Cleveland Sports Forum

10th round

#312

Jesse Berardi

shortstop

Junior St. Johns

Bats Left/Throws Right

5'10" 185#

1/13/1996

This guy sounds interesting.

.

From Commack to St. John’s, Jesse Berardi ready to be drafted — again

Updated June 11, 2017 11:57 PM

By Gregg Sarra gregg.sarra@newsday.com

Jesse Berardi made a difficult decision three years ago to forgo his shot at professional baseball and go to college. Berardi, then a senior at Commack High School, was selected by the Phillies in the 40th round of Major League Baseball’s 2014 amateur draft. He instead chose to attend St. John’s University and play ball for the Red Storm with the hope of getting another shot at a pro career after his junior year.

His decision should pay off tonight. Just as he did three years ago, Berardi will wait for his name to be called when the MLB amateur draft begins at 7 p.m. This time the stakes are much higher after Berardi proved to be one of the top middle infielders in Division I.

“I’m excited about all the draft possibilities,” Berardi said. “I was also fortunate enough to enjoy the college experience at St. John’s and make a ton of friends and memories.”

Berardi had an exceptional three years at St. John’s and led the Red Storm to the NCAA Tournament’s Clemson Regional this year. He reached base in 37 straight games and ranked in the top 100 nationally in batting average, on-base percentage and hits per game.

The 5-10, 185-pound shortstop, an All-Big East first-team selection and a CoSIDA Academic All-America second-team choice, batted .358 with a team-leading 47 RBIs.

Berardi, the recipient of the Yastrzemski Award — given to Suffolk’s top high school player — and Newsday’s Player of the Year in 2014, also was a two-time All-Long Island selection and a two-time Suffolk League I MVP.

“He had a great year and a lot of teams really like his all-around game,” said Sal Agostinelli, director of scouting for the Phillies. “We liked him right out of high school but he made the decision to attend St. John’s and it proved to be a very good decision. He’s become an even stronger player in every facet of his game.”

Speculation among scouts is that the slick-fielding Berardi will be picked somewhere between the third and sixth rounds.

The size of the players has changed in all sports. People are bigger today and can't be compared to players that played 30 years ago.

I'll take the big guys.

Good article on our draft picks from Jordan Bastian of MLB.com ...

http://m.indians.mlb.com/news/article/2 ... mlb-draft/

McCarty and third baseman/righthander Taylor Braley teamed at Oak Grove High in Hattiesburg, Miss., winning a pair of state titles before moving on to Southern Mississippi. Together, they helped lead the Golden Eagles to this season's Conference USA regular-season title and a regional host spot. Owner of a 22-4 career record, McCarty is smallish (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) but commands a fringy 88-91 mph fastball to both sides of the plate. His calling card is his ability to spin a tight breaking ball, an above-average curve that he can throw for strikes or get hitters to chase for strikeouts. He also spots an average changeup and had a solid, short Cape Cod League stint, getting him in front of national evaluators

The proverbial latter half of the first ten rounds cheap college pitcher

8th round they balance things off with a short RH college pitcher, an even less valuable commodity

Eli Morgan went 20-5, 3.32 in 30 starts the last two years at Gonzaga, and his 12.34 strikeouts per nine innings ranked eighth nationally heading into NCAA Tournament play in 2017. However, the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder is no flamethrower. Morgan can reach 88-91 mph early in starts, but he settles in with below-average fastball velocity in the 85-88 range. His fastball plays up because of his easy plus changeup, one of the better secondary pitches available in the draft class. One area scout called it the best college changeup he's seen; he locates it, can use it in any count and throws the pitch with excellent arm speed and deception. Morgan also can throw his breaking ball for strikes. He's similar to 2016 Gonzaga draftee Brandon Bailey (Athletics, sixth round), though Bailey was a bit bigger and had a better breaking ball.


That great change and no fastball should play up very well in Class A. Watch for him to put up good stats for the Scrappers and the Captains and perhaps even the Hillcats before he goes into another line of work

9th round RHP James Karinchak was the ace of Bryant’s 47-12 club in 2016, going 12-3 with a 2.00 ERA while ranking 25th in the country with 112 strikeouts in 94.2 innings. The righthander came out of the chute showing first-round stuff, challenging Arkansas in his first start with a fastball that reached 96 mph, a changeup with tumbling split action and a hard, power curveball in the low 80s with downer action. His curve earned plus grades, and the three-pitch mix and Karinchak’s confidence were moving him up boards before he lost momentum. He left a start in early March with an apparent arm injury and missed some time. His fastball command backed up as did his velocity; in some starts, he sat 90-92. He has a high, over-the-top arm slot that aids his curveball and a bit of a head whack in his delivery, and several scouts turned him in as a future reliever.

