Nottingham High School baseball player takes pride in his bat and glove as much as his arm
Franco Esposito can hit, and he loves to hit. It’s as simple as that.
Sure, he pitches too, and not too badly. As a junior last year, he went 3-2 with a 2.80 ERA on a Nottingham High baseball team that won just five games.
In his first game this season, Esposito was masterful in firing a two-hitter against Notre Dame as the Northstars took a 2-1 victory on April 5. Esposito retired 15 straight at one point.
“When Franco gets in his rhythm he’s untouchable,” teammate Bryan Butchon said. “He pumps everybody up. I think every single inning he got the first guy out which is just huge because it gets everybody up to make plays behind him.”
In his second start this year, he allowed just three hits and one earned run in six innings while absorbing a tough loss to Hopewell Valley.
So, it isn’t in question that Esposito can pitch. But ask him what to define himself and he doesn’t hesitate.
“I consider myself a position player who pitches,” said Franco, who hit over .300 in each of his first two varsity seasons. “I can play any of the corners (first or third base, right or left field). York (College) recruited me as an outfielder.”
Esposito made his decision to attend York just prior to the season, which he admitted took a load off his mind. He whittled his choices from Bloomsburg, Wesley and St. John’s.
“He’s gotten a little off his plate now,” coach Mike Braender said. “He knows where he’s going to school, now he can relax and go have some fun.”
“College was stressful, thank God that’s out of the way,” Esposito said. “Once I finally decided, it was a huge sigh of relief. Just a huge load off my back.”
Braender is hoping Esposito can use that back to carry Nottingham to good things this year, along with his classmates.
“As a senior you have to really want it and that’s something we’re trying to preach,” the coach said. “We tell them ‘This is it for some of you guys. This is your year to shine.’”
Esposito has been shining ever since has been playing baseball. He started with the Hamilton Little Lads and moved over to HTRBA after one year. That’s when he really started to love the game. From there it was on to Nottingham Babe Ruth, where Esposito was part of three straight District One All-Star championship teams.
After one season with Nottingham’s freshman/JV teams, he arrived on varsity as a sophomore and never left.
Franco hit .390 with five doubles a home run, 10 RBI and 10 runs scored in 2012. Last year, he hit .340 with five doubles, two triples, three homers, 10 RBI and 10 runs. He was 0-1 with a 3.70 ERA as a sophomore before last year’s solid campaign on the mound.
“As a sophomore, he hit the ball unbelievable,” Braender said. “He struggled a little bit last year but still had a good year, and I think he found it a little more this year. I think he really wants to turn things around on this team.”
Through the ‘Stars first six games this year Esposito was hitting better than .300 with three RBI, a homer and two doubles.
“He hit over .300 the last two years and mixed in some power,” Braender said. “I like to see him hit doubles. If he hits double, double, double I’ll be happy.
“I think he’s made some adjustments, especially with counts. Knowing the counts he’s hitting in and making adjustments at the plate has allowed him to give himself more of an average rather than just being a home run threat.”
Esposito has a strategy for each situation when he comes to bat.
“If there’s a guy on second I just want to drive him in,” he said. “If there’s no one on base, I look for a pitch to drive early in the count. If I have two strikes or the count is 3-2, I’m still looking to drive the pitch but if I have to go out of the zone late in the count I will.”
He prides himself on his batting eye, saying “I love it. My 20/20 vision is luck.”
His accomplishments are more than just luck, however. A lot of it is hard work.
“He’s showing the younger guys something,” Braender said. “Just watching him practice and putting on a display in the batting cage, they could tell he was working in the off-season and you could tell he was ready to go to start the season.
“He’s got the tools as a player. We made some adjustments this year, especially in him not trying to do too much at the plate. He’s made some adjustments in backing off, and just trying to hit doubles gap to gap, rather than trying to hit a home run. The power will come, he’s got enough. It’s about concentrating juts getting good swings on good pitches.”
Esposito played basketball when he first arrived at Nottingham, but gave it up in order to lift and get stronger for baseball.
“I was a contact hitter all my life and now I’m starting to learn how to really drive the ball,” he said. “I’m learning to use my legs and now I’ve got the upper body strength to be able to drive it.
“But it’s not about the individual stuff. I just want our team to make a run late in the season. For me, I just want to keep pushing, keep grinding every day, hit the ball hard, drive in runs and see what happens.”
,
