There’s no question that 2019 Eastlake High School graduate Keoni Cavaco has a lot of potential and that his entire professional baseball career remains ahead of him.
But the Minnesota Twins’ first round selection (13th overall) in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft obviously has room to grow based on his first year in the minor leagues.
Cavaco, who hit .433 his senior year with the Titans while logging eight home runs, 16 stolen bases and a 0.67 pitching earned-run average, signed for $4.05 million with the Twins organization.
After completing high school, he was promptly assigned to the Gulf Coast League Twins, the club’s rookie level affiliate in Ft. Myers, Fla., where he hit .172 with four doubles, one home run and six RBI in 25 games. He struck out 35 times in 87 at-bats.
A bit underwhelming for the 2019 San Diego Section Player of the year, but it’s a start — and obvious motivation to improve.
Eastlake head coach David Gallegos said statistics do not always tell the whole story.
“He was hurt for a lot of the time,” Gallegos said. “He hurt his knee. He started slowly but picked it up at the end.
“They’ve got to give him every opportunity to succeed. It’s up to him to produce.”
Prior to signing with the Twins, Cavaco had committed to attend San Diego State University. Had he elected to play college baseball, he would have had a lot of company on this year’s SDSU team with four former Eastlake players already in the Aztecs’ lineup: returners Casey Schmitt, Brian Leonhardt and Tre Brown and newcomer Ricky Tibbett.
SDSU played 16 games, logging a 10-6 record, before the school cancelled the 2020 spring season due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
The four EHS alums had performed near the top in many categories for the Aztecs this spring.
Schmitt, a junior third baseman/right-handed pitcher hit .323 with four doubles, two triples and nine RBI in 16 games. In eight pitching appearances, he was 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 12 innings.
Leonhardt, a sophomore, hit .269 with two home runs and seven RBI in 16 games. In four pitching appearances he had notched a 2.08 ERA with a 0-0 record and seven strikeouts in eight innings.
Brown, a redshirt junior who did not compete in 2019, had appeared in nine games, posting a 1.26 ERA, 1-0 record with 16 strikeouts in 14 innings.
Tibbett, a freshman fresh off an Open Division championship with the Titans, had engineered a promising start to his college career after failing to allow an earned run in three trips to the mound.
In 5.1 innings, the former Little League World Series participant had struck out two batters, walked one, allowed four hits and collected a 1-0 record.
The Aztecs were missing one more Eastlake alum after outfielder Julian Escobedo (EHS class of 2016) elected to sign a professional contract with the Cleveland Indians last spring following the MLB draft.
Escobedo, who played three years at Montezuma Mesa, was selected in the 17th round (520th overall pick) by the Indians. Players taken in rounds 11-40 can be offered up to $125,000 to sign.
The former Titan and Aztec suited up for two teams last summer. He played 28 games in rookie ball with the Indians blue team in the Arizona League and 22 games with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in the A-level (short season) New York-Penn League.
Between the two teams, he appeared in 50 games and logged 192 plate appearances with a .240 hitting average, .333 on-base percentage, .354 slugging percentage, 12 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 24 RBI and 46 runs scored.
He hit .327 with eight doubles, two triples, two home runs, 16 RBI and 31 runs scored at the rookie level and .129 with eight RBI and 15 runs scored at the A-level.
Again, it’s a starting point.
“He’s a great baseball kid,” Gallegos said in regard to Escobedo, who batted .255 with five home runs and 32 RBI in 2019. “He knows the game well. He’s a gamer. He’ll probably sneak up on people and do well. His work ethic is amazing.”
Escobedo, 21, joins Hilltop (and SDSU) alumnus Greg Allen in the Cleveland organization. Allen entered his name into the history books by stringing together a 14-game hitting streak during the 2018 season as the Indians advanced to the American League divisional playoffs.
The former Lancer, a sixth-round pick in the 2014 draft, has appeared in 283 minor league games and 205 MLB games during his pro career.
His MLB statistics include a .243 hitting average, .299 on-base percentage, .345 slugging percentage, 21 doubles, six triples, seven home runs, 53 RBI, 73 runs scored and 30 stolen bases (in 36 attempts).
Allen, 27, drove in a single-season career best 27 runs in 2019.
He had a memorable four-hit, four-RBI game against the Yankees last Aug. 19.
Red and Black
The Aztecs finished 32-25 in 2019, including 16-13 in Mountain West conference play.
Schmitt earned second-team all-Mountain West recognition after finishing second on the team with a .315 batting average, five home runs and 36 RBI. He topped the squad with a .415 on-base percentage and ranked third with 63 hits and 42 runs scored.
On the mound, he made 21 appearances with four starts, logging a 3-3 record and a 3.77 ERA in 43.0 innings to go with a team-high eight saves.
