Leiderman Cup & '26 Draft Class Update
Great baseball for a great cause and a quick update on the 2026 draft landscape in the northeast
On August 15th, I attended the 5th annual Leiderman Cup hosted by Axcess Baseball and the GNYSAA. The Leiderman Cup is an invite only charity baseball game featuring high school seniors from New York. One team is comprised of players from Long Island, while the opposing team features a roster of players from the larger New York Area. For more information about the Leiderman Cup, check out the link HERE.
Three players from last year’s Leiderman Cup became MLB draft picks: C Michael Oliveto (Tigers), LHP Nick Frusco (Pirates), and SS Anthony Frobose (Mets). We’ll have to see if this years’ crop can match the 2025 group’s total number of draftees, but regardless this event has grown to a level where it’s a no-brainer for me to attend. Prior to the game, the selected players participate in a 60 yard dash, batting practice, and infield/outfield. There were a lot of players that I never saw before so I didn’t do much video work in order to keep my full focus on the action. Thankfully, Chris Dryll (go follow him) from PrepBaseballReport.com was there to record much of the action. I’ll include links from his Twitter posts throughout the article.
Hinojosa v Coats
The starting pitching matchup featured arguably the top two draft prospects participating at the event in RHP David Hinojosa and RHP Luke Coats. I’ve seen the pair a couple of times in the past, but I’ll never complain about getting fresh looks on a quality arm even if it’s just for one inning.
RHP David Hinojosa
School: Poly Prep Country Day
H-W: 6’1-190 | Draft Age: 18.04
Commitment: Vanderbilt
David Hinojosa got the start for Team New York and made quick work of the first three hitters in the Long Island windup. Hinojosa continues to get bigger and stronger and looks to have put on about 5-10 pounds since the last time I saw him. He remains extremely loose as an athlete and makes things look easy on the mound. Hinojosa’s velocity has fluctuated from outing to outing. He was 92-95 at East Coast Pro but will sometimes settle into the 89-92 range. On this evening, Hinojosa’s fastball sat 92 MPH and he commanded the pitch well. He also showed great feel for generating and manipulating spin. Hinojosa threw his slider with confidence and used it as a put away pitch in the 77-80 range. He needed just 10 pitches to retire the side in order with two Ks. Some video HERE.
Here’s some footage of Hinojosa the last time I saw him during the spring:
RHP Luke Coats
School: St Anthony’s
H-W: 6’3-210 | Draft Age: 17.10
Commitment: West Virginia
Coats got the start for Team Long Island and retired the side in order. Coats takes his time on the mound with a slower pace between pitches. It’s a starter's frame and operation with good extension in the delivery. Each time I’ve seen Coats the ball comes out of the hand clean and easy. Coats worked in the 90-91 MPH range with his fastball, topping out at 92. The fastball should be a major weapon for Coats moving forward and there will certainly be more velocity in the tank. Coats has a slider and curveball in the MPH RANGE and MPH RANGE respectively. There's not a ton of spin presently and both play closer to average. I’ve seen Coats deploy a solid changeup in the past but he didn't use it in this one inning look. Coats might be more of a “college guy” at this stage, but he has a lot of attractive foundational traits to build from. If the velocity and/or one of his secondary pitches takes a jump next spring, he'll make a significant leap up draft boards. Some video HERE.
Hitters to Know
1B/OF CJ Alfano | School: St Anthony’s | Commitment: West Virginia
B-T: L-L H-W: 6’0-175 Draft Age: 18.06
Alfano is teammates with Luke Coats at St Anthony's and the pair of talented ballplayers are both committed to WVU. Alfano had the best combination of swing mechanics and physicality at the event. He looks bigger than 6’0-175, filling out his frame well. Alfano is a fringe average runner with a solid average or better arm from the outfield. He’s played mostly first base but I’ve liked his actions during I/O in an outfield corner and his arm has been a lot better than expected. It sounds like Alfano will get playing time in the outfield this spring, including up the middle in centerfield. That should provide plenty of opportunities for scouts to evaluate his long term defensive outlook. Overall, Alfano reminds me a bit of Dylan Fitzsimmons, a Morris Knolls (NJ) graduate who is now at St John's. Video HERE.
School: Iona Prep
B-T: R-R H-W: 5’10-190 Draft Age: 18.08
Commitment: Miami
This 2026 high school class is flush with quality catch-and-throw backstops who you can envision sticking at the position long-term. Iona Prep's Devin Diaz certainly belongs in that category, an advanced defender who regularly records sub-2.0 pop times. Diaz has surprising athleticism, especially for a catcher. He’s a currently a solid average runner at least with some quick twitch in the hands at the plate. Diaz is slightly undersized but he still has some projection remaining and could thicken up his lower half. I like the adjustability in the swing and his ability to work the gaps. Based on my conversations with scouts, the question with Diaz is how much impact there will be with the bat. This type of defensive first profile for a prep catcher tends to make it to campus and Diaz feels like a great fit at Miami. Iona Prep has several players in the 2026 class worth checking out, so I expect scouts to roll through there regularly this upcoming spring. Some video of Diaz HERE.
