By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE — Lopez junior shortstop Jesus “Chuy” De Leon learned the ropes of being the captain of the infield and a leadoff hitter from former Lobos star Alex Olguin.
When Olguin graduated and went on to pitch for Texas Southern University, he handed the reins to De Leon — The Brownsville Herald’s 2019 All-Metro Baseball Offensive Player of the Year.
“Receiving this award (recognizes) that I (contributed) offensively,” De Leon said. “Coming clutch, and just doing what I had to do.”
As district opponents became more aware of De Leon, a three-year letterman and two-time District 32-5A offensive player of the year award recipient, he rose his expectations to excel against some of the top pitchers in the district.
“(De Leon) knew he had big shoes to fill, but he knew he had the baseball knowledge to fill them,” Lopez coach Victor H. Martinez said. “As coaches, when we see a top hitter, we’re going to pitch to you pretty tough. And even with that, he’s been able to be successful.”
Led by Martinez, the 2018 Herald All-Metro coach of the year, Lopez finished 17-7-2 and 9-5 in District 32-5A and earned back-to-back playoff berths, ending a five-year drought last season.
De Leon posted a .534 batting average and a .781 on-base percentage. He scored 35 runs this season and drove in 28 runs — 17 of those RBIs were collected during District 32-5A play. De Leon also stole 15 bases and tallied 16 extra base hits: eight doubles, seven triples and a home run March 2 during the La Joya Tournament against the La Joya High Coyotes.
“It went opposite field,” said De Leon, a left-handed hitter, of his longball against La Joya. “Everybody was excited (for me), and it was just an amazing moment.”
De Leon started to turn heads around the district with his consistent production. During the Lobos’ final regular season game against Mercedes, De Leon went 3-for-4 and was a home run shy of the cycle.
Thrust into the leadoff spot as a freshman, De Leon struggled to adapt initially to seeing pitching at the varsity level. But he said the Lopez coaching staff helped him implement a more patient approach at the plate. His plate discipline has helped him evolve into one of the best pure hitters in the Rio Grande Valley.
“He is a very disciplined hitter,” Martinez said. “His knowledge of the plate — outer half, inner half — he has a great eye for the ball. He’s one of the toughest outs to get for an opponent, and the pitcher is throwing him his best. So he helps his teammates by exposing the pitcher early on in the game and early on in (our) lineup.”
For Martinez, “Chuy’s” development into the next great Lobos player has come full circle, as De Leon has now become the role model that Olguin was for younger Lopez players to emulate.
“It’s been nice seeing Chuy grow as a ballplayer,” Martinez said. “And overall as a young adult. (His) maturity level ever since he was a freshman was very high. He knows his role, and now that he’s one of the older guys he knows how to lead by example.”