UConn Baseball Recruiting and Commitment Thread

[huskymedic]

UConn secured a commitment from Gavin Greger, a pitcher at Bristol Central who just finished their freshman year.

 

[dbmill]

UConn secured a commitment from Gavin Greger, a pitcher at Bristol Central who just finished their freshman year.

Left hand pitcher. Never can have enough of that. First recruit from the high school class of 2022. Also rare that UConn gets a commit from someone who has just finished up their freshman year, first time it has happened since I started really following UConn baseball recruiting several years ago.

 

[dbmill]

UConn secured a commitment from Gavin Greger, a pitcher at Bristol Central who just finished their freshman year.

The Bristol Press - Bristol Central baseball's Greger was impressive years before entering high school

BRISTOL - The first time Bunty Ray saw Gavin Greger play was two years ago, and he knew he was looki...

www.bristolpress.com

 

[kris1]

 

[ToolzieFan]

I'm not a UConn recruiting expert, but I'm familiar with Greger. I honestly don't know if they want him as a CF or a pitcher. They probably just wanted to secure him now, and they can figure out his position later. I'll tell you a little bit of what I know about him, but let me be clear: I'll talk about how he looked as a high school player, where the competition is obviously far from what UConn baseball faces.

Greger plays CT Rivals in the summer. In high school, he played CF and pitched as a freshman. He hit .365 with plenty of extra base hits, walks, and steals. He led his team in OBA, SLG, XBH, BB, runs, RBI, and SB. He can really go get the ball in CF. At the very least, he could be a speedy OF who gets on base and makes things happen on the bases. If he grows a little, his swing should allow him to hit for power.

As a pitcher, he probably can hit low-80s and sit high-70s with a big curve that is very tough to hit when it's on. He struck out well over a batter an inning as a freshman. He started and relieved. If his velocity gets to the mid-80s and he refines his command, he'll definitely have a future as a pitcher.

He's also just a good kid who is competitive and absolutely loves the game of baseball. Those who know him all consider him to be a high-character student and player. I was surprised to see a commitment after freshman year (although I don't follow baseball recruiting like basketball recruiting to know how unusual it is), but I'm excited UConn grabbed a local talent.

 

[Skiblets]

Personally know the Greger family. Good stock!

 

[uconnbaseball]

I'm not a UConn recruiting expert, but I'm familiar with Greger. I honestly don't know if they want him as a CF or a pitcher. They probably just wanted to secure him now, and they can figure out his position later. I'll tell you a little bit of what I know about him, but let me be clear: I'll talk about how he looked as a high school player, where the competition is obviously far from what UConn baseball faces.

Greger plays CT Rivals in the summer. In high school, he played CF and pitched as a freshman. He hit .365 with plenty of extra base hits, walks, and steals. He led his team in OBA, SLG, XBH, BB, runs, RBI, and SB. He can really go get the ball in CF. At the very least, he could be a speedy OF who gets on base and makes things happen on the bases. If he grows a little, his swing should allow him to hit for power.

As a pitcher, he probably can hit low-80s and sit high-70s with a big curve that is very tough to hit when it's on. He struck out well over a batter an inning as a freshman. He started and relieved. If his velocity gets to the mid-80s and he refines his command, he'll definitely have a future as a pitcher.

He's also just a good kid who is competitive and absolutely loves the game of baseball. Those who know him all consider him to be a high-character student and player. I was surprised to see a commitment after freshman year (although I don't follow baseball recruiting like basketball recruiting to know how unusual it is), but I'm excited UConn grabbed a local talent.

Sounds a bit like Nucerino. Looking forward to him making All State teams in the future!

 

[BaseballDog]

I am familiar with the program (CT rivals). Gavin is a very solid pickup who I believe projects better as a pitcher but as stated earlier this kid is speedy in OF.
There are a few other kids I would have my eye on in the CT rivals program. Most significantly I would be looking at Gabby Tirado who may be the most offensively developed catcher I have seen at age 13.

 

[ucjoet]

Personally know the Greger family. Good stock!

I also know the Greger family personally. They are great people. My brother and I coached Gavin's dad and uncles in soccer when they were young. Toughest most competitive players we ever coached. If I ever wanted to start any type of team, I would want the Gregers on my side. I heard same about Gavin. I think a great early pickup

 

[huskymedic]

5-9 180lb RHP/Middle Infielder

 

[Pudge]

I was fabulous at age 13. Great Catcher. Hit the fastball & showed power.

The teammate who got drafted and played with the Yankees ... was not the most gifted guy on our team. But he stuck with it. And he loved everything - EVERYTHING - about the game.

