Also, when will Mason Feole make his decesion on turning pro , or, returning to UConn.
UConn Baseball Recruiting and Commitment Thread
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Thanks.
Don't know for sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if the decision is made shortly before the deadline. Several years ago Max McDowell signed his pro contract hours before the deadline, so that sort of thing has happened before.
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Is there any reason to think Feole is considering coming back? I thought everyone assumed his going pro after this year was a done deal. Obviously, the outlook for next year would be entirely different if he is anchoring the rotation.
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I would assume Crawford comes here, as do most high schoolers drafted in the late rounds. If he does go pro, I'll be surprised. As for Feole, I'm operating under the opposite assumption: until I hear other wise, I assume he's going pro, based on where he was drafted.
These days I just assume that any college junior who gets drafted is going pro, since very few who get drafted return for their senior year. In my early years of following this stuff I would have hopes that someone would return for their senior year, only to find myself disappointed when they went pro. I found it this sort of false hope just wasn't worth the effort. So I switched my thinking to the idea that a junior getting drafted is a badge of honor for the school, and a reward to the player for their hard work.
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From Prep Baseball Report:
>10/20/18
6-foot-1, 150-pound left-handed pitcher who continues to develop nicely on the bump. The frame is thin, arms are long and lanky. The arm works free and clean throughout the delivery . The direction to the plate is appropriate, 3/4 in arm slot. The glove side is loose, needs to be posted and under control. The leg lift is high and athletic, repeats at all times. The potential is high, and if his frame fills out he could shoot through the roof. The fastball touched 81 mph, arm side run to the pitch. The spin pitch is big in shape, sitting at 67-69 mph. The changeup is a developing pitch, sat 73-75 mph
6/27/18
6-foot,1 40-pound left-handed pitcher and outfielder. The future is bright for this lanky pitcher. The fastball touched 78 mph, arm side action to the pitch. The spin pitch is 66 mph, still needs more fastball hand speed to it, but the shape is appropriate. The changeup is 70-71, he showed it in warm ups. The pitch is still developing. The delivery is online with his feet, the slot is above 3/4 . The arm works quick, glove side is posted and the delivery is repeated. The lift is athletic, sinks a bit at the top, and the tracking is advanced for his age. The ball comes out very well. Big time follow on the mound in the 2021 class.<
Frank Mozzicato
uconnbaseball
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Welcome Frank!
You mention buying low on these guys. Like you said, both these guys had solid freshmen seasons, and not so good sophomore seasons. My guess is that both these guys are coming to Storrs initially without any athletic scholarship money, given that there is so little scholarship money to go around in college baseball anyway.
Also remember that fall ball rosters often number in the mid 40's, while the spring season playing roster is 35. When they are eligible to play, whether it is for the 2020 or 2021 season, they will need to earn their way onto the team, assuming that they are not on any athletic scholarship money. This is not a given, as transfer Nate Panzer showed (of course, Panzer never made the spring ball roster at Maryland). Both these guys do sound like they could be really interesting ball players, but until they actually end up on the 35 man spring roster we get to wonder if truer test of these players abilities are their freshmen or sophomore seasons.
Max Nielsen wins 52nd Annual Carl Yastrzemski Award
Ward Melville pitcher went 5-1 with 1.44 ERA and struck out 103 in 49 2/3 innings this season
www.newsday.com
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@dbmill - nice find.
Max Nielsen wins 52nd Annual Carl Yastrzemski Award
Ward Melville pitcher went 5-1 with 1.44 ERA and struck out 103 in 49 2/3 innings this seasonwww.newsday.com
So cool...
>> Nielsen, who will play on a baseball scholarship at UConn, struck out a school-record 293 batters in his career and finished with 19 wins, one short of Anthony Kay’s school record of 20. Ward Melville won four Suffolk League I titles during his tenure.
Kay, a pitcher with the Mets Triple AAA affiliate in Syracuse, has been a mentor to Max. "Max worked hard for everything this year and I know he will crush it at UConn," Kay said. "Way to show what Ward Melville is all about."<<
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Justin Willis is a RHP from West New York, NJ. In his freshman 2018 season for Vandy, he had a 7.59 ERA in 10.2 innings, with 8 strike outs, 7 walks, and 12 hits.
