Not often do schools such as the University of Florida or UCLA recruit from the northeast. There’s enough talent in the fertile area of southern California and Florida to fill up a roster that can compete in the SEC and Pac-10 conference.
Then again, not many 8th graders can hit the ball like Christian Alicea.
The 2023 graduate in the William Floyd district possesses powers in droves, and plays a premium position (catcher) that feature players with that skillset. This summer, Alicea smacked 27 home runs playing for Team Francisco’s nationally-ranked team. A couple of them really stand out.
The first was one that cleared not only the fence at Baseball Heaven but also the trees behind it. The ball was measured at close to 400 feet. This coming from a player that just completed seventh grade.
The second, one that stands out vividly in Christian’s mind is the walk-off grand slam he hit in Cooperstown.
“I remember it was a tie game in the bottom of the sixth inning and he just gave me a fastball on the outside corner,” said Christian. He did what he usually does with pitches like that and he deposited it over the fence, just like 26 others last season.
What separates him from players his age is not just his talent but his desire to improve. It is no wonder why he named Mike Trout and Yadier Molina as his two favorite players in Major League Baseball.
“I like Trout because of his ability to adjust and Molina for his ability behind the plate.”
That ability behind the plate is what gives Alicea a limitless ceiling at his age. He noted his goal is to continue to get faster, lose weight and work on his swing in the offseason.
Playing on a loaded team is what he feels brings out the best in him. He noted that he thanks his teammates for helping him to become a better player, along with his coaches Joe Francisco and Joe Fasano that have worked with him.
Playing in the William Floyd school district sometimes makes it tough for ballplayers to stand out as the team has endured some years of mediocrity recently, but with players like Alicea on the horizon, better days promise to be ahead for them.
He didn’t hesitate to say he “definitely believes William Floyd will have good years ahead”.
With a powerful arm behind the plate and a powerful bat, Alicea is certainly a player to keep an eye on in the coming years.