Unlike the previous two guys, he's a much higher risk, somewhat higher reward choice. Good 9th round pick

Closing out day two as expected with another college player: Jesse Berardi SS.
The Phillies took a shot on Berardi out of high school, drafting him in the 40th round in 2014. Berardi opted to attend St. John’s, and that decision appears to have paid off. After playing sparingly as a freshman, Berardi became a regular as a sophomore and has excelled as the Red Storm’s shortstop in an otherwise poor college shortstop class. That's despite a foot injury that limited him to three games last summer and sidelined him throughout the fall. This spring, Berardi’s offensive performance has demanded attention. He was batting .359 at the end of the regular season. He’s a lefthanded hitter with average bat speed and a compact stroke. He keeps the barrel of the bat through the zone well and projects as a high-contact hitter at the next level. Berardi has very smooth hands at shortstop, and while he lacks the elite arm strength typically found at the position, his quick transfer and release allows his arm to play up. He is a near-average runner out of the batter’s box but runs the bases well and his speed plays up when going first to third. Ultimately, his contact-oriented lefthanded bat and potential to be a utility defender could allow him to carve out a big league career

Sort of medium risk, medium reward. Should be the anchor of the Scrappers infield.

2017 Cleveland Indians 6th Round Pick: Michael Rivera, CA

Tony Lastoria

The Cleveland Indians switched things up, going for a catcher in the 6th round, selecting Michael Rivera, a junior from Florida.

At pick 192 in the 6th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected catcher Michael Rivera out of the University of Florida.

Born: 12/12/95 — Height: 5'10" — Weight: 200 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Michael Rivera is a pick that is all about defense. He is one of if not the best college defender behind the plate this year. He had some injury issues with his hamate this year which caused him to get less reps. He is a complete guy behind the plate. The question is can he hit enough to be more than backup. I don’t think it is likely, as he has struggled immensely as a hitter during his college career. There is a good chance he turns into an emergency AAA catcher, but I'm not sure if he will hit enough to be a consistent major league player.

Press Release: Missed time with a broken hand (right hamate) during his junior season, member of College World Series-bound Gators…Batted .241 (32-133) with 6 2B, 2HR & 24 RBI in 41 games.

Jeez, how many under 6' guys did we draft today?

New definition of "small ball".

JoeZ must be loving it.

At pick 252 in the 8th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected right-handed pitcher Eli Morgan out of Gonzaga.

Born: 5/13/96 — Height: 5'10" — Weight: 190 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: Eli Morgan to the Indians was something I called back in April. Anyone who follows college baseball and the Indians should have called it. If you are following me on Twitter I called the pick at the start of the eighth round. He is an undersized right hander at 5’10” with maybe the best change in college baseball. He is going to dominate in the lower minors, so don’t get too excited early on. He had a strikeout rate over 12 with a walk rate of 2.77, which is a bit high for the Indians for a college arm. His inevitable selection by the Indians has been a joke between myself and Taylor Ward for awhile. He is a good value here as there is little doubt that his size is why he is on the board. He has passable velocity, but being 5’10” means no one thinks he can hold up and start. I think the Indians give him every chance with the knowledge that his two pitch mix should make him a solid reliever.

Press Release: Started 14 games as a junior for the Bulldogs, named second Team All-American from Collegiate Baseball…First Team All-WCC in both 2016- and 2017…Named to Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List…Went 10-2 record with 2.86 ERA and 138 strikeouts, second-most in a single season by a GU pitcher…Moved to No. 2 alltime in Zags history with 283 career strikeouts…One of four pitchers in the nation with multiple 15-strikeout games.

2017 Cleveland Indians 9th Round Draft Pick: James Karinchak, RHP from Bryant University

TONY LASTORIA

In the 9th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, the Cleveland Indians have selected right-handed pitcher James Karinchak with the 282nd overall pick.

At pick 282 in the 9th round, the Cleveland Indians have selected right-handed pitcher James Karinchak out of Bryant University.

Born: 9/22/95 — Height: 6'3" — Weight: 215 — Bats: Right — Throws: Right

Jeff Ellis: James Karinchak is an interesting player in the ninth round as he was a top 200 player on a lot of lists. In addition he is very different from the arms the Indians have gone for in the draft early on the last two years. He has had trouble with his control during his time at school, which has been such a focus for the Indians. He does have one trait the Indians look for which is a potential plus offspeed pitch. His curve is a 12-6 that he has a great feel for and ability to command. Karinchak also had injury issues and when he came back his control issues got worse. There were concerns that he might have bigger injury concerns which lead to his slide on draft day. Karinchak is a great gamble late, especially if he is not a pricey sign. There are some areas for concern, but Karinchak is one of the higher rated players they have draft by industry consensus.

Press Release: Garnered All-NEC honors over his three seasons at Bryant, 2015-17…This past spring during his junior season was limited with shoulder soreness, but still fanned 86 batters in 56.2IP in 13 starts…In 2016, was named second team Louisville Slugger/ABCA/Perfect Game/Rawlings All-American ...2016 Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Year, going 12-3 with a 2.00 ERA in 15 starts (112SO, 94.2IP).

So the non-shrimps who sound interesting are:

Round 2 OF Quentin Holmes, HS kid, maybe more than just speed
Round 3 OF Jonathan Rodriguez, very young HS kid, very unpolished
Round 9 RHP James Karnichak, had been at 96 mph before injury

And a collection of 2nd basemen, defensive-first SS and catcher, OF without power

I could hardly imagine myself less excited.

Personally, so far I love the Holmes pick. And both Rodriguez and Morgan intrigue me.

Morgan throws hard so he's not the typical short crafty righty. You're right there. And maybe Clement is more than just a minor league careerist, he will make my second tier of modest interest.