I don't know for sure, but I have to think all these recent transfers are coming in with no scholarship money involved, basically as a second chance. They will be around for fall ball, but will they make the roster in the spring season that they become eligible? We'll see.
Edit: PerfectGame.org gave Willis a PG grade of 9 when he was in high school. That is highly respectable. Still, he is at least two years away from the time when he was given that grade.
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Nothing wrong with accumulating talent and letting the cream rise to the top. Coach Mac will get his chance to work with this kid and see if there is anything there. With all of the kids that left the pitching depth took a massive hit..since he didn’t play this year one would think he could play right away.
Every once in a while PerfectGame.org rankings of recruits become visible to those who don't pay for the premium service. So here are the rankings for UConn recruits for this coming season:
255 - Reggie Crawford - LHP
Top 500, which seems to work out more to the 500 to 999 range:
Chris Brown - 3B
Zach Donohue - RHP
Sam Favieri - RHP
Tyler Griggs - 3B
Gavin Kee - OF
Andrew Marrero - RHP
Max Nielsen - LHP
Top 1000, which seems to work out to 1000 and over:
Garrett Coe - LHP
Joshua Cohen - RHP
Patrick Gallagher - RHP
It should be noted that some recruits just don't seem to show up on the Perfect Game website. In UConn's case, that would include Todd Petersen and Ryan Hyde. Also, remember these rankings are hardly perfect. For instance, Jacob Wallace was rated as a "Follow", which ranks behind both Tot 1000 and "High Follow". With all the UConn recruits ranking in the 500 range, this looks like a good depth class for the Huskies.
255 - Reggie Crawford - LHP
Top 500, which seems to work out more to the 500 to 999 range:
Chris Brown - 3B
Zach Donohue - RHP
Sam Favieri - RHP
Tyler Griggs - 3B
Gavin Kee - OF
Andrew Marrero - RHP
Max Nielsen - LHP
Top 1000, which seems to work out to 1000 and over:
Garrett Coe - LHP
Joshua Cohen - RHP
Patrick Gallagher - RHP
It should be noted that some recruits just don't seem to show up on the Perfect Game website. In UConn's case, that would include Todd Petersen and Ryan Hyde. Also, remember these rankings are hardly perfect. For instance, Jacob Wallace was rated as a "Follow", which ranks behind both Tot 1000 and "High Follow". With all the UConn recruits ranking in the 500 range, this looks like a good depth class for the Huskies.
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Korey Morton is a 6-0 170lb OF/RHP w/ wheels from Brien McMahon in Norwalk CT.
Korey Morton
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Nice! Now a kid from my high school (Norwalk - Gavin Kee) and one from McMahon. Norwalk has always been an elite baseball town in CT.
His father is former MLB pitcher Kevin Morton. He’s now an AAU coach and one of the top pitching instructors in Fairfield County.
His father is former MLB pitcher Kevin Morton. He’s now an AAU coach and one of the top pitching instructors in Fairfield County.
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Baseball: History brings Randazzo and Morton to meet on the mound
NORWALK—The bloodlines flow from fathers to sons, but the ties are actually so much...
Korey Morton is a 6-0 170lb OF/RHP w/ wheels from Brien McMahon in Norwalk CT.
Korey Morton
www.prepbaseballreport.com
From the Korey Morton Comments section in Prep Baseball Report:
>6/19/19
6-foot, 170-pound right-handed hitting outfielder. The athleticsm is legit and he showed a plus skill set at the event. Ran a 6.61 sixty on the laser at the event. The approach in the outfield is appropriate and athletic. The foot speed is plus, which allows him to play all 3 spots.. Threw 86 mph from right field to the plate. The bat has a tee exit velocity of 89 mph. The setup is even, front foot is open to start. The front foot closes down as the ball approaches and the swing is clean and free to the ball. Added strength should put him over the top as a legit pro prospect.<
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His dad is a seton hall guy.
uconnbaseball
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UConn secured a commitment from Gavin Greger, a pitcher at Bristol Central who just finished their freshman year.