October 26th, 2021

Mike Alberts

Director of Player Development; Firecracker Sports

2021 The Cage Warriors and Brooklyn Bonnies: Team Scout Day 10.23.21

We had a beautiful day for baseball at American Legion fields in Brooklyn, NY this past Saturday.  The event was attended by 10+ college and professional coaches from D2, D3, JUCO and MLB as well.  We saw a very talented group of 50+ players ranging in graduation classes from 2022 to 2025 from 2 talented organizations including the Brooklyn Bonnies, the Cage Warriors and also players from Youth Services League, Frozen Ropes and more. 

We are going to highlight some of the top players that participated but also some up and comers who you should keep an eye out for in the coming months. Top performers are listed at the bottom of this email, for the major testing categories, including the schools and professional organizations that were present for this event. 

Top Pitcher:  Usher Valez RHP/SS 5’10 160lbs Worldview High School 2021

Usher has a good athletic frame to begin with with a good ¾ arm slot that has a free and easy delivery.  His fastball was 83-85 mph, 2119 spin rate.  Threw strikes with his fastball with good running movement on his 2 seam fastball.  He has a very good curveball that sits 65-67.5 MPH with a sweeping break.  Change up was 71-74 that plays well off his fastball when he keeps it down in the zone. Usher is older but currently, uncommitted, and has more in the tank to increase his velo with the right program. Don’t wait because he would be an excellent addition to anyone’s program. 

Top Position Player:  Jacob Kline OF/RHP 5’11 190lbs Archbishop Molloy HS 2023

Jacob has an athletic frame with good muscle tone.  He did show a very good approach at the plate.  Quick hands with good extension through the ball.  Used the whole field.  Line drive swing with future power production.  Top exit velo 90.1 mph during the workout.  Ran a decent  60 yard dash of the event 7.25 and 7.37 in a non-peak time of the year.  He does have a good explosive first step, which helps as a corner outfielder at the next level.  Showed a plus accurate arm from the OF 84MPH.  He also pitched that day and threw well with a top velo of 78.4. Jacob has the ability to be a 2 way player in college at the D3 level but could be an impact guy right away as an outfielder. 

Up and Coming Prospect: Nicolas Giglio 1B/RF 6’1 210lbs James Madison HS 2023

Nicolas has a powerful frame  that will continue to get stronger and develop. While he needs to work on overall strength and conditioning, he had one of the best swings all year which included an exit velocity max of 115.3 during this event. He continued to pound the baseball to the outfield throughout his on field batting practice session.  He worked out at first base and has good skills to grow with…while he did throw across the diamond with a top velo of 71mph. His bat is the path to playing in the future and with continued development at the plate, could be a middle of the order guy at the next level. He will have the opportunity to play at the next level, if he continues to develop and commit to his speed/overall training. 

Showcase Top Performers:

60 yard Dash:

1. Aniel Del Orbe New York , NY 6.72
2. Manuel Raudales queens village , NY 6.92
3. Christopher Arcati Brooklyn , NY 7.03
4. William King Springfield Gardens , NY 7.03
5. Joel Rodriguez Glendale , NY 7.08

Catcher Pop Times

1. Jayden Estevez Floral park , NY 2.14
2. Sean Torres Brooklyn , NY 2.15
3. Joshua Estevez Floral park , NY 2.44
4. Marcus Hilliman Brooklyn , NY 2.45
5. Peter Colleran Queens , NY 2.54

OF Velocity

1. Jacob Kline flushing , NY 84
2. Aniel Del Orbe New York , NY 81
3. Marcos Polanco New York , NY 80
4. Oiram Williams New York , NY 77
5. Michael Vascellaro Astoria , NY 76

IF Velocity

1. Joel Rodriguez Glendale , NY 76
2. Verny Perez Brooklyn , NY 76
3. Jaylen Bryant Brooklyn , NY 75
4. Marcos Polanco New York , NY 75
5. Michael Vascellaro Astoria , NY 74

Exit Velocity

1. Nicolas Giglio BROOKLYN , NY 115.3
2. Oiram Williams New York , NY 96.5
3. Jaylen Bryant Brooklyn , NY 95.7
4. Ralph Riviere Brooklyn , NY 91.5
5. Peter Colleran Queens , NY 91.2

Pitchers FB – Peak Velocity

1. Usher Valdez Bronx , NY 85.5
2. Pedro Leon New York , NY 83.1
3. Jacob Kline flushing , NY 78.4
4. Oiram Williams New York , NY 77.4
5. Jaylen Bryant Brooklyn , NY 76.8

We would like to thank the following colleges and professional organizations who were present for this event which included – Monroe College; Baruch College, Queens College, Pace University, Maritime College, SUNY-Old Westbury, Mercy College, Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals. 

We look forward to seeing you at one of our Team Scout Days coming up this winter but also we have our 2022 College Showcase Camps already open for registrations. Check out our upcoming events right here: https://play.firecrackersports.com/. Remember we only accept a select amount of players per event to maximize your attention from college coaches and pro scouts while giving you more reps than other traditional showcase companies and events.

If you are interested in hosting your own Team Scout Day for your program(s) with skills and drills with college/pro coaches, Rapsodo testing, simulated game, t-shirts and much more…please contact us today! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact operations@firecrackersports.com for more information.