By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

Todd Fitz-Gerald, the head coach at Stoneman Douglas HS, FL, has coached his share of top prospects. In 2008, he was the head coach at American Heritage HS, FL, where he and the Patriots won a national championship. On that squad were four major leaguers—1B Eric Hosmer, 3B Nick Castellanos, SS Deven Marrero and C Adrian Nieto. Fitz-Gerald sees another rising star in his current ace, LHP Jesus Luzardo.

“Honestly, it’s almost like a mirror image of him and Eric,” Fitz-Gerald said. “The four years I’ve had him, just watching him grow up and see what kind of player he was. (Luzardo) is very humble, doesn’t take things for granted, never takes a day off. He’s always working to get better. He’s a great kid with great character and does a great job in the classroom as well.”