Shortstop takes
a few stops forward

By Joe Mason
For the Times

If Esteban "Shortie" Meletiche could lay out the perfect scenario, this year would have been a lot like last year.
Last year as a sophomore, the Juniata resident was the starting shortstop for the Frankford High School baseball team. He made not-so-routine balls look pretty easy and had a reputation for being among the best-fielding shortstops in the city.
Then, late in tight games, Meletiche would make a move to the pitcher’s mound, where he’d do his best to get the final outs.
But a lot has changed since last year.
Last year, Frankford coach Bob Peffle could summon seniors Richard Jimenez, Edwin Burrgos and Juan Torres to the mound at the start of games. But those three strong-armed pitchers graduated last June.
It created the need for a true ace.
"I didn’t really want to do it, I love shortstop," Meletiche said. "But it was nice to know they had the confidence in me to throw me out there as the ace, and that’s something I take very seriously.
"I loved playing shortstop and coming in when the game was on the line to pitch," he said. "But this year has been great. I like going out there, knowing every player on the team has my back. It gives me a lot of confidence and it makes me want to do my best."
So far, Meletiche’s best has been enough to keep the Pioneers rolling.
After taking in a trip to Florida for spring training, the Pioneers returned to Philadelphia to win their first four games in the Public League A Division. It helps that this young Pioneer team, which has just four seniors on the roster, has quite a bit of varsity experience.
It also helps that many of the players are pretty talented.
But maybe more than anything else, it’s nice that Meletiche is willing to sacrifice playing his favorite position to help the team win.
"Shortie does so much for us . . . he’s really a good player who does a little bit of everything," Peffle said. "Hey, he was a good pitcher last year, but this year he’s bigger, stronger, and he’s got very good stuff.
"When last year ended, we took him in, sat him down and told him that we needed him to pitch more," the coach continued. "We’re very comfortable when he has the ball, and he does a very good job for us."
Meletiche still settles in at shortstop during games when he’s not pitching. In practice, on days when his start is coming around, Meletiche gets to make plays at shortstop, but he’ll either flip the baseball to a teammate or toss it into a bucket of balls.
Peffle never lets a pitcher do any throwing when he’s about to start a game. For a gamer like Meletiche, that can be a tough policy.
"I don’t like doing that," Meletiche said. "I love practice. I love doing infield practice. I love going out there, turning double plays, making great plays. But I understand why they don’t let me throw. If I get hurt I won’t be throwing at all . . . during games or at practice."
Meletiche, who bats first in Frankford’s explosive lineup, is perfecting his pitching while continuing his stellar play in the infield. He hopes to refine his versatility as the Pioneers keep winning as a team.
"The trip to spring training, I think that did a lot to help us," Meletiche said. "It was fun, and we all knew each other before that, but when you go away with people you become a little closer.
"It was fun, and last year was fun too," he added. "But we played against great competition down there. Plus it was a lot warmer."
With plenty of regular season left, the Pioneers are a team riding on high hopes. Last year, the Pioneers did all they could in an effort to claim their fourth straight Public League crown, but they lost to Central in the Public League championship game.
This year, the goal is the same — to win the championship. Meletiche thinks his team has enough firepower to accomplish it.
"I think we could win the title," he said. "But we also know that we could lose in the playoffs or in the championship game again.
"I don’t think there’s a lot of pressure on us . . . I think there’s pressure on us to get better, but that’s it," he said. "We all play baseball because we love it. We love practice and we love playing games. If we were under pressure, I don’t think we’d love it.
"We’re just going to keep having fun and keep trying to get better," he said. "As long as we do that, we should be fine." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com