He led the Aztecs with multiple RBIs in 11 games and tied for second on the squad with multiple hits in 14 contests. He reeled off a seven-game hitting streak during one stretch last season.
Schmitt became the first individual in conference history to receive both Player of Week and Pitcher of the Week accolades in his career.
He reaped honors as a 2019 Second-Team All-Mountain West Selection and 2019 Collegiate Baseball Preseason Third-Team All-American.
The 2017 EHS grad showed potential for great things to come as a freshman.
He became the first SDSU player since Stephen Strasburg in 2007 to be named a freshman first-team All-American by Baseball America after setting SDSU’s single-season earned run average record with a 0.28 mark (minimum 30 innings).
He also became the first freshman since the Aztecs’ Ty France in 2013 to earn the Mountain West Championships’ Most Valuable Player honors He hit a game-tying two-run double in SDSU’s championship-clinching win over UNLV and pitched three innings of one-hit, shutout relief in an extra-inning semifinal win over UNLV to earn his first collegiate win.
His numbers as a freshman were eye-opening. He finished the season with 25.1 consecutive scoreless innings and 26 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. He earned distinction as one of two players in the country to have driven in 25 or more runs and have an ERA of 1.00 or lower (minimum 15 innings).
He recorded a perfect 0.00 ERA against Mountain West opponents through 10 appearances and 18.2 innings pitched, holding MW hitters to a .116 batting average.
The awards were quickly forthcoming: 2018 Baseball America First-Team Freshman All-American, 2018 Collegiate Baseball First-Team Freshman All-American, 2018 Perfect Game Second-Team Freshman All-American and 2018 Mountain West Championships Most Valuable Player.
Not surprisingly, Scmitt entered the 2020 season with a bevy of accolades: D1Baseball.com Preseason Second-Team All-American, Collegiate Baseball Preseason Second-Team All-American and Perfect Game Preseason Second-Team All-American.
He currently sits 55th on the list of 2020 top 100 college prospects by D1Baseball.com.
Gallegos called Schmitt “a great player, hard worker and baseball savvy.”
“I can go on and on about him,” the Eastlake coach said.
The NCAA is discussing whether to grant an extra year of eligibility to players affected by the spring suspension of play.
If Schmitt doesn’t turn pro, an extra year at the college level could increase his value in a future draft.
Gallegos had equally kind remarks for Leonhardt, a 2018 EHS grad.
The former Titan enjoyed a solid debut for SDSU during his freshman season in 2019 by hitting .272 in 48 games. He finished second on the team with 14 doubles and ranked third with 34 RBI.
He posted a team-high .389 batting average with runners in scoring position and topped the squad with 16 two-out RBI.
He it .800 (4-for-5) with the bases loaded.
He led Aztec freshmen with 45 starts, including 34 at first base, seven at designated hitter, two in left field and two as a pitcher.
He reeled off a season-long seven-game hitting streak.
He appears ready to tap his full potential.
“He’s a real student of the game, he’s very coachable,” Gallegos explained. “He’s got a good bat. He plays with a lot of heart.”
Gallegos sees Brown, a 2016 EHS grad, as another potential draft pick.
“He’s turning heads,” the Titan dugout boss said.
Despite his limited appearances this spring, Tibbett appears to have a promising future.
“Once he fills out to his man body, he’ll be a very capable pitcher,” the Eastlake skipper said. “I think his freshman year will be a great wake-up call to Division I baseball.”
Titan Nation
While four EHS alums are currently rostered in the SDSU program, there are more former Eastlake players sprinkled throughout the collegiate ranks.
Grant Holman, who appeared in the 2013 Little League World Series (on the same Eastlake Little League all-star team with Tibbitt), is a sophomore at Cal-Berkeley.
Holman, the 2017 San Diego Section Player of the Year and 2018 San Diego Section Pitcher of the Year, started all 16 games for the Golden Bears this spring while serving as the team’s starting first baseman and No. 2 pitcher in the weekend rotation.
He was 1-3 on the mound with a 3.28 ERA in a team-leading 24.2 innings during which he struck out 20 hitters and held opponents to a .225 batting average.
At the plate, he opened the season with a five-game hitting streak. He totaled 10 RBI, three extra-base hits and five runs scored. He blasted a two-run home run in a March 10 game against San Jose State and tied a career high with three hits in a Feb. 23 game against St. John’s.
Holman made an immediate impact as a two-way player as a freshman by hitting .272 with four home runs and 24 RBI in 34 games while posting a .362 on-base percentage, .456 slugging percentage with nine doubles.
He logged 37.1 innings on the hill, striking out 23 hitters while compiling a 4.82 ERA.
