01/13/2017 - Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament
Sam continues to display a solid all-around skill-set on the diamond. With the bat, this righty maintains centered balance with active hands and fluid rhythm to load. Swing is simple/repeatable as he squares the ball up consistently and drives it with pop. At 3B, Sam has active prep footwork and takes good angles around the GB from right to left. Hands are soft as he funnels cleanly. On the mound, this RHP commands the zone with all 3 pitches. FB has good, natural sink which gives hitters a hard time squaring up. Breaking ball shows 11/5 shape with tight spin. Changeup compliments FB well as it has late run. This 6'1"/195 2-way player possesses the skills that will provide success.
11/06/2016 - College PREP - Middletown (Hartford), CT
Sam shows the makings of a special type player with his baseball abilities, possibly as a two-way guy. He continues to show improvements in his baseball abilities. On the mound, arm strength has improved as he threw his top velocity to date at 82 mph. Breaking ball displays 11/5 shape with late/sharp break. He maintains arm speed on his changeup, showing a feel for with plus sinking action. At 3B, he displays smooth/athletic actions. Feet are aggressive as he attacks balls and plays through well with his body. Glove action is soft but will benefit by presenting more out front. Hands/feet work well together as he gets rid of the baseball quickly. At the plate, he has improved his hitting potential through an athletic setup. Hands are quick (81 mph exit velocity) and work through a level swing path, creating extension. He works to keep his hands inside the ball, utilizing all fields with gap to gap pop. He has strength in his swing with baseball exploding off the bat when centered.
06/29/2016 - Under Armour Firecracker Classic 18U, powered by Baseball Factory's Team One
Sam continues to show improvements in his baseball tools with a promising future on the diamond. At the plate, he improved his hitting abilities through an athletic setup. Hands are quick (82 mph exit velocity) and work to stay inside the ball, utilizing all fields through a line drive approach. At the event, he was 4 for 10. At 3B, he displays smooth, fluid actions. Feet are quick as he moves well laterally, displaying range. He plays through balls and presents his glove well out front. Hands/feet work well together and he shows off his athletic abilities on his feeds of the double play. On the mound, fastball shows in the low 80 range with sinking action. Breaking ball displays 11/5 shape with gradual break. He maintains arm speed on his changeup with arm side run. Control is solid as he throws strikes with all his pitches. Getting on a long toss program will help to increase arm strength which will aid in his development on the mound. Mental makeup is a plus as he has a great personality, is very coachable and works hard to be the best player he can be.
02/14/2016 - National Tryout Plus - Brentwood (Long Island), NY
Sam continues to develop and showed well during his last outing. Offensively, this athletic righty stands in well with a quiet/simple setup and fluid rhythm to load. He has quick-twitch actions whipping the barrel with speed and connecting with pop. At SS, Sam is aggressive and comes to get the GB. He works around the ball from right to left, funnels smoothly and has a clean exchange to throw. On the mound, this righty maintains fluid rhythm and works at his pace. He repeats his delivery well and pounds the zone with strikes. Changeup has good arm-side run - showing to be a solid 'swing and miss pitch'. A 2018 grad - Sam is on the right track and will only continue to progress.
07/11/2015 - Cape Cod Select Training & Competition - Session 1
Sam showed strong playability, but only worked out as a SS, at his most recent Baseball Factory outing. Offensively, he showed a good setup with athleticism, and had a quiet move to get ready to hit. He was consistent to make contact and got extended out in front. He worked to become more consistently in his legs to launch and worked to drive hips/hands together to hit with authority. Defensively, he had good footwork to make plays and was clean with his transfer to throw across the diamond. He had good range to his right/left and had good overall feel for the position. Speeding up his feet, strengthening his arm and getting more reps over time are the keys to Sam's further growth. In all - Sam is an intriguing player that has another 3 years to develop his game.
07/25/2014 - Baseball Factory National World Series at Pirate City
Sam is a two way player at SS/RHP. During the event he showed well on the mound with a smooth fluid delivery, good mound presence and a good mix of pitches (FB,CB,CH). He can improve his direction through flat ground drills and working in more off-speed to become more comfortable mixing his pitches. Defensively, at SS, Sam showed some arm strength and smooth sure hands. A better first step and improved fielding position will help him become a better infielder. At the plate, Sam stays inside of the ball well and used all fields due to his good balance and barrel accuracy. He could be a bit more aggressive at the plate and use his lower half more effectively. Sam displayed a very good work ethic and the upside to be a very good player down the road.
02/16/2014 - Interactive Video Program - Brentwood (Long Island), NY
Sam is a tall, solid, 2-way player with good skills for his age. On the mound, Sam has good mechanics, a long/fluid arm action, and he works to his balance point well. He separates on time, lands in direction, and he mixes his pitches well. At SS, Sam has good quickness, he fields out front, and he throws with a smooth release to his target. Offensively, Sam has a square set-up, good balance, and direct hands to the ball. He stays inside well, his swing is level, and he has pop in his bat. Overall abilities can improve with work on the following.
Pitching
1. Off-speed
2. Long toss
Defense
1. Play more through
2. Avoid standing straight up to throw
Offense
1. More aggressiveness
2. Lower 1/2
3. Let ball travel