman at Virginia Tech in 2017, McGinnis made 2 appearances totaling 1 inning of work. He left Tech for Frederick Community College, where he went 5-1 in 11 starts in 2018 with a 5.55 ERA over 48.2 innings. He also struck out 68 batters in 2018 and will play his junior season in 2019 at George Washington.

 

 

Hughes Page RHP / Episcopal, VA / 2016 Rankings  StateRank: 38 / POS: 15 Page took a redshirt in 2017 during his freshman year at Virginia and did not make the roster in 2018.

 

 

Robert Riddick RHP / 1B / Flint Hill, VA / 2016 Rankings  StateRank: 42 / POS: 18 OverallRank: 285 / POS: 113 Riddick attended Virginia Tech in the fall of 2017.

 

 

Sam Ryan RHP / 3B / Fairfax, VA / 2016 Rankings  StateRank: 34 / POS: 14 Ryan went to VCU after completing his career at Fairfax and only got 2 innings of work as a freshman in 2017. His sophomore season saw him emerge as a significant contributor on the mound for the Rams. He went 4-2 and threw 63 innings in 19 appearances, 11 of which were starts. He allowed just 45 hits and struck out 68 batters while posting a 4.14 ERA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Where Are They Now?