West Virginia Prospects Highlight Rosters for PA Top Prospect Games
May 22, 2014
By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting
The PA Top Prospect Games are less than a month away (June 17 & 18) at the University of Pittsburgh. Today we take an in depth look at the rosters and the talented prospects lined up to participate.
Red Team
The Red Team has 13 position players highlighted by 5-foot-11, 180-lb., SS/RHP Danny Long from Pennridge HS, ranked No. 39 in the PA Class of 2016. Long has been on an offensive terror during the course of his sophomore season, hitting two home runs and driving in seven runs in a playoff game yesterday.
The Red Team will have seven pitchers throw over the course of the two day event. Joe Molettiere, ranked No. 38 in the PA Class of 2015, should impress with his 86-87 mph fastball and command of two above average complimentary pitches.
Black Team
The Black Team has 13 position players with Susquehannock 3B Connor Hood among the top prospects on this roster. The 6-foot, 165-pound sophomore is ranked No. 11 in the PA Class of 2016. 3B/RHP Kevin Barron has made the switch from 1B to 3B since participating for Team Pennsylvania last summer in the PBR Future Games. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound corner infielder has above average power and is a versatile defender that can also man either corner outfield position.
The Black Team also boasts the loan unsigned senior participating in the event in OF Austin Norman (Fairmont Senior, WV). Norman is a gifted athlete that also quarterbacked the Polar Bears football team. He has hit 10 home runs to date in his senior season.
The Black Team will have eight pitchers toe the rubber with RHP Collin Liberatore (Greensburg Central Catholic) and RHP Kyle Peterson (State College), ranked No. 59 and No. 100 in the PA Class of 2015 respectively, anchoring the staff. Liberatore possesses one of the top changeups in his class while Peterson is presents an imposing presence on the mound at 6-foot-6, 255-pounds.
Blue Team
The Blue Team has 13 position players, including C/3B Zach Minnick (Logan, WV), ranked No. 1 in the WV Class of 2015 and No. 48 in the PBR combined rankings. Minnick participated in the PBR Future Games last summer as a member of Team Pennsylvania showcasing some of his raw power potential with a double and a home run at Indiana University.
The Blue Team pitching staff will have eight pitchers, including RHP Michael Kuypers (Central Bucks South), ranked No. 127 in the PA Class of 2015.
Gold Team
The White Team will have 13 position players highlighted by Connor Yoder (East Pennsboro), ranked No. 21 in the PA Class of 2016. Yoder will participate as a RHP with Team Pennsylvania at this summer's PBR Future Games, but will showcase his two-way abilities as a corner infielder at this event.
A trio of 2015 right handed pitchers will highlight the seven man Gold Team pitching staff. Colin Claus (West Allegheny, No. 53 in PA), Michael Grove (Wheeling Park, No. 12 in WV) and Mike Mock (Central) will all turn some heads. Mock, currently unranked, has anchored the Central pitching staff this spring during an undefeated campaign and will jump into the rankings during the next update.
Grey Team
The Grey Team will have 13 position players highlighted by a promising underclassmen in 2017 SS/3B Christian Fedko. The freshman hit over .500 this past spring and will showcase his aggressive approach at the plate.
The Grey Team will have a six man pitching staff anchored by a pair of promising lefties. Dustin Lander (South Side, No. 95 in the PA Class of 2015) and Jonathon Dignazio (North Allegheny, No. 42 in the PA Class of 2016) should both make an impression.
white Team
The Gold Team will have 13 position players including 2015 SS Grayson Miller (East Pennsboro, No. 46 in PA) and a pair of 2017 prospects that will be among the top ranked players in the state when the rankings for the freshman class are released in June. C/3B/RHP Shane Muntz (Malvern Prep) is a physical prospect with a big upside at 6-foot-3, 240-pounds. OF/RHP Joe Lancellotti (Archbishop Wood) is a 5-foot-10, 190-pound prospect with two-way potential and a wealth of athleticism.
The Gold Team pitching staff is the largest of the six teams at the event, with nine arms scheduled to appear. Muntz (upper 80's) and 2015 RHP Michael VanLenten (Somerset) are just two of the power arms on this staff.
Schedule:
June 17 June 18
7:15am - 7:30am 7:30am
+ Check-in for Red/Black Teams + Red/Blue Teams report
8:00am - 8:45am 8:00am-8:45am
+ Live Batting Practice on the field - both teams + Defensive evaluations - both teams
9:00am - 11:30am 9:00am-11:30am
+ Game 1 - Red Team vs. Black Team (9 innings) + Game 4 - Red Team vs. Blue Team
11:15am - 11:30am 11:30am
+ Check-in for Blue/Gold Teams + Black/White Teams report
12:00pm - 12:45pm 12:00pm -12:45pm
+ Live Batting Practice on the field - both teams + Defensive evaluations - both teams
1:00pm - 3:30pm 1:00pm - 3:30pm
+ Game 2 - Blue Team vs. Gold Team (9 innings) + Game 5 - Black Team vs. White Team
3:15pm - 3:30pm 3:30pm
+ Check-in for Grey/White Teams + Grey/Gold Teams report
4:00pm - 4:45pm 4:00pm - 4:45pm
+ Live Batting Practice on the field - both teams + Defensive evaluations - both teams
5:00pm - 7:30pm 5:00pm - 7:30pm
+ Game 3 - Grey Team vs. White Team (9 innings) + Game 6 - Grey Team vs. Gold Team
rosters
Click Here for a complete roster of all prospects registered to participate, including direct links to each player's profile page.
Click Here for a breakdown of prospects by team.
additional WV news:
- WV West Virginia Sectional Tournament Tracker5.22.14
- PBRPlus The Hotlist: Draft Superlatives5.21.14
- PBRPlus Recruiting Essentials Q and A: Transfers, Recruiting Panic and More5.21.14
- PBRPlus So, You Think You Have It All Figured Out?5.20.14
- PBRPlus 2014 Draft Blog5.20.14
- PBRPlus Recruiting Essentials: NCAA Division III Rules5.19.14