St. Augustine’s Weingartner, looking to take two-way skills farther

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images attach

In this era of specialization, many two-way high school players know whether they will be a position player or pitcher at the next level much earlier than in years past, certainly by the beginning of their senior season.

That is what makes St. Augustine senior Alex Weingartner stand out even more.

Weingartner is a true two-way player who has committed to Penn State and will be monitored this spring by Major League Baseball teams as well.

He is expected to play first base and center field while also serving as a designated hitter in addition to taking the mound this spring for the Hermits. For now, he still expects to be a two-way player by this time next year and utilize both skills for as long as possible in college.

If he gets drafted and signed by a Major League baseball team, that may be a different story, but for now he doesn’t have any immediate thoughts of abandoning either hitting or pitching in the near future.

“I think the game will tell me which way I will go,” he said. “I don’t see doing both forever, but I want to do it as long as I can.”

He will certainly be doing it this year for the Hermits. Last season he batted .395 with six home runs and 31 RBIs.

As a sophomore, playing on the Hermits’ 2024 Non-Public A state title team, Weingartner hit .337 with one home run and 19 RBIs.

You must be registered for see images attach

He also had a 2.05 ERA in 13.2 innings as a sophomore. The innings increased last year, when Weingartner recorded a 2.18 ERA and struck out 56 in 35.1 innings.

A hard-throwing 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-hander, Weingartner acknowledges why so few people have visions of being a two-way player beyond high school.

“It’s hard to do both and it takes a lot out of you,” he said. “It takes so much time and effort to do both.”

Most of all, he doesn’t want to cheat one over the other, so he attempts to spend as much time working on his pitching as hitting.

You must be registered for see images attach

That could make for some awfully long workouts.

He said the Penn State coaches are on board to let him try to do both.

One thing in Weingartner’s mind is certain – hitting has helped him as a pitcher and vice-versa.

“Both sides of the ball have helped,” he said.

St. Augustine coach Mike Ney says the recent changes in the college sports landscape have contributed to players deciding earlier whether they want to be a pitcher or hitter in college.

“A lot of it has to do with the (transfer portal),” Ney said. “College coaches are now recruiting college players, and you have to be a standout at the high school level to get a big school to look at you.”

Cherokee’s Burti decided his future position long ago​

Many high school players these days are like Cherokee junior Cooper Burti. A left-handed pitcher and centerfielder, Burti decided a while back that pitching is his future. He will still man centerfield for the Chiefs, but at the next level, he will strictly be a pitcher.

Burti has made a verbal commitment to Mississippi State of the vaunted Southeastern Conference. The SEC has produced the past six NCAA College World Series champions, including Mississippi State in 2021.

“Going into my freshman year, I was undecided whether to concentrate on hitting or pitching at the next level, but the feedback I got was that people liked me as a pitcher,” said Burti, who is also the starting quarterback and was an all-conference selection this past football season. “I know lefty pitchers are coveted in college and the pros.”

Burti said during the summer after his freshman season is when he decided to concentrate on pitching for the next level.

Last season he pitched just 14.2 innings for the state Group 4 champion Cherokee team, but did have a 1.43 ERA. The staff was deep but with the graduation of two All-South Jersey pitchers Henry Radbill and Brett Gable, Burti will be counted on for much more mound duty and that will be reflected on how he practices.

“This year I won’t take as many centerfield reps in practice and focus more on pitching,” he said. “Last year I was needed more in centerfield, but this year it will be different.”

In addition, like Weingartner, he says hitting causes him a better pitcher and vice versa.

“I think it makes you a much smarter player on both sides, because you know the mindset of both,” he said.

Burti says he enjoys hitting and puts plenty of time in the process. Most of all, he will savor the time he is still a two-way player.

“I love hitting,” he said.

Two-way trend changing​

Mainland coach Joe Smith is another who says that more and more high school two-way players are deciding earlier whether to concentrate on the mound or the batter’s box for the next level at a much earlier age.

“Over the last few years, especially in the last five, the better players seen to start realizing they will just be a college pitcher or hitter earlier,” Smith said. “They play so much travel ball against kids from all over the country and can better see where they are more skilled.”

Plus, there is another simple reason for making the decision earlier.

“To play for a top (college) program, it’s kind of hard to do both,” he said.

Gloucester Catholic coach Dennis Barth says while many teams have two-way players, he sees the number shrinking even at the high school level.

“We just don’t get as many two-way players as we did before,” Barth said. “Many times, kids start pitching, have success and go that route.”

You must be registered for see images attach

Winter success for Weingartner​

During the winter, amidst plenty of snow, St. Augustine’s Weingartner was invited to McCook, Illinois, just outside of Chicago for the Prep Baseball Report Super 60 Showcase. This consisted of highly regarded high school prospects. MLB scouts from all teams were on hand.

Thank goodness the event was held indoors.

In this setting, Weingartner decided to just concentrate on hitting.

“My buildup on the mound is strict in the offseason, so I decided to stick with the process,” he said.

That meant not trying to light up a radar gun from the mound.

Instead, he did it from the plate.

Weingartner was a hit, hitting. He also lit up a few stopwatches.

The players were timed in the 60-yard dash and Weingartner ran 6.24, which happened to be an event record, breaking the old mark of 6.29. He also had the top bat speed of 78.3 MPH.

“I think I did pretty well and put myself on the map,” Weingartner said of his performance in Chicago.

That said, he isn’t overly eager to fast-forward his career. For now, he will enjoy and savor being a two-way player.

“There are lots of unknowns and it is exciting and my goal is to play at the next level whether that is college or pro, but I will take it season by season and see what happens after," he said.” Once you start to focus on the future too much you get sped up.”

So, he will enjoy the moment, savor being a high school two-way player.

“You can’t make the moment about yourself, it’s about the team,” said Weingartner, whose brother Ryan was drafted in the eighth round and signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2025 after a playing shortstop at Penn State. “I’m just looking so much forward to competing this spring.”

Marc Narducci is a freelance reporter for the Courier-Post. He can be reached by email at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: St. Augustine’s Weingartner, looking to take two-way skills farther

Continue reading...