Pitching in the Independent School League, or, ISL is in a renaissance and it looks like some boarding school talent will go in the early rounds of today’s amateur baseball draft.

Amalie Benjamin covers the story in today’s Boston Globe, “Pitchers Make Area A target: Scouts high on locals in draft,” writing about the wealth of pitching talent in, and around Boston this spring.

“In a rare year for Massachusetts amateurs, there are a half-dozen players who could be chosen early in the draft, with a significant number of pitching prospects in a state that rarely produces many,” Benjamin writes.(BG)

One American League scout observes to Benjamin:

“I think with all the high school arms that were in the Boston area this spring, boy, that’s got to be like once in a generation…I can’t remember that concentration of pitching talent in Massachusetts in a long time.

It is historic, if you will. There’s going to be a long time before there’s going to be that many guys to see in the area.’’(BG)

But, the concentration of talent is more than “the Boston area.” The talent very specifically is concentrated in the ISL.

The ISL has emerged as a destination for baseball players seeking high level educational and athletic opportunities.

Benjamin includes five ISL and New England players likely to be taken in this year’s amateur baseball draft include:

• Tyler Beede- Lawrence Academy
• Pat Connaughton- St. John’s Prep and Arlington
• John Gorman- Catholic Memorial and Norwood
• John Magliozzi- Dexter School and Milton
• Adam Ravenelle- Lincoln-Sudbury High School

Observing his journey, Magliozzi tells Benjamin:

“It’s kind of been tough actually because you have so much competition..But it’s just a dream come true having so much talent in the Northeast, all of us being looked at as draft picks this year. Just going to be very excited to see what happens [today/MLB draft day].’’(BG)

Lawrence Academy coach Chris Margraf sees the rare convergence of talent:

“You salivate for kids like this because this is where baseball’s gone in the Northeast…And this is the best draft class I think we’ve seen in a long, long time.’’(BG)

Independent School League (ISL) member schools:

Belmont Hill School
Brooks School
Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Groton School
Lawrence Academy
Middlesex School
Milton Academy
Noble & Greenough School
Roxbury Latin School
St. George’s School
St. Mark’s School
St. Paul’s School
St. Sebastians Country Day School
Thayer Academy
The Governor’s Academy
The Rivers School