Best Players for Class of 2010?

Probably Chris Carpenter, Sam Fuld and Jeff Fulchino are currently the best from NH. Chris Lambert is having a tough year.

Do not forget Brian Wilson the SF Giants closer

Current seniors? Jake Finnegan, Geoff Fisher, and Dan Lagasse from Londonderry should do well this year. Kevin McGowan from North is solid, Kevin Veuiex (can't spell it) from Central, Chase from Exeter is solid, and Connor Lyons from Trinity. There are more, but those are some of the top in my opinon (besides those you mentioned).
It is funny though, you can ask a question like this and get such a variety of answers. I have found different people have different definitions of what makes a good player. This should be an interesting thread.

I have heard Colin Lynch is pretty good.

My vote for one of the best is Connor Lyons, great hustle, great attitude and a pest on the bases which is disruptive for pitchers. I don't know many of the Class L players but I did see some Londonderry players at the Legion State Tourney who looked to be very good players but not sure of their names or graduation years.

Ryan Coppinger of St. Thomas is a player - Class I

Forgot Nate Jones from Portsmouth who will pitch for Wake Forrest 2010-11.

Come on Monty you are forgetting one more from Portsmouth. We can wait to play you guys this spring. Since some other pro's were mentioned, another Class L player Jeff Locke currently with the Pirates.

and Kevin Locke also very good.

Its fun to see different peoples views on who is the best in the state. I was talking about the class of 2010 though. Ive watched some class I games because my town is a class I school so I only really know the good players from Class I. Pat Tempone will prob be one of the best pitchers in the league. Montville is the best player in the state I think hands down and Matt is one of the best hitters and is one of the smoothest players in the field. Those 3 I think are some of the powerhouses of the league, with another player from Portsmouth which I forget his name who is be on top like Tempone, but as I said I have only seen Players from Class I and some nashua legion games

How can anyone say a player is best in the state if the person making the statement has not seen all the players in the state ????

Seeing how I have read countless articles of Montville and have personally seen him play and have done research on him and have talked to scouts, both pro and college say he is the best player in the state I have come to the conclusion that he is the best in the state. It is my opinion and I dont see it wrong with people who do not agree with me but I don't understand why you have to try to argue via online. It is an opinion based question and with the knowledge I have I have made mine opinion.

PGNH

Not arguing at all --just asking how you can make a judgement without seeing all the players---I too can read newspapers and talk to scouts , which I indeed do, but no way do I make a statement that any kid is the best in his state without seeing all the players---that is doing an injustice to all the other players

AN EXAMPLE: we had two pitchers with us this past weekend and they will be with the rest of the fall, that not too many people had seen if they hadseen them at all--both throw upper 80's and have colleges contacting me this week regarding them--very few schools ,if any, knew who they were---in fact one made the all tournament team---

What I am saying is unless you see them all you cannot say one is the best in the state---there are many kids hiding under rocks that will surprise you

And the person making the claim of who is the best player in the State of New Hampshire says they "Just moved to New Hampshire" and has a location of Massachusetts...

AMEN

Gentlemen, saying someone is the "best player in the state" is only someones opinion. The last time I checked everyone is entitled to one. He may be right and he may be wrong. Even if you do see all the best players in the state and can form an "opinion", did you see all when they were having their "best" day?
We can all agree that there is a lot of talent out there. Some will thrive and some won't. Let's see who does.
Go Yanks

Riley Palmer, and Mike Bisceglia of Goffstown are both very solid players. From Salem Nick Poore is only a junior but he is a top pitcher in Class L.

I would have to agree with Ironwill in saying that Legasse, Finnegan, Veilleux, and McGowan are all up there. Zac Mathieu from Pinkerton 6'6 1B. As mentioned above there are so many hidden players from schools that pop up each year that is what makes it so exciting.

This is Bob, Mike Montville's dad.

I agree with TR, its very difficult to pronounce anyone the "best of" unless you have seen them play many times. The ability to consistently perform at a high level over a long period of time "may" put someone in a category where their names can be put into an opinion debate of "best of" but it is only a debate.

