H.S. BASEBALL

Monroe 6

Columbus 2

After two pitches yesterday, Danny Almonte was down 1-0 and had a runner on second. He had surrendered back-to-back doubles, but the Monroe freshman was undaunted.

“It was the first inning,” Almonte said through an interpreter. “I couldn’t feel nervous. It was a shaky start and I just had to take it from there.”

And that’s what he did. Another run scored later in the inning on a fielder’s choice, but Almonte surrendered just two hits the rest of the way and guided defending PSAL champion Monroe to a 6-2 win over Columbus at Lehman H.S. in the Monroe Tournament.

Eagles head coach Mike Turo knew Almonte would find his way through the jam and never went out to talk to the 15-year-old.

“I was upset because he threw two straight fastballs after I told him they were a fastball hitting team,” said Turo, whose team improved to 20-3-1. “But I knew he wouldn’t let the hits get to him.

“He’s very poised,” Turo said. “I think that comes from his past.”

Almonte’s well-documented past is nearly unrivaled in terms of hype and controversy. First, he was a star when he pitched for the Rolando Paulino All Stars in the Little League World Series two years ago. Then he became a focal point of a scandal when it was learned that he was actually two years older than his coach said he was.

Now he is merely a high school freshman who plays baseball, albeit at a very high level. Major league scouts haven’t gotten a book on him yet, but some are already developing opinions.

“He’s not a phenom,” said one scout. “But he is very good. Who knows how good he’s going to be? It all depends on how much bigger he gets and how he develops.”

His pitches are regularly clocked in the high 70s to low 80s, which is quite good, though not extraordinary. Still, he is already proving that he knows how to pitch.

“He kept us off-balance,” said Columbus head coach Pete Nizarri, whose Explorers are now 8-4. “He’s going to be very talented. He’s not overpowering and he’s hittable, but he was very effective.”

Especially late in the game, when he struck out six of the last seven batters he faced. Almonte finished with 10 strikeouts and didn’t walk anyone in the complete game victory. He is now 4-1 with one save.

“I got more comfortable as I kept throwing strikes,” said Almonte, adding that he expected to play well in his first year on varsity. “I’m not surprised. I knew I could play on this level.”

And as much as Almonte’s reputation can be a distraction, Turo believes he can also use it to his advantage.

“A lot of kids try to yank him,” said Turo, adding that Almonte didn’t have a good fastball yesterday. “They know it’s Almonte and they put pressure on themselves and swing for the fences every at-bat.”