Tournament Takeaways: 2026 NY Open
August 11, 2026
The NY Open brought some of the top talent in the region to the Lumber Yard in Cortland, NY, with players from the 2025-2031 classes competing over four days of game action.
Numerous players elevated their stock throughout the weekend, showcasing high-end tools, impressive athleticism, and impactful in-game production. Below, we take a closer look at the top performers from the NY Open and the players who made the biggest impressions throughout the event.
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Chris Clarke-Cabezas OF / Charles O'Dickerson, NY / 2029The 5'10" - 177 lb toolsy outfielder had standout metrics at the NY State Games running a 6.77 60-yd dash and popping a max exit velocity of 98.2 mph. The NY Open marked my second look at Chris within the past 6 weeks and my first live gameplay look. Playing up in the 17/18u division, he smacked a pair of extra base hits becoming a key run producer in the Cayuga Lakers lineup. Mechanically, Chris has a quiet balanced setup with his hands held at ear height. During load, his front foot hovers and strides forward allowing room for the back hip to fire, meanwhile the hand come down on plane, working close to the body enabling him to stay short to the baseball with an uphill swing path.
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Eli Davis 3B / Colchester High School, VT / 2027The uncommitted 5'10" - 215 lb strong physical 3B prospect showed off his in game power from the left side all weekend during the NY Open. At the plate, Eli utilizes a narrow, upright setup with low, rhythmic hands. During his load, his front foot hovers before double-tapping as a timing mechanism, while his loose hands work up to shoulder height before leveling out toward the baseball. This sequence creates an uphill swing path and loud contact through impact.
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Matt Herrmann C / Merrimack Valley High School, NH / 2027The 6'0" - 175 lb backstop had a loud day at the plate on championship Sunday being a key run producer in the middle of the GBC lineup, including the eventual game winning hit that helped bring his team back from a 6 run deficit. At the plate, Matt has his weight backloaded during his setup with rhythmic loose hands held at ear height. During load, he takes a short stride with his front foot allowing for an efficient weight transfer and the his quick hands to rip through the zone generating a whippy barrel effect while generating extension at impact.
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Xavier Izquierdo RHP / Cardinal Hayes, CT / 2026The uncommitted 6'2" - 175 lb wiry and twitchy RHP showed off a powerful 4 pitch mix in his one appearance at the NY Open. Mechanically, Xavier works quickly through his segmented sidesaddle windup with a drop and drive delivery. He has a quick lively arm that stays compact in the backswing and hooks into a low 3/4 release allowing him to delay pronation upon release and generate more horizontal movement on his pitches. Xavier has numerous FB shapes including a 4-seamser that sat 87-90, T90 MPH generating ride and armside run while the SNK sat 83-86 MPH generating more depth out of hand while maintaining sharp horizontal movement. The offspeed featured a wipeout SL sitting 71-74 MPH with tight spin and sharp late horizontal movement as well as a CH sitting 80-82 MPH.
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Eli Kristensen C / Master's Academy International, MA / 2029The The physical 6'1" - 202 lb prospect showed why he is the top ranked backstop in the New England region showing off his advanced physical traits and an advanced ability to hit leading the Tri-State Canes to a 15u championship. At the plate, Eli utilizes a wide setup with quiet, firm hands. During his load, he keeps things simple with a subtle front-foot tap as a timing mechanism, allowing his strong hands to take over. His hands work short and slightly uphill to the baseball, creating a direct path to contact and consistently producing hard line-drive contact off the barrel.
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Ryan Lemm OF / Archbishop Stepinac, NY / 2029The 5'10" - 176 lb athletic outfielder had an impressive showing at the NY Open playing up in the 17/18u division being a key table setter at the top of the Elite Squad NY lineup hitting .545 with 4 runs and 4 RBIs. Mechanically, Ryan keeps his weight backloaded with quiet hands held at ear height. During load, he utilizes a high leg lift to time up the pitcher effectively paired with quick hands through the zone allowing him to spray the ball to all fields. He showed good poise in the box, remaining composed throughout his at-bats, while his current frame leaves room for continued projection as he develops.
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Evin Pascual 3B / SS / St. Martin Secondary School, ON / 2029The 6'1" - 190 lb strong and athletic left side of the infield prospect showed his potential for power at the next level while playing up in the 17/18u age division at the NY Open. At the plate, Evin keep his weight backloaded with quiet hands held at ear height. During load, he works from the ground up starting his operation with a loud leg kick which queue's the back hip to fire while the barrel works on a slightly downhill plane through the zone creating backspin at impact allowing the ball to carry off the bat.
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Matthew Scott RHP / McQuaid Jesuit, NY / 2029The 5'9" - 150 lb wiry righty had one of the most dominate performances the Lumber Yard has seen this entire tournament season tossing a no-hitter with 11 Ks! Mechanically, Matthew has a deliberate sidesaddle windup with a drop and drive delivery. His arm works to approximately 150 degrees in the backswing before progressing into a 3/4 release point. Matthew features a 2-pitch mix with the FB sitting 78-81 MPH topping 82 MPH generating whiff up in the zone with armside run paired with a SL sitting 73-76 MPH generating late depth with glove side movement.
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