Do I think my son is the best of 2010 in NH - no - here are a few reasons why.

First I think you have to seperate position players and pitchers - they are two different animals and they need their own categories to advance the discussion.

Secondly you have to measure players against "like kind" competition. Not that I don't think my kid can play but our competiion in Class I (mainly talking about pitching) was not great. I did not see any Class L games but I have to believe the overall pitching was better than Class I. I am assuming this theory is the same as you move down in classes. Its very difficult to measure "one vs another" unless they are competing in the same arena.

Let me give you another example why I think this debate is a mute point although it is fun to participate in. My son played with Connor Lyons this summer (from Trinity - Class L). I had never heard of him or seen him play. After watching him in thirty plus games against the same competition I think he is just as good as my son or better but he is a compelety different player than my kid. He is a speed player, very good contact and average hitter and saves runs on defense. He runs faster than my son using his speed to cut off baserunners on defense and uses his speed to get on base to be driven in. My son hits the ball farther than Connor and drives in more runs but that doesn't make him better. Baseball is all about everyone using their strengths for the betterment of the team - so how can you declare one player better than another.

What we all should be debating is how we get our NH kids noticed because we have a whole bunch of "best of's" This summer was an eye opener for me as to how our kids are thought of and its a shame. Just because we come from a colder environment where we don't play as many games doesn't mean our kids are not as good as other players. To back up how our players are perceived here are two examples, one told to me by a scout and the other was an email sent to me from Rivals chat room that announced that Maryland had recruited my kid - see post below from a Florida State fan.


Originally posted by jfball1:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We just got Mike Montville who is the New Hampshire Player of the Year, let the recruiting begin.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Great, the best baseball player out of about 23 high schools in the state. The ACC is on notice.


When Mike's name was announced for his sixty yd dash at Area Code tryouts, they announced him as the NH Gatorade Player of the Year, one scout (not sure is College or Pro) said "yeah they only have 10 baseball players in the state!"


We may not have as many good players as other states but we do have a bunch of them and I am sure the 2010 kids who are going to play in college will open some eyes.

Go NH and for the matter New England

Monty, very good post, I agree with what you are saying. All the players are different and bring different things to the field. My son is not a runner, speed on the bases is not his game, but he can hit the ball farther and harder than anybody on his team. High avg, hits for power and drives runs in. Very good defensively at 1st and 3rd. But you need all types to have a good team. We have played with a lot of Class L players, pitchers this summer and fall. I don't see much of a differance between the classes. Depending what your needs are or what you like in a baseball player my best player is going to be different then yours. But from what I have seen lately there are good players in New Hampshire.

Im sorry if I offended anyone when I spoke my opinion. I was just putting in my opinion and I understand that there are different views on this.

I thought we were suppose to pick who we thought they best players were, and thats why I picked Mike. That is why I made this thread so people can voice their opinions. Being ridiculed for an opinion I don't think is right. But if I offended anyone I am sorry. It was not my intention

fivehole: being a Class L coach and talking with other coaches (I and L) I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment of the two classes pitching depth. I won't name the team, but a prominent I coach told me the depth of the pitching (and bench) is the biggest difference. While there are excellent pitchers in all divisions, L has the most quality- it only makes sense due to sheer numbers!

PGNH

Your question was fine and it sparked multi comments/opinions which is what this web board is all about.

I have learned a ton reading about other peoples experiences and opinions.

Please don't take the comments as a negative, just a lively debate re opinions.

