18U Rams run into arm woes while losing a deuce

German and Tomassetti attract eyes of scouts

July 20, 2023 at 12:02 a.m.

Third baseman John “Tommy” Tomassetti, who has been hitting when other members of the 18U Rams have not, is being scouted by college recruiters. (Courtesy photo of File Photo)

It is summertime and the living isn't easy for Port Chester's 18U baseball Rams because the arms of key players are hurting, the pitching control has been on the wild side except for their junior ace Jordany German and the bats have been mostly silent except that of John (Tommy) Tomassetti who is being scouted by college recruiters.

So the dog days of summer have been unkind to the Rams except for the favored few who have looked good during two away losses in the past week to Hendrick Hudson and Eastchester as the summer season games dwindle to a precious few and the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League (GHVBL) playoffs loom.

The hurting arms

Rams head coach Sean Burke is troubled by the arm woes of senior outfielder George “Pags” Pagnotta, a potential starting pitcher, and the player they call "The Kid" (second baseman/shortstop Adam Castaneda, the first eighth grader Burke has ever called up to the varsity). Castaneda is suffering from what Burke calls "Little League elbow," which means he can hit but has trouble throwing.

That limits what Burke can do. Especially since Pagnotta was his most reliable hitter batting second in the lineup and he is having trouble filling that hole.

That gap has Ram pitchers like sophomore Bryan Sachs and senior Josh Virella pressing, trying to throw a little harder and just missing the corners, leading to walks that proved costly in the Rams’ most recent two losses.

Walks prove costly

Against Hen Hud, for example, Virella had trouble finding the plate and those bases on balls led to two quick runs against a team that matches up closely to the Rams with a similar small ball approach that cashes in on bunts, steals and capitalizes on the other team's errors.

That wild streak led to Burke replacing Virella with German in the second inning and Jordany was lights out from his first pitch. And that was extra special because the pro scouts were on hand to check out the Dominican Republic import and Jordany didn't disappoint, striking out 11 batters and allowing just two hits and one unearned run.

Duel of aces

"Jordany is shaping up as the next best thing to Blind Brook's senior ace Andrew Rogovic (the Trojans’ All-Section and Conference Pitcher of the Year generally regarded as one of the top three pitchers in Section 1)," said Burke. "And wouldn't it be something to see those two going head-to-head in a game between the two crosstown rivals."

But Burke doesn't want to get ahead of himself because the regular season is a long way off and right now he is using the current GHVBL summer season as basically a tryout camp for the Rams varsity. So he likes what he is seeing from German and Tommy (hard-hitting senior third baseman John Tomassetti) who is being scouted by recruiters from SUNY Purchase. Both impressed during the 3-2 loss to Hen Hud as did junior outfielder Billy Villanova, and the Rams never quit, leaving runners stranded on second and third with what could have been the tying and winning runs in the last inning.

"We still have to learn how to win the close games against closely matched teams," Burke said. "We're not there yet. But we're learning. And that's what the summer GHVBL league is really all about."

Who's on first

There were still more lessons in the 3-0 loss to Eastchester. Sachs, the regular shortstop being groomed as a potential second starting pitcher, has been looking good but has trouble settling down in the early innings because his control is off at the outset. So Eastchester scored three runs in the first inning on a combination of walks and errors. But Sachs was virtually untouchable after that.

"That wildness is uncharacteristic of Sachs and Virella, and that's something the coaches are working on," Burke said. "I'm sure they’re going to get their control problems solved because they figure to be two of our best go-to players when the regular season starts. And we're going to need them in the upcoming playoffs.”

Burke is also looking for stepped up play from catcher Scott Sullivan, outfielders Ryan Gagnon, Johnny (Jay Bo) Borzoni and potential varsity candidates Brian Escobar, Tommy Hinz and Erick Samano along with the return of Pags and Castaneda.

But time is running out. Because there is only one game left to the remaining season Thursday (7/20) at home at 5 p.m. against Harrison with the playoff schedule yet to be announced for games starting Aug. 1.