By Zach Braziller
Anderson DeLeon is only a sophomore, but the righthander baseball teammates call “Pedro” because he resembles Pedro Martinez with his slight build and winding motion, can do what most seniors can’t: relax easily excitable John Adams Coach Glenn Beyer.
When DeLeon is on the mound, Beyer is relatively calm and able to sit in the dugout rather than pace back and forth like he usually does.
“He’s better than Prozac,” the longtime coach joked of his 15-year-old, 5-foot-6, 135-pound young flamethrower. “He’s a tonic.”
Nobody on Adams had any reason to be anxious last Thursday as the diminutive underclassmen put forth his second gem of the young season. In the Spartans’ 3-1 victory over Long Island City, he struck out 15, allowed just two singles and walked three in a commanding complete-game performance.
He had four 1-2-3 innings and grew stronger as the contest wore on, throwing his hardest pitches in the seventh inning and striking out the side for Adams (3-0, Queens A West). He mixed in a lively low-to-mid 80s fastball with a deceptive change-up that kept LIC (2-2) off balance.
“It’s the best I’ve ever seen,” said Adams catcher Adonis Castillo, who drove in all three of his team’s runs. “He’s going to give us a chance to go further in the playoffs.”
Most impressively, the Dominican Republic-born DeLeon, who came to Queens last year, was poised throughout, even after he was touched up for a single run in the fourth and walked two batters and hit another in a separate frame.
“He’s got poise, he’s got a rubber arm and he throws strikes — what a combination,” Beyer said. “He handles the situation and you can’t teach that. He’s got the total package.”
Beyer was impressed by DeLeon last year as he was racking up a 4-0 record and 0.75 ERA on the junior varsity, but opted not to call him up. Adams had enough arms — it fell to Telecommunications in the second round of the playoffs because it managed just one run — and Beyer thinks the experience helped DeLeon gain confidence.
He tested his young stud out of the gate, giving him the ball in the league opener against Newtown because he wanted senior Braylin Nunez to start the first home contest. DeLeon was up to the task, fanning 12 in 6 1/3 innings of three-hit, shutout ball.
“It made me feel special,” he said through an interpreter. “I’m used to pitching against older players. I’m confident in myself.”
The sophomore said he didn’t feel as good last Thursday. He struggled with his footing and landing spot on the mound. Yet, as Beyer said, it never showed. He never lost his composure, never changed his expression, never altered his routine — qualities that stood out to Long Island City Coach Tom Lehman.
“He seems like he doesn’t care — he just pitches,” the LIC coach said. “He gets the ball and throws it.”
Without taking anything away from DeLeon, Lehman said his team is struggling mightily offensively. In two losses to Adams this week, the Bulldogs pushed across just three runs and managed only six hits, all singles. It’s particularly frustrating because LIC yielded just seven runs in the setbacks.
“Offensively, everybody’s pressing right now,” he said.