Keep posting

quote:

Originally posted by perfectgameNH:
I thought we were suppose to pick who we thought they best players were, and thats why I picked Mike. That is why I made this thread so people can voice their opinions. Being ridiculed for an opinion I don't think is right. But if I offended anyone I am sorry. It was not my intention

You offensive post is on another page where you mention that kids need to be yelled at more. What age kids need this yelling at? What as a coach can you accomplish by yelling at a kid that you can't by delivering the message in an even tone? When I coached I was considered a hard@ss, but it wasn't because I ever yelled at a kid. Please explain, because your post as it stands is just plain ignorant.

quote:

Originally posted by fivehole:
Monty, very good post, I agree with what you are saying. All the players are different and bring different things to the field. My son is not a runner, speed on the bases is not his game, but he can hit the ball farther and harder than anybody on his team. High avg, hits for power and drives runs in. Very good defensively at 1st and 3rd. But you need all types to have a good team. We have played with a lot of Class L players, pitchers this summer and fall. I don't see much of a differance between the classes. Depending what your needs are or what you like in a baseball player my best player is going to be different then yours. But from what I have seen lately there are good players in New Hampshire.

Doing what we do at the GSBA I am lucky enough to see many high school games all spring and legion/sr. babe ruth/AAU all summer. With our showcase tryouts bringing in over 200 players this past fall I again got to watch some of the best talent in the state regardless of class. Our league this fall has a tremendous crop of top tier NH pitchers. I am not from NH originally and have no loyalty to any school, I personally know or have met almost everyone involved in this conversation. I can tell you this, Class L pitching is far and away superior to all the other classes. I'm not saying the best pitcher in Class L is better than the best pitcher in Class I or M. But I can tell you that the #2, #3, the bullpen guys, guys who don't even get to pitch because of the depth would be starters for a lot of schools.

Its not that the programs are better or coaches are better there are just more kids. That's why they break them up by classes to keep it competitive. Look at Londonderry they were so deep in pitching that they had an All State caliber pitcher Chris Crutcher in the bullpen. Geoff Fisher throw's 86 MPH has good breaking stuff and good control and did he even get on the mound as a junior?

Garret Cole and Dylan Clark on the same team, imagine the quality pithcers that probably didn't get on the mound becasue these studs were eating up all the innings.



Maybe once a week it's even, that first game where its the best pitcher vs. the best pitcher. But that second and third game of the week, big difference in pitching and the hitters benefit from that.

I think Bob Montville made a great point. I think we all agree that there are some talented kids that play ball here in NH and that the very best of them most likely can hold there own with other kids from around the country. Bob's point is how do we get these kids noticed and noticed by scouts and schools from around the country? One of the biggest tournaments for getting noticed is going on this month in Jupiter, Florida the WWBA World Championship. There will be representatives from 100's of schools and scouts from every MLB organization there. How many of NH's best kids will be there? How do we get the NH kids there? I believe that Jeff Locke played for a team that went there and that is when he landed on the "map" with the pro scouts. I'm sure he heard from a few of the big schools as well after it. I hate to keep using Mike Montville as an example...so I'll use his teammate Nate Jones. Nate played on the North East Baseball squad that played in a WWBA event in East Cobb GA I believe. I bet it was there that Wake Forest discovered him and not a game for Porstmouth during the spring. I may be wrong but I doubt it. We need to encourage the best of the NH kids to find a way to go to these tournaments so that they too might get discovered and play for larger institutions all over the country. The more that do go off and play for ACC, SEC etc type schools then the more interest other schools might have in NH players and then they might come to NH looking for players and give NH players the respect they deserve.

Granite State Baseball is doing and has done awesome things in their few short years for NH ball players and hopefully will continue to grow and evolve over the years. Maybe forming a team from the "best of the best" and getting into WWBA tournaments in East Cobb or Jupiter will be a natural progression for them, who knows. All I know is that there are 3 programs in the area that give kids from the area that opportunity today and none of them are in NH. College Select in CT (TRHIT's program), the Roughnecks out of the boston area and now the NorthEast Baseball group out of Littleton, MA I believe.

Like everyone I want to see NH players succeed on the national stage and be seen as legit, respected players.

Sorry if that post is all over the place...should never write long posts on a friday afternoon..lol

Red Sox,

You are right, I told Nate Jones's Dad about the Northeast Rays and he contacted Scott Patterson, the coach about Nate.

I can confirm that Wake Forest saw Nate pitch in East Cobb and the rest is history. As best I can remember Nate received three early offers and two came from playing in Georgia.

