Justin Ringo of Amos Alonzo Stagg High School tortured opposing pitchers last year, blasting 15 home runs and batting .538 as a junior.
This year, opposing pitchers wised up and simply stopped pitching to him. As a result, Ringo, who is headed to Stanford next year, rarely got a good pitch to hit and drew walks at a near record level.
“Justin has the best plate discipline that I have seen in a high school hitter,” said Stagg coach Matthew O’Neill. “He knows that he may only get to see one or two good pitches in a game, but he does not go out of his way to make something happen. He very rarely gets himself out and he sees nothing but a pitcher’s best stuff.”
Justin Ringo, Stagg High School
Courtesy photo
Ranked No. 37 in the MaxPreps Baseball Top 100, Ringo rarely saw good pitches to hit this year and he drew 46 walks during the season. That total ranks among the all-time leaders in that category. The state record is 62 by Tom Murphy of Oak Forest in 1978. Thirteen of the walks were intentional.
Of course conference coaches have been pitching around Ringo for quite some time. He hit 10 home runs as a sophomore and that’s when O’Neill first noticed that coaches paid close attention whenever Ringo stepped into the batter’s box. If the 10 home runs weren’t enough to grab their attention, the three home runs Ringo belted in one game as a junior certainly were.
Despite the high number of walks, Ringo still managed to perform well at the plate. He started off the season batting .650 after seven games, but went through a mid-season slump before raising his average back up to .425. He also belted 12 doubles and had a .736 slugging percentage. His home run totals were down to five, giving him 30 home runs over the last three years on the varsity. He also swiped 18 bases and had just three errors in the field at first base while making 289 putouts.
O’Neil says that Ringo’s preparation has made him into a player capable of being drafted in the Major League Draft, which is scheduled for June 9.
“Justin goes above and beyond to be the best player,” he said. “During our preseason workouts, there would be days where he would work out with our team and go to his training sessions at night. He has worked tremendously hard to overcome a shoulder injury that he suffered as a junior.”
“I have worked so hard on my swing and other aspects of baseball my entire life and it has definitely done a lot for me,” said Ringo. “Without hard work and dedication, I would not be where I am today.”
Ringo was hoping to lead his team to a third regional title this year, but Stagg finished 17-17-1 overall and lost to Homewood-Flossmoor last week in an elimination game.
Although he plays first base for Stagg, Ringo has been projected as a possible outfielder at the next level. While he could be drafted next week, Ringo has also signed to play at Stanford, where he will take a 4.5 GPA.
“He will attend Stanford in the fall on a baseball scholarship,” said O’Neill. “He has the potential to be a draft pick in this June’s amateur baseball draft. I believe that Justin will be able to step in and play right away.”
