American Heritage’s Blair, North Broward Prep’s Tejeda show off versatility during senior seasons
American Heritage’s Erik Blair and North Broward Prep’s Yoel Tejeda found multiple ways to make an impacted for their teams.
They were masterful on the mound and forceful at the plate.
Their two-way prowess played a big role in Blair and Tejeda respectively being named the Miami Herald’s Broward Baseball Player and Pitcher of the Year for Classes 5A-2A.
What’s more: Barring either of them going pro should they get selected in the MLB Draft in July, the two will be teammates next year. Both Blair and Tejeda are Florida Gators signees.
“We have a really good Gator class,” said Tejeda. The class also includes Stoneman Douglas’ Chris Arroyo and Jake Clemente.
Blair, who transferred from Calvary Christian to
American Heritage for his senior season, was a key cog for an American Heritage team that went 26-2 and was ranked as high as No. 3 in the state this season. At the plate, he paced the Patriots with a .447 batting average and 38 RBI while also hitting five home runs and scoring
22 runs. On the mound, he pitched to a 2.29 ERA with 69 strikeouts against 26 walks over 39 2/3 innings.
His baseball journey began playing wiffle ball in the front yard with his dad when he was maybe 3 years old.
“My dad saw something
special,” Blair said.
Looking back, did Blair feel the same way? In simplest terms: Yes.
“I always felt that I’d be able to make something out of the game,” said Blair, who said his favorite player is Bryce Harper.
While Blair prioritized being a two-way threat,
Tejeda made pitching his
No. 1 priority while still finding ways to make an impact with his bat.
“Ever since last year,” Tejeda said, “I knew it was time to start developing my stuff and my mechanics.”
The 6-7 righty finished the season with a 1.82
ERA and 90 strikeouts over 61 2/3 innings. This included throwing 6 2/3 shutout innings with eight strikeouts in North Broward Prep’s 1-0 state semifinal win over Cardinal Newman.
Tejeda emphasized improving his changeup and slider to complement his fastball.
But while pitching was the focal point, Tejeda still found success offensively. He posted a .360 batting average with four home runs, 30 RBI and 27 runs scored this season.
Baseball also runs in his blood. His dad played professional baseball in Cuba as a first baseman before pursuing a medical career.
“He taught me that one of the most important things is to be able to be mentally strong to be able to succeed,” Tejeda said. “Because you will fail a lot, especially in baseball, so if you’re not mentally strong and prepared for what’s coming, you won’t be able to make it.”