Earlier this month, I was invited to a private workout featuring a handful of talented prep players from across the northeast region. This was a first for me. It was a moment in my career that felt important, a milestone of sorts. It was also a phenomenal opportunity to check out a large group of players at once, many of whom I intended on seeing at some point this spring.
An event such as this is helpful when putting the finishing touches on your priority list. You can only be in one place at a time, which means you are constantly being forced to choose between seeing one player (or group of players) over another player each day leading up to the draft. Strengthening that priority list ahead of the season helps an area scout maximize their limited amount of time. It’s not a perfect setting for a thorough evaluation, but you can gather a surprising amount of valuable information in a short window of time. This was a nice preview for the weeks, months, and years ahead. Below, you can find three players who made a strong impression and piqued my curiosity, followed by a handful of players who I’ll be tracking closely as prep baseball kicks into gear in my neck of the woods.
alex ramos | ‘24
RHP | GOSHEN CENTRAL, NY
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL COMMIT
One of the stronger locales for the northeast 2024 prep class will be the Hudson Valley area of New York. Alex Ramos, a Hudson Valley righty at Goshen Central, is an arm that area scouts will be eager to check out this spring. He was someone who stood out to me after seeing some short clips of him on social media with the look of someone who was just starting to blossom as a pitcher. That feeling was confirmed after seeing Ramos fire off consistent 93-95 MPH heat during his pen. Ramos is a quality athlete with a projectable, long-levered frame (6’3-190) suited for the mound. It’s a bit of a longer arm action, but Ramos was able to sync the operation effectively thanks to his above-average arm speed. Ramos releases from a high, almost over-the-top arm slot and extends well during his delivery. This gives the fastball good hop, and at this velocity, it’s a power pitch that projects well at the next level. There’s some head movement on release that could use some cleaning up to improve command, but the overall development to date is highly impressive. Ramos also featured a 74-76 MPH overhand curveball that had good shape at times and a changeup in the mid-80s. Between the two, I preferred the curve. It’s probably fringy presently, but I see the makings of a legitimate weapon as he develops and starts using it more.
Overall, Ramos profiles as a projection righty, but one who has more present velocity than similar arms in the prep and college classes. He has made significant gains over the past several months and is on an upward trajectory. If the stuff he showed in this pen translates to game action this spring, Ramos could leapfrog a good chunk of the prep pitching class in the region.
connor lane
CATCHER/RHP | OLD SAYBROOK SENIOR, CT
UCONN COMMIT
Connor Lane challenged Alex Ramos for the biggest surprise of the day. After showing off some good pop during BP, Lane jumped on the bump and caught the attention of every scout in attendance. Lane’s cannon arm is well-known to evaluators in the area, but now Lane has begun converting that arm talent behind the dish to the pitcher’s mound. He made a promising short appearance out of the bullpen in October during the WWBA tournament in Jupiter and has since taken things to another level. Lane has a physical 6’2-205 build, with immense arm strength. There was some variation to the arm action and delivery during this pen, but considering his experience level as a pitcher, it exceeded my expectations. The arm action is very short, at times resembling Texas Tech freshman Mac Heuer, though Lane releases from a higher slot. Lane sat in the 91-92 MPH range with his heater, with a few fastballs registering at 93-94 MPH (at least one scout in attendance had a 95 reading). The fastball had arm-side movement, with a few flashing good, late action. He complimented the fastball with a slider that had surprising polish. An upper 70s pitch, Lane showed feel for locating the breaker to his glove side. A couple had some “hump” coming out of the hand which made them easier to pick up, but the foundation for a solid secondary is present.
Because Lane is both an integral piece behind the plate for his high school squad and a legitimate catching prospect, it remains to be seen how many opportunities he’ll receive on the mound in the months ahead. He showed enough in this look to suggest he has a real shot at “coming out” as an arm this spring, especially as he focuses more on pitching and accrues experience on the mound.
JC Pacheco | ‘26
SHORTSTOP | DEPAUL CATHOLIC, NJ
UNCOMMITTED
The 2026 high school class in New Jersey has a chance to be special. Based on this brief look, JC Pacheco is a name that belongs in the upper echelon of prep talents for 2026. Playing for Jersey powerhouse DePaul Catholic, Pacheco made a great first impression with the potential for a plus arm on the dirt and both contact and power in the box. Pacheco has good physicality for his age at 5’10-170 and is likely to grow in the years ahead. He showed a quiet swing with good barrel whip during his rounds of BP with the potential for both above average (or better) hand/bat speed as he matures. Pacheco was able to produce quality contact in all directions, and his knack for making hard, elevated contact up the middle and to the opposite field was noticeable.
Obviously, we are a long way from the 2026 draft cycle, and a lot can change over that time. We’ll need to see if the offensive tools he showed in this look will translate to live pitching. That said, Pacheco is someone I’m eager to track over the next few years as he shares the field with a slew of fellow draft talents at DePaul Catholic. Pacheco remains uncommitted, but he is sure to be a high priority for recruiters moving forward.