School: Iona Prep
B-T: B-R | H-W: 6’0-185 | Draft Age: 18.07
Commitment: Maryland
As I mentioned in the Devin Diaz writeup, Iona Prep has a solid group of seniors worth following, Julian Guzman included. Guzman stood out when I first saw him in Spring 2024. It's a good build, good athleticism, a strong arm, and switch-hitting ability. Guzman is an accomplished two-sport athete who leads the football team's offense at quarterback. I initially liked Guzman's swing better from the right side, but he’s cleaned up some lower half noise and now the swing from the left side looks a bit smoother. There might be a little more pop from the right side and he did smoke a line drive to center batting righty during the game. Guzman is more smooth than explosive as an athlete. He has ‘the look' at shortstop with clean hands and plenty of raw arm strength for the position. However, Guzman occasionally fields balls from a more upright position than your typical shortstop prospect, which calls into question his ability to stick there long term. Guzman's lack of a standout tool or trait may limit his draft stock, but this is a kid I expect to perform at the college level. Guzman is committed to Maryland. Video HERE. And HERE is a clip of Guzman I posted from 2024
School: Holy Trinity
B-T: R-R | H-W: 6’1-170 | Draft Age: 17.09
Commitment: Stony Brook
Out of all the players participating at the Leiderman Cup, Jalen Josey probably had the best combination of athleticism and physical projection. I've seen Josey a few times now and the athleticism and frame have always stood out to me. The Stony Brook commit ranges well in the outfield with a near average arm that should improve as he gets stronger. Josey reportedly ran a 6.27 60 at this event which would grade out at as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. I’ve seen past 60 times from Josey in the 6.50 and 6.70 range, so even if that 6.27 time wasn't 100% accurate, there's enough evidence available indicating that Josey is a very impressive runner. It's the type of toolset that fits in centerfield. He’s more raw as a hitter compared to someone like CJ Alfano, but Josey also has plus level physical projection remaining. If he's able to add significant strength, the full package of tools becomes pretty enticing. As of now, he's more of a line drive hitter with quick hands who looks to put the ball in play and let his legs cause havoc. Josey is a definite follow for me this spring and I'm looking forward to seeing his progression over the winter. Seeing Holy Trinity this spring is a perfect opportunity to check out both Josey and RHP Victor Acosta (more on him below). Video HERE. And HERE is a base knock from Josey this past spring.
School: St John the Baptist
B-T: L-R | H-W: 5’11-175 | Draft Age: 17.10
Commitment: Binghamton
This was my second time seeing McElligott after getting a first look at him during the East Coast Pro tryouts. While I'm not sure he's currently a “draft guy", he's someone that I think needs to be scouted this draft cycle. The Binghamton commit is flying under-the-radar in my opinion, and you'll notice there isn't much public information available on this kid. At ECP tryouts, McElligott was arguably the best defensive shortstop in attendance. His glove showed up once again during I/O prior to the game, showing buttery smooth actions and a phenomenal internal clock. The arm should work at short and there's above average speed. Hitting from the left side, McElligot has a tall, slightly open stance. There's solid bat speed and some sneaky pop to his pull side when he catches the ball out front. He had a quiet game offensively, but McElligott had a strong summer with a big performance down in Georgia at the 17u WWBA National Championship where he was named to the All Tournament Team. McElligott profiles as a top of the order/table setter type of hitter, who will provide more value on the defensive side. This is a really good recruiting pickup for Binghamton, a program that continues to uncover talent from long Island. McElligott is a deep sleeper for this 2026 class and is someone I will make sure to see this spring.
OF Ryan Morel
School: Citius Prep
B-T: L-R | H-W: 5’9-175 | Draft Age: 19.06
Commitment: Cincinnati
Morel and the next hitter listed below, Ayden Roman, have draft worthy qualities, but are going to be dinged by draft models that emphasize age. Morel will be well over 19 years old on draft day and not many high school prospects that old end up getting drafted. For Morel, a Cincinnati commitment means he gets a chance to perform at a Big 12 school for two/three years to boost his stock from where it is now. Morel is a twitchy athlete with plus or double-plus speed that he uses well to range in all directions out in center. He has a simple, compact stroke with solid bat speed and some whip to the barrel. Morel is on the smaller side and is more wiry strong than physically projectable, so I'm not sure how much more juice is in the bat. The package is plenty enticing, so it will be interesting to see how much scouting interest there will be this spring given Morel's draft age. Video HERE. And HERE is a swing I caught on video last September.
