Metro Baseball Player of the Year: Litchfield's Eddie Estrada

Providence Academy coach Kevin Tapani has pitched at the major league level. Litchfield shortstop Eddie Estrada's dream is to eventually get to that level as an everyday player.

The former Twins hurler didn't want Estrada, one of the state's premier hitters, to beat one of his high school pitchers in the Class 2A, Section 5 tournament.

Estrada was issued two intentional walks, one of which loaded the bases with runners on first and second. It's that kind of respect that has earned the feared hitter the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year.

"We were showing him a little respect," Tapani said. The .520 hitter walked 30 times on the season, a dozen of which were intentional. "He's done everything in his high school career."

One big exception for the senior was his team not making this week's state tournament. Litchfield fell to Tapani's squad 7-2 in 10 innings. Then the Dragons lost 4-2 to host Delano and were eliminated.

"I wanted to get to the state tournament for the first time in Litchfield's history," Estrada said. Not to showcase his talent. He wanted to get there for his teammates, friends with whom he grew up.

"What we had was the epitome of team chemistry," Estrada said. "We weren't teammates. We were brothers."

"There were many opportunities for him to let all the attention go to his head or interfere with what we were trying to accomplish as a team," Litchfield coach Jeff Wollin said. "But, he remained very team-oriented and, in many ways, all the attention actually elevated the way many of our other ballplayers played and approached the game."

The lefthanded-hitting Estrada can turn on a pitch quickly as well as drive it the other way. Twenty of his 39 hits went for extra bases, including eight home runs. He scored 40 runs and drove in 40.

"He is one of the few high school players I have seen in years that literally gets the attention of everyone in the ballpark when he comes to bat," Wollin said. "No one goes to the restroom or concession stand when Eddie's due up. I've witnessed groups of kids running over from our Little League fields just to see Eddie's at-bat."

Quite a change for the kid who grew up playing Wiffle ball in a trailer park. At other times, Estrada would be swinging a bamboo stick inside the trailer.

"We've had to work hard for everything we have," Estrada said. "I don't take anything for granted. Nothing has been easy for our family."

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for him," said his father, also named Eddie. His family moved to Litchfield from El Paso, Texas, in the mid-1980s. "He has remained very humble through everything."

The biggest thing Estrada had to overcome was being a free swinger. He calls himself "a more mature hitter'' now, less prone to swinging at bad pitches. Estrada walked more times this season than the previous three years combined (24). He walked 14 times as a junior.

"We had one opponent this year that tried to play sort of a Major League Baseball type of shift on Eddie, moving most of their infielders to the middle and right side of the infield," Wollin said. "That day, he drilled a double to left, a double to center, dropped down a drag bunt that he beat out before any of the fielders had even touched the ball, and beat out a ground ball to the second baseman playing in short right field.

"That game really highlighted the general futility most opposing coaches felt trying to get him out on most days."

Estrada belted three home runs, including a three-run shot and grand slam in the same inning, and had 10 RBI in a 15-6 victory over Glencoe-Silver Lake in late April. But he'll be the first to tell you the game doesn't come that easy.

That mentality and thoughtfulness has opposing coaches marveling at the way Estrada carries himself.

"Eddie is the most complete high school player that we've had the pleasure of competing against in my time at New London-Spicer," Wildcats coach Mike Thompson said. "There is no safe way to pitch to Eddie. He has the ability to put his team on his back and carry them offensively.