RICHMOND, TX - Third base was once considered the position Garrett Arredondo would play at the next level. However, pitching has now entered the mix.

“Last year on the mound I was 84-86,” pointed out the George Ranch junior right-hander. “Then it was 86-87 and now it’s jumped to 88-89. I’ve really worked on increasing my velo and also to get my offspeed pitches fine-tuned so I’m confident to throw them on 3-2 counts, 2-0 counts, for a strikeout or just to get ahead in counts.”

The mound improvement has been noticed by colleges, with a highly touted Junior College recently giving Arredondo his first offer.

“They saw my velo jump to 89, they watched me on film and they kept following me,” explained the 6-0 210-pounder who has gained exposure at PBR events as well as Area Code tryouts. “With PBR, I’m trying to get higher measurables to try and catch more eyes. Come summer I’ll find out who is interested.”

Arredondo points to Mike Horn and Pedro Borbon Jr. with helping his pitching improve.

“Mike Horn was my coach in 13-14 and my foundation,” Arredondo noted. “Up until him I just got up on the mound and threw with decent velocity.

“This fall I took lessons with Pedro Borbon Jr. and jumped in velo two to three miles an hour in 21/2 months.”

Getting noticed as a pitcher can only benefit the fifth-ranked unsigned junior in Texas.

“Last summer I had a lot of success on the mound and now I feel pitching is my strongest point,” Arredondo said. “I’ve worked hard to get bigger in my legs as well as strengthen my arm muscles. Once the season came around it was about getting loose and just fine-tuning all around.”

Getting physically prepared for a sport is nothing new to Arredondo.

“I bulked up to play linebacker in the fall and then slimmed down for the spring,” Arredondo said. “Nutrition is important for me to help fine-tune the body.”

While football is a big part of Arredondo’s life, baseball is the future.

“As soon as I was old enough to understand I started playing the game,” Arredondo said of baseball, estimating he began at age four. “By the time I was 13-years-old I realized baseball was something I wanted to do and thought I could play in college and get an education out of it.

“When I was 15-years-old I started getting exposed to older kids when they brought me up. Seeing how those kids were committed, it was no longer just a game to me, it became something I wanted to accomplish and someday sign on Signing Day.”

That time is getting closer for the 61st-rated player in the state’s 2019 class.

“I’m working on my pitching to gain more velo on my offspeed pitches but I’m also working hard at the plate,” said Arredondo, who credits Marucci Elite coach Ronnie Thames with playing a big role in that aspect of his game. “I working on hitting it hard and driving the ball to the gaps.

“For me it’s about just wanting to play college baseball, I’m not a guy that wants to just sit back. If pitching will get me higher up, that’s fine. If it’s hitting that will get me on the field, I’ll do that. If I had to make a decision at this point I’m getting recruited mainly as a pitcher, but I want to ride out the two-way as long as I can.”

Arredondo, who currently has a 3.8 GPA, with plans to major in engineering, sports medicine or physical therapy “to be around the game if baseball doesn’t pan out,” understands the importance of the next four to five months.

“I have one offer but I don’t want to just jump at the first offer,” Arredondo explained. “I want to have more to choose from so I need to get more exposure and get in front of more coaches to show them I fit at the next level.

“In the perfect world my dream is to play Division I. Right now I feel I’m a lower DI or JUCO player but if I progress at the rate I have been, I can catch a few more D-I eyes. But at the end of the day I just want to play. I don’t want to sit a couple years and then play my last year.”

 

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