Long Islanders in the Phillies organization: Then and now
Kyle Young (St. Dominic), Ben Brown (Ward Melville), Logan O'Hoppe (St. John the Baptist) and Nick Fanti (Hauppauge) all are prospects in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Here's a look at each member of the quartet now, as well as when they starred on Long Island high school baseball diamonds.
Then: Nick Fanti, Hauppauge pitcher
Credit: Joseph D. Sullivan
Fanti, who threw back-to-back no-hitters at Hauppauge, earned the 48th Carl Yastrzemski Award as Suffolk’s top player in 2015.
Now; Nick Fanti, Phillies
Credit: AP/Brian Blanco
The 6-2, 204-pound lefty passed on attending Marist College to sign with the Phillies after he was taken in the 31st round of the June 2015 MLB amateur draft.
Then: Kyle Young, St. Dominic
Credit: James Escher
Young, Newsday’s CHSAA Player of the Year in 2016, passed on a Hofstra scholarship when he was selected by the Phillies in the amateur draft in June of that same year.
Now: Kyle Young, Phillies
Credit: AP/Brian Blanco
The 22nd-round selection currently is the 14th ranked prospect in the Phillies' farm system and is the only seven-foot player in professional baseball.
Then: Ben Brown, Ward Melville
Credit: James Escher
The Ward Melville graduate in 2017 was selected in the 30th round by the Phillies.
Now: Ben Brown, Phillies
Credit: AP/Brian Blanco
Brown finished last summer with a 3-4 record and a 3.78 ERA and struck out 56 in 47.2 innings in the Gulf Coast League. He led the GCL in strikeouts.
Then: Logan O'Hoppe, St. John the Baptist
Credit: James Escher
O’Hoppe was the CHSAA player of the Year at St. John the Baptist and Newsday’s Player of the Year in 2019.
Now: Logan O'Hoppe, Phillies
Credit: AP/Brian Blanco
The youngest player of the Phillies connection, O'Hoppe was selected in the 23rd round of the 2018 June draft. The 6-3, 210-pounder batted. 367 and had an on-base percentage of .411 in the rookie league last summer.
