Dingers are in style among Miami-Dade County baseball powerhouses this season
Scouts dig the long ball, too.
That’s why the top prospects in Miami-Dade prep baseball this year are a pair of power-hitting third basemen: Westminster Christian’s Sal Stewart and Miami Springs’ Jason Torres.
According to Baseball America’s rankings, Stewart is the 16th-best prep senior in the nation, and Torres is No. 54.
Isn’t it ironic?
South Florida is known for speed in football, but, in baseball this year, it’s the power that rules.
A 6-3, 215-pounder with a scholarship to Vanderbilt, Stewart hit .534 with 17 homers and 40 RBIs in 31 games last year, leading Westminster to a second-place showing at state. Stewart is a career .420 hitter in 156 prep games, and his power has been compared to that of another right-handed pull hitter – Pete Alonso of the New York Mets.
Stewart routinely hits balls over the left-field fence at Westminster – a distance of 309 feet – and he has also cleared the swimming pool that sits behind that wall.
“Sal is hitting balls that don’t land,” Westminster coach Emil Castellanos said. “When he gets ready for batting practice on our campus, we tell people in the pool, ‘Heads up!’ He’s hitting rockets. He has pro power.”
Scouts seem to agree.
Stewart could become the first Westminster Christian player to go from high school to the first round of the MLB Draft since Alex Rodriguez in 1993. Former MLB catcher J.P. Arencibia was a 17th-round pick out of Westminster in 2004 and a first-rounder out of the University of Tennessee three years later.
Scouts say Torres, a 6-2, 215-pounder, is a notch below Stewart but yet more powerful than every other hitter in Miami this year.
Last season, Torres hit .521 with 11 doubles, eight homers and 45 RBIs in 24 games. He has a scholarship to play for the University of Miami, but the Hurricanes could lose him to the draft.
As for speed, Miami-Dade baseball has that, too, although not as high profile. Two of the fastest players in the city are a pair of sophomore center fielders: Northwestern’s Darrell Pender Jr., who hit .487 and stole 28 bases last year; and True North’s Robert Alvarez.
Despite those and many other talented athletes, Miami-Dade County failed to win a single state title last year.
This season, though, could bring multiple state titles to Miami for the first time since 2015, when Columbus (7A), Westminster (3A) and Brito (2A) all won gold.
Some of the top contenders are Columbus (7A); Doral (6A); Belen (5A); Miami Springs and Mater Lakes (4A); and Westminster, Gulliver Prep, Monsignor Pace and SLAM (3A).
Here’s a closer look:
CLASS 7A
▪ The Columbus Explorers went 27-5 last year, losing in the state semifinals, 3-2, to eventual champion Douglas.
However, Columbus graduated 10 starters from that team. Then again, if anyone can reload it is veteran coach Joe Weber, who has a 542-161 record in 25 years at Columbus. He led the Explorers to state titles in 2003 and 2015.
This year, the Explorers will be led by three Division I recruits: junior right-hander Gabe Cruz (Stetson); junior shortstop Carlos Jacome (Stetson); and sophomore second baseman Nick Mora (Iona). Senior right-hander Fred Zapata (Barry) is another top player.
▪ Coral Gables (11-11 last year) is led by seniors such as third baseman Justin Morina, catcher Jose Medrano, pitcher/first baseman Johnny Quintana and pitcher/outfielder Hayden Hohman. Junior lefty Justin Bohanon is another player to watch.
▪ Krop (11-8) is a strong defensive club led by senior outfielder Michael Daniels (.316 batting average, four triples, 10 steals) and senior infielder Eiri Ortiz (.321, 15 RBIs).
▪ South Dade (16-11) is hinging any success in 2022 on the development of its pitching staff which will be led by senior Robert Lastra and juniors Wilfred Gonzalez, Zach Cowart and Henry Fernandez.
CLASS 6A
▪ Doral (24-5-1) reached the regional finals last year, losing 2-0 to West Palm Beach Dwyer. Leading the team this year will be Frank Menendez, a 6-3, 210-pound senior left-hander who went 1-0 with a 1.47 ERA last year; and senior shortstop Adrian Santana, who hit .368 with 10 extra-base hits and 25 RBIs in 29 games.
▪ Hialeah (16-13) is led by FIU recruit Ervis Solis, a 6-4, 220-pound left-hander with a 92-mph fastball. Senior pitchers Luis Estrada (4-2, 3.19 ERA) and Edgar Lauzan (4-1, 3.12 ERA) are both Palm Beach State recruits on what is a deep pitching staff.
▪ Coral Park (9-16) is powered by sophomore first baseman Daniel Cepeda, who led the team in hitting last year (.380). Two juniors – Zachary Gonzalez and Phillippe See-Arnold – make a strong righty/lefty pitching duo.
CLASS 5A
▪ Belen (19-10), which lost 6-5 to Archbishop McCarthy in last year’s regional semifinals, returns a pair of Division I signees in right-hander Marco Fuentes (Rice) and center fielder Nick Alonso (Louisiana Tech). Three other top seniors have earned Division II scholarships: catcher Chris Bayo (Caldwell); third baseman Mike Cruz (Caldwell); and middle infielder Matt Huembes (Barry).
