Shortstop is a key position; which high school players are expected to shine this season

Keith Vellone has been coaching baseball for more than two decades at Narragansett and South Kingstown high schools, and his best teams all had at least one thing in common.

A strong shortstop was a must. The infield captain, a leader by example, the smartest decisions in the most critical moments — that’s the expectation from one of baseball’s most important positions.

Vellone has a good one right now in senior Brandon Westerfield, a Wheaton commit and a breakout performer at the plate in last season’s Division I playoffs. He’s part of a deep group in the middle of the diamond this spring, with the Interscholastic League featuring college-level talent across most of its expected contenders.

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“It makes a difference,” Vellone said. “Not a good shortstop? You don’t really have a good record or a good team sometimes. You struggle a little bit.

“You’ve got to be strong up the middle in high school. That’s been preached forever. Your battery, your shortstop, your center fielder — they have to be solid.”

Scott Penney and TJ Gormley helped power Cumberland and North Kingstown to the last three Division I titles — they now share a uniform at the University of Rhode Island. That pair could be squaring off in the coming years with a number of current seniors spread throughout the state. Bishop Hendricken’s Jack LaRose (Connecticut), Portsmouth’s John Mass (Boston College) and Barrington’s Gabe Tanous (Central Connecticut State) were all early signees with New England college rivals. Each of their high school programs will be bidding for championships in June.

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“I respect all of their games,” LaRose said. “I learn from them as much as anybody else. I definitely take away some aspects.”

LaRose’s skillset is more typical of the professionals who came of age beginning in the 1990s. His left-handed swing produces easy extra-base power and adds to his natural instincts with the glove. Cal Ripken Jr. helped make shortstop a position for bigger, more productive hitters in the 1980s and Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter added to that school of thought over the next decade.

“Obviously, offense is always a plus at any position,” LaRose said. “Any team would be fortunate to have it.”

Mass was singled out by LaRose, Westerfield and Coventry shortstop Logan Downey for his two-way ability. He’s capable of dominating on the mound for the Patriots, emerging as an ace right-hander in 2022 and continuing from there. Mass uses that arm strength in the field and his quickness on the bases to complete an all-around skillset.

“I see a lot of guys who are dedicated to their sport,” Downey said. “I feel like we all work really hard during the offseason.”

Tanous was the Division II Player of the Year with the Eagles last season and leads a roster that includes multiple former Little League World Series participants. How deep is his team in terms of top talent? Miles Fontaine is a junior already committed to Maine, and the Black Bears recruited him as a shortstop despite it not being his primary position in the spring.

“They were always the infielder,” Vellone said. “You knew they were going to be shortstops coming through. If you get lucky enough, sometimes you get two shortstops, and then you can move one to second or one to third.”

Downey will join Westerfield with the Lyons next season, a Division III power that has reached the College World Series four times since 2006 and six of the last seven NCAA Tournaments. Both have room to add size, strength and polish to already advanced games. Westerfield helped the Rebels reach the last three in their Division I pod in 2023 and Downey will be leading a young group of Oakers into 2024.

“You’re in it every single play,” Westerfield said. “Most likely the ball is going to be hit to you more than everyone else — that's just the game. I just like making athletic plays out there.”

Portsmouth’s Oliver Rey (Williams), St. Raphael’s Michael Frausto (Southern New Hampshire), West Warwick’s Josh Pedus (UMass Dartmouth) and former East Greenwich standout Casey DeLorenzo (Saint Anselm, after a prep year at Worcester Academy) would likely be headliners at the position in a different year. Toll Gate’s Jamie Luna adds even more depth to the group, and Mt. Hope’s Danny Desilets (Rhode Island College) is capable in a pinch despite potentially profiling as more of a future second baseman. Fontaine and La Salle’s Aiden Ciprian (Iona) are early college commits on track to be among those battling for the lead by the close of the 2025 campaign.

“We all want to be the best shortstop in the league,” Downey said. “It makes us better seeing competition like that. We want to be like that.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Taking a look at a strong crop of high school shortstops in RI