Talk about going 3-for-3.
The Delmonico family has produced a minor league catcher (oldest son, Tony, who is currently with the Dodgers' High Single-A affiliate); a catcher at Georgia (middle son, Joey, who played one season at the juco level); and then there's the youngest of the trio, Nicky, who may wind up being the home run of the bunch.
Like his two older brothers, Nick will make the move from shortstop to catcher full time this season for Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.) High School, and by most accounts he has the potential to go in the first round of the 2011 MLB draft.
"He really has an advanced feel for the game," says an American League scout. "How he does with the move behind the plate, though, will tell a lot. His bat will be a plus if he plays behind the plate, although he'd have to be much more consistent if he were to stay at shortstop or as a corner infielder. But this kid could make a really smooth transition to the pro game."
Baseball is just about all Nick has ever known. The Delmonico patriarch, Rod, brought his boys up on the diamond. For 18 years, he was head coach at the University of Tennessee, where Tony played two seasons before leaving with his dad who was fired and took an assistant job at Florida State.
Tony attended Farragut, Joey attended Farragut and Nick has a chance to win a fourth straight Class AAA title with the Admirals, which would be a state record.
"I'm not talking bad about his brothers, but this kid's on another level," says his high school coach Matt Buckner, who was coach at rival Bearden before taking over for Farragut last season. "Tony was a freshman when I was still an assistant at Farragut, then I just moved a few miles down the road to Bearden, so I saw a lot of Tony and Joey. But I've never seen such an advanced approach to the game as Nicky's."
Nick Delmonico has committed to Georgia and hopes to join Joey next fall, but local sports writers who have watched him mature from a 5-foot-11, 180-pound freshman into a 6-3, 215-pound "man" are pretty certain the verbal is simply a nice gesture toward his brother. Barring injury, they predict he'll be headed to the big leagues.
"I think he's got room to get to 6-4, 230 down the road," says Buckner, who agrees the move to catcher is Delmonico's quickest path to the pros. "He's a grown man -- just puts on a show in BP. He keeps it in perspective with the mindset that he's going to Georgia. I think that's the right frame of mind because you never know until the other option is actually a reality."
The dream of making an MLB roster should become a reality sooner than later if Delmonico's performance thus far is any indicator. His stats as a junior shortstop: a .485 average, 18 home runs and 75 RBIs. Under pressure: a walk-off, two-run homer to win his third state championship.
"I'd made an error to get us in a tough spot," says Delmonico of the title game. "I told our pitcher I had one more at-bat, and promised him I'd get it back. Growing up around my dad and being a bat boy for Tennessee, I've been around a lot of big games, so it's easy for me to stay focused."
Buckner admittedly doesn't have to do much coaching; he just keeps a check on his star's mindset. ("That's usually not too difficult," he says.) Case in point: Delmonico could've been frustrated at the plate drawing 43 walks. Instead, he turned the plate patience into 30 stolen bases.
"My brother, Tony, and my dad want me to go out and have fun with this last season," says Nick, who is neck-and-neck with left-handed pitcher Daniel Norris for the title of top prospect in the state. "They said just do the things I've been doing ever since I started playing baseball."
Still, a shortstop-to-catcher swap isn't something that happens naturally. If anyone can make it work smoothly, though, it's Delmonico. He had the luxury of working with Tony, who made the same switch in Single-A, to brush up on a few faulty mechanics last offseason. His appearances for Team USA's U-18 teams as a catcher have only helped.
"He's not a straight conversion guy -- he's already been back there with Team USA," says another AL scout who's followed Delmonico throughout his high school career. "But now teams aren't going to have to project what he can do seeing him for a whole season at catcher.
"The thing teams have to watch for is his bat. He has the power to play corner infielder, but he's playing against pitchers in his area who have fastballs in the 82 range instead of the 92 range," says the scout. "He has a tendency to get long and have a dominant pull because his bat is geared up."
Delmonico may not see too many 92-mph fastballs in East Tennessee, but he could have a chance if he faces Norris and Science Hill in the postseason. The two pro prospects have become good friends growing up together playing summer league baseball, and both have bonded even more as the expectations surrounding their careers have risen with each passing season.
In fact, Norris already told Delmonico exactly how he'd pitch to him if and when the two face off for the first time -- pitcher vs. batter -- in their high school careers.
"He said he'd walk me if he ever faces me," Delmonico says with a laugh.
Now that's respect.
LaRue Cook is a reporter and researcher for ESPN The Magazine. You can find his archives here.