C/3B Ayden Roman
School: Archbishop Molloy
B-T: R-R | H-W: 5’10-180 | Draft Age: 19.04
Commitment: Uncommitted
Another prep catcher that you can put in the same bucket as Devin Diaz, though with a draft day age over 19 years old. Roman has an absolute hose behind the plate and has plenty of athleticism and flexibility to stick at catcher. He played third base in this game and could profile there with more reps. Roman had some of the best bat speed during BP at the event and the loft in his swing suggests there could be more power as he gets more physically mature. He hits from a very narrow stance with high hands, an extended drift into his swing, but with a quick trigger that allows him to stay on time. Roman is surprisingly still uncommitted and would be a huge addition for any 2026 recruiting class. Roman had some loud performances this summer, so the hitting data is likely to be pretty strong. I don't know if that will counteract the age issue in pro teams' draft models at all. Roman did enough to show he needs to be scouted this spring and it will be interesting to see where he commits to prior to the draft. Video HERE.
More Hitters
School: Kennedy Catholic
B-T: R-R | H-W: 5’7-160 | Draft Age: 18.03
Commitment: Pace U
I wasn't familiar with Lorenzo Jorge before this event. The undersized middle infielder had the best and most consistent BP rounds on the day, driving the ball to his pull side with some loft. It's a thicker build with some strength that shows up during the swing. He has quick hands and at least solid average bat speed with an adjustable swing. Jorge ran a 6.90 60 prior to the game and then a 4.30 home-to-first with a turn during the game. It's likely average to above average speed once he's underway. Jorge played second base during I/O and the game, showing solid actions with good footwork and timing around the bag when turning double plays. Jorge would likely be stretched a bit too much at shortstop at the next level, but he might be able to split time at second and third moving forward. Jorge committed to Pace University (DII) shortly after the event. He's more college prospect than pro prospect presently, but he had a really good day and is a nice name to tuck away and track for the future. Jorge was a nice little surprise. Video HERE.
OF Austin Seipp
School: John Jay East Fishkill
B-T: R-R | H-W: 6’1-195 | Draft Age: 18.02
Commitment: St Bonaventure
Seipp has recorded some impressive measurables at past events and was someone I really wanted to see before the spring. Seipp has a great frame with above average speed and average or above average arm strength. The rhythm in the swing isn't always consistent but the ball absolutely flies off the barrel when he gets off his best swing. Seipp is likely to slow down as he grows, but he looks like the right fielder of the future for St Bonaventure. He should get some pro attention this spring, but I think Seipp could really take a jump at the college level with the Bonnies. Video HERE.
SS/3B Jagger Adamo | Connetquot | LIU commit
MIF Jaden Alvarez | Holy Trinity | Uncommitted
OF Sean Concannon | Iona Prep | Uncommitted
OF Jayden Gigante | H Frank Carey | St John’s commit
C/3B Aiden LaSalle | Archbishop Stepinac | Uncommitted
C Shane Meehan | Sayville | Uncommitted
TWP Matthew Muzikant | Long Island Lutheran | Uncommitted
SS/3B John Pericolosi | South Side | Stony Brook commit
MIF Jaden Vasquez | North Rockland | Hofstra commit
Pitchers to Know
School: Saugerties Senior
H-W: 6’4-215 | Draft Age: 18.08
Commitment: Miami
For most of the pitchers in this group, it was my first time seeing them live. Ty Van Valkenburg (TVV) was a noteworthy exception. I give credit to TVV for making the LONG trip from the Albany area out to Long Island for this one. He pitched the 9th inning and had a really solid inning of work. Van Valkenburg is a big dude at 6’4-215 with a great frame. There's room for him to get even stronger and he already moves well for size. He sat 91-92 MPH with his fastball in this outing, which is where he's lived for the past year or so. The fastball has solid riding action and has the makings of a power pitch. His slider is behind his fastball but he deployed it well for strikes in this one. He threw one slider that looked really good at MPH. TVV hasn’t shown a big leap like many were expecting, but that doesn't mean it's not in the cards. He'll be worth a look this spring. Video HERE.
RHP Victor Acosta
School: Holy Trinity
H-W: 5’11-185 | Draft Age: 18.02
Commitment: St John’s
I’m glad I finally got a chance to see Acosta pitch before next spring. He followed Coats out of the pen and fired off a clean inning. Acosta’s fastball sat 88-89 MPH with two breaking balls for secondaries. He recorded three whiffs on his 79-80 MPH slider while also dropping in a slower 72-73 curveball. Acosta is on the smaller side at 5’11, but is a solid on mound athlete. Probably more of a college prospect at this stage, but I'll be checking him out at some point this spring. Video HERE.