CLASS 4A
▪ Miami Springs (13-11), which won its district and lost in last year’s regional semifinals, is hoping to close out the Jason Torres era with a bang.
In Torres’ freshman year, the Golden Hawks reached the state semifinals as a Cinderella-type team, eliminating powers such as Archbishop McCarthy and Plantation American Heritage. Torres hit a walk-off homer as a freshman that year to beat Heritage.
This season, Torres should have more help in the lineup, including senior left fielder Abdriel Delgado, a Jacksonville recruit who hit .321 last year. Senior first baseman Jesus Pena, who signed with junior-college power Chipola, is another strong hitter.
On the mound, Springs is loaded with junior right-hander Brandon Olivera (Hurricanes recruit); junior left-hander David Davila (Florida State); junior right-hander Jordan Vargas; and senior right-hander Saul Arauz (ASA).
▪ Mater Lakes (22-8) lost to eventual state champ North Broward Prep in last year’s regional final. That was the furthest advance in Mater Lakes history.
This year, the Bears are stacked with 14 seniors, including pitchers Erick Garcia (7-0, 2.39 ERA) and Andrew Tano (4-1, 2.88 ERA). The offense is led by two more seniors: outfielder Brandyn Gonzalez (.333 batting average) and shortstop Reynaldo Placensia (Seminole State College recruit).
▪ Miami Killian (20-5-1) returns a talented squad coming off a regional quarterfinal finish that will be led by speedy senior catcher Nikolas Pereira (.365, 21 RBI, 13 stolen bases in 2021).
▪ Sunset went 0-17 last year and enters this. season on a 21-game losing streak. New coach Julio Mendoza lists junior shortstop Daniel Perruc as Sunset’s top hitter and pitcher.
CLASS 3A
▪ The Westminster Christian Warriors (23-8) lost in last year’s state final, 3-0, to Orlando’s The First Academy.
Westminster, tied with Key West for the Florida record of 11 state titles in baseball, will go for No. 12 this year. Beyond Sal Stewart, the Warriors have a trio of top seniors: shortstop Rene Ramirez; outfielder D’Angelo Ortiz (son of Hall of Famer David Ortiz); and right-hander Julian Hernandez, who is 6-foot-4 and reaches 92 mph on his fastball.
▪ Gulliver (11-13) has a talented roster on offense with some questions in pitching, according to its new coach, Chris Leon. The Raiders are led by junior shortstop George Lombard Jr., a Vanderbilt recruit and the son of the Detroit Tigers bench coach. Senior second baseman Milo Suarez, a Dartmouth recruit, has speed and power.
Sophomore third baseman Ethan Puig is a Hurricanes recruit and a member of Team USA 15-under. Senior catcher Erick Delgado signed with Gardner-Webb. Senior Will Bettridge, who is going to Virginia as a kicker, is also a talented outfielder.
▪ Monsignor Pace (17-8-1) won its district last year under veteran coach Tom Duffin, who has led the Spartans to five state finals and two championships. Pace’s top returner is senior corner infielder Adrian Dominguez, a Hurricanes recruit. Other Pace players to watch include junior outfielder Angelo Prieto, and senior outfielder A.J. Barrios. Sophomore JC Hernandez, a first baseman/pitcher, is an FIU recruit.
▪ SLAM (14-9) reached the regional semifinals, and coach Eric Florin believes this is his deepest team yet. The headliners are sophomore outfielder Fabio Peralta (Hurricanes recruit) and junior catcher Nicholas Rodriguez (South Florida recruit).
▪ Palmer Trinity (12-11) is powered by Andrew Williams, a potential five-tool sophomore. As a freshman, he hit .443 and stole 17 bases while playing shortstop and the outfield. He also pitches and will lead a team with only one senior.
▪ Miami Country Day (11-8) has an interesting prospect in senior Eric Germeus, a switch-hitting catcher with speed who bats leadoff. He stole 21 bases in 19 games last year.
▪ Ransom Everglades (14-6) returns a strong core which will be led by junior shortstop Nick Rubino, who hit .460 with 20 RBI a season ago.
▪ Keys Gate (8-14-1) won its first district title and will be led again by senior left-hander Horacio Cruz (1.87 ERA).
▪ Somerset Silver Palms (7-15-1) will continue to try to crack through a tough bracket led by sophomore pitcher/infielder/outfielder Gavin Davidson.
CLASS 2A
▪ Riviera Prep is coming off a 22-3 season and returns six starters including junior shortstop/right-handed pitcher Eric Fernandez, a University of Miami commit, who hit .587 with four home runs and 50 RBI. Senior center fielder Nick Flowers, who hit nine home runs last season, should also provide some power.
▪ True North, a first-year baseball program, will be led by junior shortstop Samuel Fischer, who hit .436 last year at Killian; the aforementioned Robert Alvarez; and freshman pitcher Alan Soler, who is already being recruited by schools such as LSU and Tennessee. Coach Adrian Nieto, 32, is a former major-league catcher. Pitching coach Alay Soler, 42, is a former MLB pitcher.