QUICK HITS
Julius Rosado | Shortstop
South River HS, NJ | 2025
Rutgers Commit
I was glad to get another opportunity to see shortstop Julius Rosado before the high school season started. Once again, Rosado was cool, calm, and collected on both sides of the ball. He has well-defined strength while remaining smooth and nimble. We’ll see if he can stick at short long-term, but he checks a lot of the necessary boxes to play on the left side of the infield at the next level. He’s a confident hitter in the box with a swing that’s geared for explosive power to his pull side. It’s a swing that will be put to the test as he faces better, more consistent stuff, but he’s a kid that I expect will put in the work to make adjustments as he moves up the ladder. He would be a huge recruiting win for head coach Steve Owens and recruiting coordinator Brendan Monaghan should he reach campus.
Tyler Castrataro | Shortstop
Mahopac HS, NY | 2024
Hofstra Commit
I’ve now seen a good amount of Hofstra recruits up close and personal this winter and I’ve come away impressed. There’s been a clear, positive shift for Hofstra’s baseball program with skipper Frank Catalanatto at the helm. Like Rosado, this was my second look at Tyler Castrataro who serves as a good example of Hofstra’s enhanced recruiting thrust. A wiry, quick-twitch athlete Castrataro plays bigger than his listed 5’10-160 size. He’s an above-average runner and athlete who takes some ferocious cuts in the box. Castrataro’s ability to hammer the baseball is rare for someone his size. The violence in his swing is a big factor in that ability which, in theory, could impact his ability to make contact during live ABs. Regardless, Castrataro has plenty of raw tools to develop further and is the type of athlete that schools like Hofstra should be looking to work with.
Dylan Hansen | Right-Handed Pitcher
Downingtown East HS, PA | 2024
Coastal Carolina Commit
Out of the two Pennsylvania arms, Hansen showed the “louder” stuff but he also had more violence to the delivery. Hansen has good length and remaining projection at 6’3-205 with a strong, quick arm. The strikes were a bit scattered on this day, but Hansen displayed three quality offerings with a 91-93 MPH fastball, a slider between 78-80 MPH, and some decent. nascent feel for a changeup. Hansen is committed to Coastal Carolina, a school that has done a fantastic job developing players from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions in recent years.
Kross Howarth | Third Base/Right-Handed Pitcher
Perkiomen School, PA | 2024
Tulane Commit
As with Dylan Hansen, Kross Howarth has the same kind of long, projectable build (6’4-205) that will fill up a jersey while providing teams with something to dream on. The Tulane commit has legitimate two-way ability with an ideal power bat/power arm skillset for the hot corner. There’s plenty to like as an offensive prospect, but I paid extra attention to him on the mound. I really liked how effortlessly he filled the zone with his deceptive delivery. He stays closed for an extended period of time with a crossfire delivery and a low ¾ arm slot. I think this opens up a lot of developmental and pitch-shaping opportunities with his fastball moving forward. His fastball had good sinking action at the bottom of the zone, but I could see the pitch acting as a “hybrid” fastball that induces grounders at a high rate but can also miss a healthy amount of bats. Logan Webb and Marcus Stroman are good examples of this. He sat in the 90-91 MPH range but has lived in the 90-93 MPH (t94) range multiple times, dating back to the summer. Howarth also flashed some really good sliders (79-82 MPH). There weren’t any batters, obviously, but I imagine that his best sliders would release from behind a right-handed hitter before sweeping across the zone to the outer edge of the plate. He also threw a curve (74-76), which traded some sweep for additional vertical action as well as a changeup at 84 MPH.
It can be a challenge for a pitcher to maintain a consistent release point with a delivery such as Howarth’s, but it clearly wasn’t an issue on this day. Howarth is going to get dinged in draft models because he’s already 19 and will be closer to 20 years old than 19 years old on draft day. But this is the type of arm I love to watch and track because there are outlier characteristics that could really “pop” if everything comes together. I hope to get a second look at Howarth this spring to see if he can do what he did in this pen over a full outing. If I don’t get the opportunity to see him myself, I know Pennsylvania-based evaluator Jake Bargery (who lives near Perkiomen) is ready to see him live during the high school season. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any video of Howarth on the mound, but you can check out some swings below.
Cristofer Cespedes | Right-Handed Pitcher
North Rockland HS, NY | 2024
Maryland Commit
Cespedes popped up this past summer/fall and is a big body (6’4-220) righty who sat in the 91-92 (t93) MPH range with a low 80s curveball and a mid-80s changeup. The mechanics need to be ironed out, but it’s a nice, short arm action from a high ¾ release with some deception. He’s raw as a pitcher, but I could see him taking off at Maryland. The size and ability to touch 94 mph with the fastball will draw scouts this spring.
Harrison Lollin | Right-Handed Pitcher
Monroe Township HS, NJ | 2024
Penn State Commit
Lollin was the most “complete” pitcher of the four mentioned in this section. He has a strong, filled-out frame at 6’1-210 that looks ready for the next level of competition. His stuff was noticeably firmer with a four-pitch mix highlighted by a fastball in the 91-94 MPH range. He also threw a sinking fastball with running action that he threw down and to his arm side in the 88-90 MPH range. The slider featured two-plane action at 79-82 MPH, which was tight at times, and he completed his repertoire with a promising changeup in the low-80s with fade. This was my first time seeing Lollin and he looked much better than I expected. He moved up my priority list for the spring following this brief outing. Stock up.