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Preseason Top 25: No. 11 Alonso

January 22, 2016

By Justin Burgess
Florida Area Scout

To wrap up the third week of the release of the preseason top 25, we are now down to the 11th-ranked team in Florida. This program has seen excellent success in their brief existence and has become one of the more recognized names in the realm of Florida high school baseball.

The Alonso Ravens are an 8A school who have only been around since 2001 and they have already won multiple championships, have had numerous players drafted, and have produced one of the world’s best pitchers in Marlins ace, Jose Fernandez. This impressive amount of success for such a young program has caused the Ravens to develop a swagger and mentality where they always feel that they are the superior team when they step onto the field, no questions asked. 2015 seemed to show both the pros and cons of this mindset as they compiled an excellent regular season record that included a Saladino Tournament championship, but they lost in their regional semifinal game to a team who they should have defeated.

Even though the Ravens lost their ace from a year ago—Nick Kennedy is now pitching at Texas—they return virtually their entire lineup who will now be a year older. A player who was arguably the main leader of their team as a sophomore and who will certainly be viewed as their best player as junior is LHP/OF Jordan Butler. The Florida commit is one of the best junior prospects in the state, if not the country, and will be an incredible asset for the Ravens on the mound and at the plate. As a sophomore, his fastball usually sat 86-89 mph and touched 90 mph while throwing an advanced changeup and curveball for strikes. Offensively, Butler will likely hit third and should be the main run-producer for Alonso. Another 2017 Florida commit that the Ravens boast is Jose Ciccarello. Ciccarello is one of the top junior shortstops in Florida and will certainly save a lot of runs from scoring. At the plate he is a player who always finds the barrel and gets on base. Even though he will likely be hitting leadoff, he has the ability to drive the ball out of the park at any time. Ciccarello’s double play partner is also a junior and a division I commit. Jared DeSantolo is a player who really developed and came along as the 2015 season progressed. The Florida Atlantic commit was one of the top offensive players for the Ravens in the second half of the season and he is sure-handed on defense.

As for their senior class, Alonso possesses one of the top center fielders in the Tampa Bay Area in Ryan Mejia. The Florida State Signee has a lean, athletic, and projectable frame at 6-foot-2 and he has plus speed as he runs a 6.5-6.6 in the 60 yard dash. Mejia hits hard line drives to all fields and will likely be slotted in the middle of the lineup. 2016 3B/RHP Peyton Woble will also be a vital asset for the Ravens this season. He makes all the routine plays at third base and he can run his fastball into the upper 80s off the mound. Offensively, the ball jumps off his bat and he will likely hit somewhere in the heart of the order for Alonso.

Alonso’s road to the state tournament looks to be paved differently than it would have been a year ago. For starters, they are one of the few Tampa Area teams who have remain in Class 8A. That being said, their district is not as rigorous as it was a year ago when they had to face programs like Plant, Riverview, and Bloomingdale. In fact, the only team from last year’s district that remains, other than Alonso, is Newsome. The team who they defeated in the regional quarterfinals (Manatee) is now in their district and the team who actually eliminated them from the playoffs (Sarasota Riverview) is now in their district. Alonso appears to be the district favorite heading into the season and will almost certainly be one of the two teams who makes it to regionals. To make it to the Final Four, the Ravens will likely have to take down teams such as Osceola, Timber Creek, and Sarasota Riverview.