By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

Jason Savacool is one step closer to the big leagues.

The Bees’ pitcher, who is finishing up his junior year, is one of 80 players invited to participate in the inaugural Major League Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline (MLB PDP) League this summer. The PDP League is a joint initiative of Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau (MLBSB) and USA Baseball. According to MLB, the program is “an official identification and player assessment pathway for elite high school age amateur baseball players in the United States to all 30 MLB Clubs for the amateur draft.”

Baldwinsville Athletics Director Chris Campioleta presented Savacool with a PDP jersey June 12, and Savacool departed June 13 for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where he will spend three weeks training with MLB, USA Baseball and collegiate coaches and instructors. Former major leaguers Ryan Howard, Derek Jeter, Barry Larkin and Chipper Jones are the team captains for the PDP League.

“I was very excited to have an opportunity to go down and compete with the best of the best,” Savacool said of learning he had been invited to the PDP League.

The PDP League is made up of four teams of 20 players. Forty players will be invited to the USA Baseball 18U National Team Trials in Los Angeles in Late August, and 20 will move on to the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup in Busan, South Korea. PDP League participants also will have a chance to play in the MLB All-Star Week high school showcase game or the High School Home Run Derby.

Campioleta said B’ville’s last brush with the big leagues was in 2014 when Scott Blewett — a right-handed pitcher, like Savacool — was picked in the second round of the draft by the Kansas City Royals.

“I think it’s really a testament to our program that we have. Our coaches do a great job making sure … all of our student-athletes excel,” Campioleta said. “This is a pretty unprecedented honor for Jason. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime situation.”

Chris Savacool, Jason’s father and coach, said the family had been anxious to hear whether Jason would be chosen since the PDP  League was announced back in November 2018.

“It was a little nerve-wracking as well, knowing the potential was there,” Coach Savacool said. “The honor of being asked is immense — way more than we could have expected.”

Coach Savacool said Jason takes the opportunity to develop his skills and represent his community very seriously.

“Any time you’re going off and doing things individually, you’re representing your community and your team,” he said.

Jason Savacool’s stint in the PDP League kicks off a busy summer for the young pitcher. He will play for the Canes National 17U team and for the Yankees/Red Sox team at East Coast Pro and the Area Code Games, which are two of the top draft scouting events.

“It really comes out to challenging yourself against the best. It’s something he asked me many years ago, to start playing against the best,” Coach Savacool said.

Jason Savacool’s future with the MLB looks bright, but it’s not his only possible pathway to success: The rising senior committed to the University of Maryland in 2017.

“As educators, we value education, so his scholarship to Maryland … we value that. Going immediately to the major leagues would be  [carefully weighed decision],” Coach Savacool said. (Chris Savacool teaches English at Liverpool High School and his wife and Jason’s mother, Deborah Savacool, is an occupational therapist in the Baldwinsville Central School District.)

While Jason said he is looking forward to improve his overall game in the PDP League, his sister, Tori Savacool, said she is hoping he gets even more out of the experience.

“I’ve seen the pressure continue to be added to him. I think sometimes people forget that he’s so young,” she said. “I feel like this is going to be a humbling experience for him. He’s going to be learning leadership skills and developing as a person as well as a baseball player.”