North Jersey baseball players to watch entering the 2024 season

With the baseball season set to begin Monday, here are some of the top players to watch across North Jersey.

Jason Amalbert

DePaul sophomore pitcher/infielder

Already committed to play at Indiana, Amalbert played a key role in the Spartans reaching the 2023 Passaic County final. He had the game-winning RBI single in the county semifinals, one of his 15 runs batted in for the season, and he pitched to a 3-3 record and 2.74 ERA.

Rhys Bowie

Dwight-Englewood senior pitcher/outfielder

Bowie batted an even .500 last spring, and nearly half of his 35 hits went for extra bases, including 11 doubles. The left-hander also anchored the NJIC Liberty Division champs' pitching staff, recording 3 wins, 2 saves, a 2.35 earned-run average and 75 strikeouts in 38⅔ innings.

Blayze Conte

St. Mary junior third baseman/pitcher

An All-North Jersey second-team selection as a sophomore, Conte led the Gaels to a 20-win season with his bat and his arm. He hit .477 with 5 home runs, 34 RBI and 25 runs scored, and he helped pitch the team to the North Non-Public B championship, making 2 postseason starts.

Everett Garber

Dwight-Englewood senior pitcher/first baseman

Garber was the ace of the Bulldogs' rotation, posting a 1.85 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 34 innings. He was named to the All-North Jersey second team as an outfielder last year but can also play the corner infield, and he batted .508 with 8 home runs and 34 RBI.

Joey Giordano

Pascack Hills senior pitcher/outfielder

Giordano led the Broncos to last year’s Group 2 title. The Richmond commit batted .414 with 20 runs and 14 RBI, and he was 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 59⅓ innings. The left-hander threw a three-hitter in the 1-0 title win over Rumson-Fair Haven.

Peter Hammerle

Lakeland junior first baseman

Hammerle will again be among North Jersey’s best at getting on base. Last season, he was in the top 10 in North Jersey in batting at .493 (36-for-73), featuring nine doubles. He drew 16 walks and was hit by a pitch three times. He scored 17 runs and had 16 RBI.

William Kirk

Ramsey senior pitcher/outfielder

Kirk led the Rams to the Group 2 title in 2022, and the Virginia commit is arguably North Jersey’s best all-around player. The left-hander was 7-1 with a 0.64 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 44 innings last season. He batted .447 with four homers, 10 doubles and 25 RBI.

Vincent Luther

Ridgewood senior pitcher

Luther helped guide the Maroons to last season’s Group 4 championship. He was 9-2 with a 1.49 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 61⅔ innings. The left-hander threw 6⅔ shutout innings in the 4-0 title win over Old Bridge. He is committed to SUNY Binghamton.

Freddy Stansfield

Passaic Tech junior shortstop

Stansfield was a big part of the Bulldogs’ drive last year to repeat as Passaic County champion. In a high-powered attack, he batted .438, scored 26 runs and had 23 RBI. He started two double plays in the 2-0 win over DePaul in the Passaic championship.

Vinnie Stigliano

Pompton Lakes junior shortstop/pitcher

Stigliano threw two complete games in the state tournament, helping the Cardinals reach the North 1, Group 1 final. He finished with a 2.13 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 46 innings, and at the plate, he batted .411 with 21 runs batted in, 25 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.

Others to watch

Casey Baratta , Wayne Hills junior shortstop

Tyler Benway , Pompton Lakes senior pitcher/first baseman

Miguel David Cabral , Westwood senior catcher

Rowan Conway , Lakeland senior second baseman

Chris Gioia , Rutherford senior pitcher

Bob Kuenzler , Ridgewood senior outfielder

Nick Laccitiello , Pompton Lakes senior second baseman/pitcher

Joey Limone , Hawthorne senior shortstop

Shea Losino , Rigefield Park senior infielder

Riquelby Maddera , Passaic Tech senior first baseman

Jael Martinez , Bergenfield senior outfielder

Luke Monico , Ramsey senior infielder

Matt Nicholson , Lakeland senior pitcher/shortstop

Dean Qira , Wayne Hills senior pitcher

Jake Schwarzlow , West Milford senior outfielder/DH

Gavin Soares , Northern Highlands senior first baseman/pitcher

Zach Taylor , Fair Lawn senior pitcher

Joel Walker , Hawthorne Christian/Eastern Christian senior SS/pitcher

Patrick Walsh , Emerson senior catcher

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: North Jersey baseball players to watch entering the 2024 season