By Rich Chrampanis
LINCROFT – Major League teams know New Jersey is a source of great talent, which is why it’s common for scouts to huddle behind the fence watching top players in the high school ranks.
In recent years, New Jersey pitching has been front and center in the talent evaluation world. Don Bosco Prep’s Caden Dana is the current third-ranked prospect in the Los Angeles Angels farm system. In South Jersey, Chase Petty is climbing the Reds ladder to the big leagues and Anthony Solometo could make his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates this summer. Last season, Millburn’s Steven Echavarria was a third-round selection by the Oakland Athletics, securing a $3 million signing bonus.
The scouts are out in full force again and will make the Lincroft campus of Christian Brothers Academy a regular stop leading up to the 2024 MLB Draft to assess pitcher Chris Levonas. Levonas has the attention of the big leagues for good reason. He had to endure a week of weather postponements before making his 2024 debut against Middletown South. It was worth the wait for the scouts and the Colts as Levonas threw five shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out eight while showing no nerves. “It’s really a surreal feeling when you see all the scouts back there,” Levonas said. “Eventually you just have to get past yourself and be like, OK, I’m here to do my job and I have to take care of business.”
His second start was equally impressive. The righty pitched 4.2 innings with 11 strikeouts against Manalapan, giving up one run on just one hit. Throwing in the mid-90s is just one part of why Levonas will have to choose between playing college baseball at Wake Forest and the pros.
Levonas has an incredible spin rate and the movement on all his pitches is elite. CBA catcher Dan Tsimbinos has the best seat in the house and can attest to that.
“Everything’s filthy. I don’t even know how to describe it,” Tsimbinos said. “It’s like a video game almost. Everything is nasty. It’s so good. Everything looks like a fastball and it breaks off and goes either way. The fastball rides, too. It’s ridiculous.”
Will Levonas rake in the big bucks this July? Time will tell. For now, his bigger concern is the success of CBA’s team as the Colts chase the county title, the Shore, and state championships with a talented team.
“Eventually, there’s a point in my life when there’s always going to be guys watching me,” Levonas said. “I just have to get past that and put my head to the side, just bear down and get strikes for my team.”
The article originally appeared in the April 18 – April 24, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