RHP Andrew Caramico
School: Chaminade
H-W: 6’3-170 | Draft Age: 18.01
Commitment: St John’s
Andrew Caramico has a ton of physical projection and a really impressive frame. There's arm speed here, too, which suggests there are gains to be had in the future. It wasn't the best outing for Caramico as he struggled to find the plate. He sat in the 86-88 MPH range and threw only fastballs. Caramico was a little out of sync in this one, but I’m still interested to see what he looks like next spring. Good development arm for St John's. Video HERE.
School: St Anthony’s
B-T: R-R | H-W: 6’2-160 | Draft Age: 18.01
Commitment: Stony Brook
Vaccariello is a two-way player who plays shortstop and pitches. The operation and delivery are different, but there are some profile similarities between Vaccariello and Caramico. Vaccariello is a quality athlete with good length and projection in his frame. He sat 88-89 MPH with a below average slider in the 77-79 range that has the potential to improve substantially with more time on the mound. Between Vaccariello and Josey, I like what Stony Brook has done in this recruiting class. With a new staff coming in, Stony gets two local kids who are good athletes with room to grow and develop. He'll get scouting looks this spring with St Anthony's.
More Pitchers
RHP Xavier Ciriaco
School: Citius Prep
H-W: 6’0-210 | Draft Age: 19.04
Commitment: Campbell
Ciriaco is a recent Campbell commit who is older for the class. He has a stocky build at 6’0-210 with a reliever-y frame. Ciriaco is raw mechanically but has obvious arm talent. He topped out 91 MPH and sat in the 88-90 range. Ciriaco also displayed the makings of a good slider in the 79-80 range that flashed sharp movement. I could see him throwing a few ticks harder this upcoming spring which makes him a guy worth tracking. Video HERE.
LHP Joe Carey
School: Garden City
H-W: 6’4-190 | Draft Age: 18.06
Commitment: Uncommitted
Joe Carey didn't light up the radar guns but he carved up hitters during his inning of work. Carey sat 84-85 with his fastball while mixing in a mid 70s slider. It was a good look for Carey who is highly projectable with a low effort operation. I'm a bit surprised a big lefty like this is still uncommitted. Definitely a name worth knowing. Video HERE.
TWP Matthew Kurz | W Tresper Clarke | Hofstra commit
RHP Taylor Nitsch | Plainedge Senior | Towson commit
RHP Andrew Smith | HS of Amer. Studies @ Lehman College | Manhattan commit
RHP Brendan Rivera | Longwood | Uncommitted
2026 Northeast Draft Class Update
We’re in a bit of s slow down period, right now. Most of the high school stuff is wrapped up until Metro Scout Day in mid-September and then Jupiter in October. College ball will ramp back up again in September as schools begin hosting scout days and start scrimmaging against one another in a few weeks.
OUTLOOK
College = down. Between out of area prep commitments and the development of the transfer portal system, the level of talent has been impacted from both a high end and depth perspective. We're less likely to have blue chip college players in this area, especially on the offensive side. And we also have teams here with less “scoutable" players overall. Many of the smaller schools might only have one player to scout instead of having three or four prior to the portal.
There may only be a few 2026 college guys with day 1 potential. OF Peyton Bonds from Rutgers and UConn 3B Tyler Minick are two such hitters. College players will pop up, they always do in this area, especially on the pitching side. But I think we're likely to see mostly post 5th round and post 10th round players from the college group.
Some draft-eligible college players with an upward trajectory heading into the fall:
RHP Ryan Oshinskie, Brown
RHP Tomas Lopez, Columbia
LHP Marty Coyne, Penn
SS Reece Moroney, Rhode Island
RHP Joe Sabbath, Rhode Island
RHP Zach Konstantinovsky, Rutgers
OF Chase Krewson, Rutgers
C Aidan Paradine, Siena
1B Shaun McMillan, St John's
High school = in between. The pitching looks down, which comes at a bit of a surprise considering how things looked this time last year. There are rumors of some significant injuries from the prep pitching class that could have a major effect on the strength of this group as a whole. However, a large group of draft follows should remain heading into the winter. It’s just a question of whether or not anyone takes a jump in that timespan. David Hinojosa may be considered the top prep arm in the area by the time spring kicks off.
As I've said, the hitting side is heavy on the catching. Not too many prep catchers get taken nowadays, so it's hard to project too many of them getting drafted out of high school. How many could realistically get taken from just one area? Michael Oliveto was very much an exception to the rule.
It’s been obvious for quite some time that Aiden Ruiz leads the way. I don’t see how he gets past round 2. He should be in play for just about every team with their second pick. Hitters like Jason Amalbert, Alex Weingartner, Zach Geertsma, Vincent Lombardo, Braeden Lipoff, Mickey Gilligan, and Noah Danza either performed at a high level on the summer circuit, showed off an explosive toolset, or both. Sounds like that group, along with some others, will be top tier follows for teams this cycle.
I'll be releasing my first preseason ranks and follow lists for the 2026 within the next few weeks.