 

[dbmill]

5-9 180lb RHP/Middle Infielder

From the Leo Socci Comments section in Prep Baseball Report:

>3/6/17
5-foot-7, 160-pound, smaller, athletic frame. The frame is solid, is wiry strong, has room to still fill out and add weight. The arm is quick, the fastball should continue to climb, the breaking ball is his best pitch clocked in the mid 70’s, is a true curve ball. The delivery is simple, hands start high and stay high throughout, leg raise is smooth has average height to it. The direction is inline, squares up to the plate on release. The arm action has average length to it, it's clean and comes out of his hand with ease. The fastball was 80-84 mph, 4 seamer was pounded down in the zone, 2 seamer had bore action to it, fastball will continue to climb. The changeup is ok, thrown hard, could get more separation off the fastball, with action to arm side. Times to the plate were 1.4-1.5. The breaking ball is a legit pitch, very close to a 12/6 break, thrown hard with downward break, it's a nasty hammer. The delivery is sound, loses some leverage at separation, bends over the midsection, needs to stay tall all the way through. Big time follow, throws strikes and can spin the breaking ball.<

 

[dbmill]

New Britain Herald - Bristol Blues, UConn pitcher Marrero has extra motivation from late former coach

 

[dbmill]

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.

Another PerfectGame.org ranking:

Top 1000 - Ryan Hyde - C/OF

Perfect Game does not yet list Ryan Hyde as a UConn baseball recruit, even though Ryan Hyde's twitter account has him going to UConn. These recruiting websites often are missing a few commitments, so nothing really unusual there.

 

[dbmill]

High school class of 2021 left hand hitting outfielder from Mansfield, MA.

From Prep Baseball Report:

>2/23/19
6-foot, 162-pound left-handed hitting outfielder. Ran a 4.0 down the line on the turf. The approach in the outfield is cautious and appropriate. The direction is good and he works through the ball. Threw 81 mph from the outfield with carry and accuracy. The bat has a tee exit velocity of 78 mph. The setup is wide in base, bottom half under control. The path is long to contact as he needs to free up his hands to maneuver the bat. Uses a 1-handed finish after contact with the ball.<

Zach Stephenson

www.prepbaseballreport.com

 

[dbmill]

TASTY TIDBITS - Hudson Reporter

This column has items on several New Jersey athletes, including the news that Justin Willis transferred from Vanderbilt to UConn. According to this article, Willis will have three years eligibility with UConn baseball, and that he will be eligible to play right away at UConn next spring because he redshirted his sophomore year at Vanderbilt.

 

[dbmill]

Looks like UConn has another California JUCO pitcher:

Nick Krauth

Nick Krauth

www.dvcvikings.com

Nick Krauth, a RHP from Diablo Valley College. Played for them in 2019.

In 2018, Krauth was with the New Mexico Lobos.

Nick Krauth

golobos.com

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[UConNick]

No real news to report, but during Sunday Night Baseball just now, the ESPN crew was interviewing CC and asked about his son, CC III, if he was starting to get some baseball looks from colleges, and CC said yes, with UConn being the only school he mentioned specifically! Anyways, doesn’t look to be a super-high caliber prospect yet, but he’s c/o 2022 at Bergen Catholic in NJ per PG. Still really cool to hear a shout-out like that!

Edit: damn, medic beat me to it. But hey, that’s some good press!

Another edit: Carsten Sabathia Class of 2022 - Player Profile | Perfect Game USA

 

[huskymedic]

No real news to report, but during Sunday Night Baseball just now, the ESPN crew was interviewing CC and asked about his son, CC III, if he was starting to get some baseball looks from colleges, and CC said yes, with UConn being the only school he mentioned specifically! Anyways, doesn’t look to be a super-high caliber prospect yet, but he’s c/o 2022 at Bergen Catholic in NJ per PG. Still really cool to hear a shout-out like that!

Edit: damn, medic beat me to it. But hey, that’s some good press!

Another edit: Carsten Sabathia Class of 2022 - Player Profile | Perfect Game USA

6-4 185lb heading into sophomore year!

 

[UConNick]

6-4 185lb heading into sophomore year!

Yeah, definitely with that size and that much time before he’s college age, he could blossom big time. I probably spoke too soon and based it off the 7/10 grade from PG.

 

[dbmill]

Owen Kellington is 6'2'', 180 pound RHP, high school class of 2021, from Plainfield, VT.

 

[dbmill]

More on Owen Kellington:

U-32 star named TA Player of Year

EAST MONTPELIER — Times Argus Baseball Player of the Year Owen Kellington is more than just a flame-throwing pitcher.

www.timesargus.com

 

[huskymedic]

Yeah, definitely with that size and that much time before he’s college age, he could blossom big time. I probably spoke too soon and based it off the 7/10 grade from PG.

... but a PG 7/10 equates to “"Potential low round pick, D1 prospect or top level JUCO" > not bad for a freshman (w/ a famous dad).