Perhaps you guys want to get in touch with me with regard to the Northeast Circuit we are looking to begin next summer---incidently we have a boy from Vermont playing with us this fall and he is going to Jupiter with us

Tom Rizzi
College Select Baseball

i've watched a few high school games over the years. class L now class I. i've seen sam fuld,jamie morin, jamie chevalier,terry doyle,nick asselin,chris gale,tanner/travis munsey,troy matin,ryan & chris lapoint, on and on. mike montville is as good as any if not better. i think he is the best player in the state. but.......i am the 2nd biggest mikey mo fan. the fact that he was chosen to attend the events that he did this summer to my knowledge hasn't been done by any nh ball player before.

i applaud the gsbb for what they are doing, it's about time somebody did it. i just wish it happened in the seacoast.

Extra Innings College Select Team from RI is an up and coming College Select program. Had 5 DI players from the Class of 2010. With all these solid programs New England Baseball is producing quite a group of ball players

I know the Xtra Innings program in RI well---they are regulars in our Warwick Tournament---I expect that Phil and his team will be part of what we plan to do beginning next summer

This is Matt Caravella.I played for Perfect Game last year at the WWBA and it was a great tourney. Great competition. After that I got on Virgina Tech to call which I am talking to now. Great for exposure!!!

Matt will we see you at the GSBA Showcase League tryouts next summer?

20dad, we are planning to have a strong presence at seacoast games this spring to help get the word out to more players, any suggestions on how to get the info out to the seacoast would be greatly appreciated feel free to share we will listen.

GSBA - What ever you guys did in the Nashua area is what you need to do on the seacoast. Was nice to see several Nashua area kids playing this year, I'm guessing that number will grow in the following years! Keep up the great work!!

Did you guys have tryouts on the seacoast like you did at Holman this past year? That alone probably helped a lot.

Having an upcoming player and seeing the caliber of teams in Babe ruth etc (Pre-high school) there are strong teams out there like in Rochester, Dover, Portsomuth, Farmington to name a few. Need to attend those areas games in the spring to get the word out and increase the talent pool. I saw that John Funk from Farmington was on a roster...He is a year or two older then my son but I remember him from Ripken..just about single handedly carried his team to the State title as 12's. so not surprised to see him on the team.

you have started something that really was needed. but other than the d2 conferance, i don't really understand the wood bat thing. they are at least 3 years away from using wood.( mass tried it in the high school's for a year, era's were down as well as BA) do most of your player's attend d3 college? that is the niche that needs help.imo. d1 players are easier to identify it's the next few levels that need to be identified and helped.



i'm sure your trying to make some money at this. in my experience, the most money spent at baseball facility's are by parents of players that aren't very good. they are in the greatest need of help. again just my 2 cents.

as far as the seacoast goes,i think we need to support the place we have. there's not a ton of discretionary cash out there right now, and we don't need to lose this facility.

please don't take this post the wrong way, i think you have started a good thing. it will get better with time and seeing what needs to be tweaked. keep this in mind...the good players don't need as much help as the fringe player's. they really need something.

Not sure if you are talking to the GSBA but the Granite State Baseball Association is a non profit and a registered New Hampshire charitable trust.

Also what don't you understand about wood bats? You actually have to learn to hit. This spring when the kids go back to aluminum those who really learned to hit in the fall will see a great improvement.

shipbiulder


i understand the non-profit thing, but i also noticed it wasn't just enough to cover expenses. i've done this before , i know the coaches are paid, i assumed the directors are as well. that happens in a charitable trust too,like the united way.

i understand the principal, but it's a showcase league,for college prospects, most of the colleges use aluminum bat's.......not a great time to learn to hit. but that's my opinion.

again i think it fills a void, but it looks like it can be tweaked.

Didn't realize you were talking about the Showcase League specifically, all our leagues are wood bats.

Real men swing wood bats.

true.......... but most college money is wrapped in aluminum.

i understand the reason just pointing something out. i'd heard a coach mention it once yrs ago.