Salvaggio has potential to develop into a star

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 6/23/16

Senerchia manager Chris Sheehan invoked the name of one recent Bishop Hendricken pitching ace when talking about the potential of sophomore hurler Nico Salvaggio.

“I look at him and I kind of …

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Salvaggio has potential to develop into a star

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Senerchia manager Chris Sheehan invoked the name of one recent Bishop Hendricken pitching ace when talking about the potential of sophomore hurler Nico Salvaggio.

“I look at him and I kind of compare him to Mike King as a sophomore,” Sheehan said. “He’s just right there with him. He’s got a good fastball, a good breaking ball that’s coming along, and I’d like to see him, this summer, work his changeup more.”

It was high praise for Salvaggio, who was less than a week removed from pitching the Hawks to their fifth consecutive state championship at McCoy Stadium, before playing first base for the Hendricken legion squad on Monday night.

He went six strong innings in Game 2 of the Division I title series and allowed only two earned runs in the series-clinching win on June 15. He only has room to get better, and the extra baseball in the offseason can help him grow.

This summer, he plans to work with Sheehan on developing a changeup in addition to his breaking ball and fastball. Sheehan also said he would like to see increased sink on Salvaggio’s fastball, and they will have time to work on it during the legion season to make the young righty’s arsenal even more devastating.

“[We are] even trying to get a little bit more downward plane on his fastball,” Sheehan said. “He gets good movement on his fastball, run-wise, but I’d like to see him get a little more sink. So those are just nit-picky things, but the talent is all there, the size is there and he’s got a lot of potential.”

Salvaggio doesn’t just dazzle on the mound, either. Against the Gershkoff Auto Body legion team on Monday night, he took on a different role: cleanup hitter.

He went 1-for-2 with a walk in Game 1, crushing a double to the wall in left field for his only hit of the affair. Salvaggio was the only Hendricken pitcher who saw time in the lineup this year, often stepping in as the designated hitter during games he was not pitching.

“Basically, not getting behind in counts,” Salvaggio said of what he would like to improve on at the plate this summer. “I have to really work on jumping on that first pitch fastball and really seeing it come in, like a watermelon.”

Sheehan echoed those sentiments, emphasizing that Salvaggio will be looked on as a “run producer” this year in addition to a run stopper.

“He can drive the ball with some power, with some authority,” Sheehan said. “There’s some things that he needs to know, situational things that he’ll pick up on especially as he plays on a more consistent basis here, but I’m looking forward to a big summer for him and he’ll carry that into next year and the year after, which is really nice.”

Salvaggio will help anchor a Senerchia pitching corps composed of nearly Hendricken’s entire staff, minus ace Matt Kennedy. Salvaggio joins right-hander Joe Maynard and southpaw Caleb Wurster as main components of the rotation. Fellow teammate and left-hander Marc Andrews will also see work on the mound.

“Whenever you go into a season with that type of pitching staff, you’ve got a pretty good shot, especially in a wood bat league like this,” Sheehan said. “So I’m expecting our pitchers to go out there and give us a good effort. You know, we got a couple younger pitchers who will get their feet wet out there and get some innings under their belts.”

As for Salvaggio’s continued development, Sheehan said “the sky’s the limit for him.” He has a long way to go before the comparison to King fully takes shape, but Salvaggio is on the right track.

His continued hard work during the legion season can only help him get better as he evolves into Hendricken’s ace of the future.

“Yeah, you never know, but it’s all about the work,” Sheehan said about Salvaggio approaching King territory. “Mike King was a really hard worker, I always said that kid had everything you really couldn’t teach a kid. He wanted it, he was smart, he worked at it. So, [if] Nico follows in those same footsteps, you never know what could happen.”

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