The former Titan displayed his versatility by hitting a game-tying double before pitching the ninth inning to record his first collegiate save in a game against Utah on May 4, 2019.
Holman finished his Eastlake career as one of the program’s most decorated players with a 29-1 pitching record, 1.10 ERA, .390 hitting average, 20 home runs and 80 RBI.
Ben Ramirez is a junior at the University of Southern California.
He had appeared in all 15 games this spring for the Trojans, hitting .310 with 10 runs scored, three doubles, one triple, three home runs and 13 RBI to go with a .375 on-base percentage and .552 slugging percentage.
He ranked sixth on the team in hitting average and second in RBI.
The 2017 EHS grad appeared in 48 games with USC as a sophomore in 2019, making 47 starts with a .273 hitting average, 24 RBI and 21 runs scored. He collected 11 doubles and one triple, and three stolen bases in six attempts. He recorded nine multi-hit games on the season.
He started 32 games as a freshman in 2018, posting a .265 hitting average with 18 runs scored and 17 RBI. He had two doubles and two RBI on the year.
He hit .445 with four home runs and 35 RBI in 2017 with Eastlake.
“Ben is going to be a great addition for them,” Gallegos said. “When they came down to play SDSU, he hit a triple to clear the bases.”
Two former Titans are enrolled at Long Beach State: junior Santino Rivera and redshirt sophomore L.J. Jones.
Jones, a first baseman-outfielder, ranked second on the Dirtbags in hitting this spring with a .327 average with a team-leading nine RBI and 28 total bases. The 2017 EHS grad had recorded two doubles, one triple, two home runs and scored seven runs.
Jones, who took a medical red-shirt season in 2019, led Long Beach State with a .312 hitting average and .408 slugging percentage as a freshman in 2018 while appearing in 42 games, including 32 starts. He logged 22 RBI in 125 at-bats.
He was known for his power-hitting his final two prep seasons at Eastlake. He hit .345 with eight home runs as a junior and .320 with nine home runs as a senior as the Titans finished the season ranked first in the state and third in the nation.
Rivera was hitting .182 with four runs scored and three RBI in 15 games this spring, including 13 starts.
The ex-Titan appeared in 50 games last season as a sophomore, making 49 starts, including 25 at shortstop. He collected 36 hits, scored 17 runs and logged nine multi-hit games.
He started 52 games as a true freshman in 2018, including 51 at shortstop. He led the team with 30 walks drawn for an on-base percentage of .344. He scored 21 runs and collected 10 RBI.
A three-year letter-winner at Eastlake, Rivera recorded a .400 hitting average as a sophomore in 2015, a .367 average as a junior in 2016 and started every game during his senior season while hitting .330 and leading the team in doubles.
Additionally, senior Victor Carlino, a transfer from Southwestern College after playing at El Capitan High School, joins Jones and Rivera in Long Beach.
Carlino had appeared in nine games this spring, making three starts, while scoring one run.
He appeared in 28 games with 10 starts in his debut season for the Dirtbags in 2019. He hit .263 with five runs scored and four RBI.
The former Vaquero appeared in 76 games for Southwestern in two seasons. He hit .295 with 35 runs scored and 30 RBI as a sophomore in 2018. He rocked pitchers with nine doubles, six triples and three home runs for a .476 slugging percentage.
He had seven games with three or more hits during the 2018 season.
He batted .294 with eight doubles as a senior in 2016 at El Capitan.
Titan luminaries Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez both made the jump all the way to the top — Adrian as the No. 1 MLB draft pick in 2000 (by the Florida Marlins) with a career that included stints with the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets and Edgar playing for the Padres during the 2008 season alongside his younger brother.
Adrian Gonzalez’s MLB career lasted from 2004-18 during which he posted a .287 hitting average, collected 2,050 hits, 317 home runs and 1,202 RBI.
Career highlights included being a five-time all-star (2008-11, 2015), four-time Gold Glove award-winner (2008, 2009, 2011 and 2014), two-time Silver Slugger award-winner (2011, 2014) and MLB RBI-leader (2014).
During the 2008 season, Edgar Gonzalez finished among the National League rookie leaders in batting average, home runs, RBI, multiple-hit games, runs, hits, total bases, doubles, walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and extra-base hits while recording a .984 fielding average.
Following a second season with the Padres in 2009, Edgar Gonzalez spent the 2010 and 2012 seasons with the Yomiuri Giants in the Nippon Professional Baseball circuit.
He hit .255 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI during his MLB career and .253 with 16 home runs and 19 RBI while competing in Japan.
The Eastlake coach remains impressed by what the program has been able to do in launching the careers of so many players at the collegiate and professional levels.
“You don’t usually see that,” Gallegos said. “We have some talent in our lineup.”
Who will be next to take the step up to the next level?
