Hialeah Reloads For Another Playoff Run

With four state championships and a rich history of players that have gone on to play college and professional baseball, the steady mantra at Hialeah High is “we don’t rebuild, we reload.”

Even after graduating nine seniors from last year’s regional semifinal team, the expectations for Hialeah baseball haven’t wavered. The goal is always to win another state championship.

The Thoroughbreds second-year manager, Jonathan Hernandez, knows a thing or two about winning it all. He was a relief pitcher for the program’s back-to-back state championship teams in 2001 and 2002.

“The first thing I told these young guys is that here at Hialeah we don’t rebuild we try and reload,” Hernandez said. “That’s pretty much where the young guys mindset is at, to get us an opportunity to get to the playoffs and go from there.”

Hernandez has these T-Breds playing with an attitude and hunger that keeps them in the fray with the best in Miami-Dade county. Hialeah wins baseball games with stellar pitching and solid defense. The pitching rotation will feature a trio of talented arms led by senior right-handed pitcher Alexis Herrera, senior right-hander Damian Sanises, and sophomore righty Christian Cardenas.

“Our theme for this year once again is going to be pitching and defense,” Hernandez said. “We’re going to play small ball, play aggresive and play smart on the bases.”

The ace of the staff, Herrera, will have some big shoes to fill from last season. He takes over for the 2012 HSBN Miami Pitcher of the Year, Nestor Cortes, who inked a pro contract after being drafted in the 36th round by the New York Yankees. As the ace, Herrera aims to continue the legacy left by Cortes and former Hialeah greats like Camilo Vasquez and current Washington Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez.

“You’re talking about a guy that got drafted by the Yankees coming out of high school,” Herrera said of Cortes. “It’s not a lot of pressure filling his shoes, but you definitely don’t want to disappoint.”

Herrera, who is committed to Bethune-Cookman, went 6-2 last season with 52 strikeouts and a 2.30 ERA in 41 innings pitched. The righty has shed about 10 pounds off of his frame to improve his stamina. He has also bumped up the velocity on his fastball to reach the mid-to-high 80s to prepare for the season.

“He’s been with us for four years and he’s pitched in some big ball games, so we’re counting on him,” Hernandez said of Herrera. “He’s obviously committed to Bethune-Cookman so he has the talent to play Division I baseball. It’s just a matter of throwing first-pitch strikes.”

Rounding out the starting rotation is Sanises and Cardenas. Sanises pitched exclusively out of the bullpen last season, finishing with a 1.43 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 14 and two-thirds innings.

“Damian is a guy last year who pitched in relief, and this year he’s thrown himself in the mix to be a true starter. He’ll be our Number 2 starter,” Hernandez said.

The T-Breds lost a key underclassman as well as those who graduated from the school. Junior Michael Rodriguez, who was slated to join the starting rotation this season, transferred to American in the offseason.

“He is probably one of the better pitchers in the 2015 class, throwing 89 to 93 m.p.h on the bump, and that’s a big loss for us,” Hernandez admits. “However, I’ll roll the dice with the three guys we have that have been working hard this fall to get to a point to give us an opportunity for a district title and a shot to go to states.”

Hialeah also brought in some new faces as well. Joining the team as transfers this season are senior first baseman Robert De La Vega from Dade Christian and junior outfielder Roly Gonzalez from Miami Springs. They will help fill out a lineup that is high on talent but low on varsity experience.

“We’re excited for this year and losing nine seniors is a lot, but we have a lot of potential on this team with this young talent,” senior centerfielder Alex Miret said.

The speedy Miret, who transferred to Hialeah last year from Orlando Freedom High, is the only returning starter from last season. He finished the 2013 campaign hitting around .286 with 14 RBIs.

“He was a guy that came from Orlando last year with this redneck accent,” Sanises recalls with a smile as he remembers when Miret first joined the club. “He’s fun and games, but when it comes down to conditioning and game action he’s a very serious kid.”

Junior catcher Carlos Reyes, sophomore shortstop Arnaldo Brito, and freshman Brandon Perdomo will play key roles for the T-Breds this season.

“You look at Brandon you don’t even think he’s a freshman, he’s just got that swagger when he plays and he acts like he’s been there before,” Herrera says.

Hialeah lost the district championship to American last year, but the T-Breds will meet new rivals this season. With the FHSAA district realignment Hialeah moved up to District 14-8A with Dr. Krop, Hialeah Gardens, Miami High and Miami Beach.

“I was looking forward to pitching against American, of course, since they sent us home,” Sanises admits. “But right now I’m focused on our district. Teams like Hialeah Gardens are going to be tough.”

Despite all the new starters, Hialeah looks to be in the hunt for another district title and gear up for a playoff run.

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