Special to the Herald

On Saturday, Johnston native Nick Raposo was called up to make his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals against the San Francisco Giants at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Raposo was called up due to fellow catcher Ivan Herrera being placed on the Cardinal’s 10-day injured list because of lower back tightness.

Back in 2020, Raposo signed an undrafted free agent deal with the St. Louis Cardinals organization, while still playing with the AAA Memphis Redbirds. In his minor league career, Raposo has a 0.242 batting average.

In the game on Sunday, the Cardinals were victorious over the Giants with a final score of 5-3. Raposo was in the dugout wearing No. 70.

In 2016, Raposo was awarded RI Baseball Player of the Year during his senior season at Johnston High School. Steve DeMeo, who coached baseball at JHS for 12 years and was Raposo’s coach throughout his high school career, says that Raposo’s “work ethic was second to none.”

“He was always the first one to practice,” said DeMeo. “He just kept on working.”

DeMeo recalls how Raposo was always a good listener, quickly absorbed feedback from coaches, and valued the cooperation that a team sport requires. These skills make Raposo a great addition to the Cardinals.

“He really deserves it,” DeMeo says proudly of his former player. “Anyone can do it if you put your heart and soul into your goals.”

Raposo went on to play Division III baseball at Wheaton College, where he became the ninth player in the school’s history to sign a professional baseball contract when he graduated in 2020.