Mike Rescigno, Kyle Datres Rank As Part Of Ripken League's Best

Ripken League Top Prospects

Mike Rescigno, rhp, Baltimore Redbirds (Sr., Maryland)

Cameron Simmons, of, Baltimore Redbirds (So., Virginia)

Kyle Datres, 3b, Baltimore Redbirds (So., North Carolina)

Logan Gilbert, rhp, Bethesda (So., Stetson)

Marty Costes, of, Baltimore Redbirds (So., Maryland)

Joey Sullivan, rhp, Baltimore Redbirds (Jr., Virginia Tech)

Cole Aker, rhp, Baltimore Redbirds (So., North Carolina)

Hunter Parsons, rhp, Baltimore Redbirds (So., Maryland)

Tyler Blohm, lhp, Baltimore Redbirds (Fr., Maryland)

Nick Cieri, c/1b, Silver Spring-Takoma (Sr., Maryland)

Postseason Recap: The Bethesda Big Train snapped the Baltimore Redbirds’ streak of four straight Ripken League championships, edging the Redbirds 4-3 in the decisive third game of the CRCBL championship series. Bethesda did all of its damage in the fourth inning, highlighted by matching two-run singles from Cody Brown (Mississippi State) and Austin Hale (Stetson). Baltimore closed the gap to one with a pair of runs in the eighth, but Drew Strotman (Saint Mary’s) closed things out in the ninth, stranding the tying run in scoring position. Bethesda’s Vinny Esposito (Sacramento State) was named series MVP after hitting .550 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

1. Mike Rescigno, rhp, Baltimore Redbirds (Sr., Maryland)

Resigno remade his college career switching from the infield to the mound as a sophomore in 2015. Pitching from a mid- to high-three-quarters arm slot, what was an 88-92 mph fastball this spring for the Terrapins turned into a 91-93 offering, touching 94-95 this summer for the Redbirds. In 13 games, he worked 16 innings with a 19-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.14 ERA. Resigno has the raw talent to develop further. After declining to sign as a 25th-round pick of San Francisco this June to return for his senior year at Maryland, his challenge will be to get more movement on his fastball and sharpen his offspeed in order to move up the 2017 draft ladder.

2. Cameron Simmons, of, Baltimore Redbirds (So., Virginia)

After a successful freshman debut at Virginia, Simmons played 31 games with wood and had a .353 average, the fifth best in the league. He had just seven extra-base hits but with 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts, he found ways to put his speed—he ran a 6.60 second 60-yard dash—to good advantage. He hits from an upright stance, has above-average strike-zone judgment and will hit to the right side if there’s an opportunity. With a wood bat, he’ll need to get more body into his swing rather than pulling off, a tendency with composite college season bats.

3. Kyle Datres, 3b, Baltimore Redbirds (So., North Carolina)

A three-sport high school athlete in Pennsylvania, Datres led the Ripken League in hitting with a .378 average. While an average point-to-point runner, he reads pitchers well and stole 22 of 25 bases to the Ripken League. He has an above-average feel for the strike zone with a combined 52-51 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his combined college and summer seasons. He hits with an open stance, bat tilted at a 45-degree angle. He’ll hit to all fields and will inside out pitches on the outer half of plate to the right side.

4. Logan Gilbert, rhp, Bethesda (So., Stetson)

Despite limited college-level experience, Gilbert shows promise. His prime pitch is an 89-93 mph fastball, touching 94-95 occasionally. He’ll sometimes leave the pitch up in the zone, reducing its movement and leaving him more susceptible to fly balls. His other pitches are a 79-81 slider a 76-77 curve with a soft 10-to-4 break. He has the size at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds and makeup to develop into a quality college starter as his game matures.

5. Marty Costes, of, Baltimore Redbirds (So., Maryland)

Hitting ability and power potential are the Maryland sophomore’s best tools. A fringe-average runner, he’s limited defensively. He started 52 games in left field for the Terps last spring, tops on the team as a freshman, and hit a respectable .263/.363/.479 with nine home runs. He batted .319/.438/.560 this summer for the Redbirds with another seven home runs, while his walks (21) exceeded his strikeouts (16). Costas hits with an open stance, leaning slightly backwards in the batter’s box. He has strong wrists and shoulders and gets to the ball quickly. He stays on top of pitches, willing to drive outer-half offerings to the right side.

6. Joey Sullivan, rhp, Baltimore Redbirds (Jr., Virginia Tech)

Sullivan threw 17 2/3 innings in nine games, all in short relief for the Redbirds. His riding fastball sat 91-94 mph late in the season. He piled up 26 strikeouts against just two walks and limited opponents to just a .141 average with a 0.50 ERA. He throws from a standard mid-three-quarters slot, adding an occasional 80-82 mph late breaking slider to his mix.

7. Cole Aker, rhp, Baltimore Redbirds (So., North Carolina)

Aker gets after it in every aspect of his game—an approach that’s both his strength and his weakness. He throws a 90-94 mph fastball, hitting 94-96 at times. He runs into trouble when he overthrows the fastball, as it flattens out and isn’t a swing-and-miss pitch despite his velocity. His other offerings are a 75-76 mph curve with 11-5 break and an 78-80 slider. Aker started five games this summer with a 3.62 ERA in 27.2 innings and a 29-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

8. Hunter Parsons, rhp, Baltimore Redbirds (So., Maryland)

Parsons led the league in wins (six) and strikeouts (44), along with finishing third in ERA at 1.40 in 38.1 innings. He throws an average fastball at 89-92 mph from a standard slot. Parsons shows quality control, adding a 77-80 slider with late break to keep hitters off balance. He’s able to expand the strike zone as well, and hitters seldom get good swings off him.

9. Tyler Blohm, lhp, Baltimore Redbirds (Fr., Maryland)

An unsigned 17th-round pick of the Orioles, Blohm is a finesse lefthander with a projectable body at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds. His fastball sits 86-90 mph, occasionally touching 91. He mixes his fastball with a loopy curve at 73-75 to pick corners against righthanded hitters and recorded 26 strikeouts in 26 innings in the Ripken League. His biggest strength right is pitchability, mixing pitches and moving the ball up and down in the strike zone. On days he wasn’t hitting with the curveball, he got into trouble because his fastball isn’t developed enough to fool or overpower older, more advanced hitters.

10. Nick Cieri, c/1b, Silver Spring-Takoma (Sr., Maryland)

Cieri was drafted in the 32nd round out of high school by San Francisco in 2013 and had a .319 average for Wareham in the Cape Cod League last summer. He had an up-and-down season for the Terps this spring, batting .256/.379/.367, after missing time in 2015 with a broken hamate bone. He rebounded this summer, ending with a .301/.392/.542 line with five homers in 24 games. Although he has just six homers in 139 career games for Maryland, the kind of power potential he showed this summer will be his biggest selling point with teams at the next level. He’s struggled to find his niche on defense, having been a catcher for most of his career with the Terps.