Red Sox draft pick Matthew Lugo has excellent options
By Adrian Burgos
Baseball caps line the wall in the spacious meeting room at the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy, reminding students of the organizations where the academy’s graduates play.
Only a few eyes were fixated on the caps Monday night, though. Attention was focused on the television tuned into the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
The room erupted when Matthew Lugo was picked by the Red Sox with the 69th overall selection. Hugs were exchanged, and a few tears of joy flowed as fellow students, coaches, and family members celebrated with the young Puerto Rican shortstop.
The Beltrán Academy has prepared Lugo to start this journey. The strong-armed shortstop now has to decide between a baseball scholarship at University of Miami or the defending World Series champions.
Whatever choice he makes, Lugo has already demonstrated the makeup and on-field tools to handle whatever comes next.
Valuing Hard Work
Sitting with La Vida Baseball for an interview in December at the Beltrán Academy, the teenager handled questions with great poise. Lugo noted that this was his first sit-down interview.
He is focused, smart and determined.
“As long as I can remember I wanted to be a major league baseball player, and since I was a little kid, you know, four years old I wanted to be a major leaguer and I dedicated … my whole life for that and I’m still working for that,” Lugo said.
Lugo’s desire to prove himself was first demonstrated when he tried out for a spot at the academy. The fact he is the nephew of Carlos Beltrán was not made known to the coaches conducting his tryout. It was important for him and the Lugo family that he earned his place at the academy—just like everyone else.
The past few years reiterated to Lugo the importance of working hard to become a better ballplayer.
“People think that they will go to this academy and they will automatically be a good player or a great player, and it’s really the hard work that you have to put in every day, because we have the facility. We have the coaches, but it’s up to you if you want to get better or not,” Lugo said.
Future Options
Lugo has accomplished a goal he had worked diligently toward while at the Beltrán Academy. Coaches and the academic staff beamed with news of his selection. This was confirmation of what they had stressed to Lugo and the other students when they told them they would have options if they worked hard in the classroom and on the field. This message was not new to Lugo. His father’s mantra had long been “school and then baseball.”
Lugo proved himself in the classroom. He had a 4.0 grade point average when he was interviewed by La Vida. His performance in the classroom combined with his outstanding skills on the baseball diamond helped Lugo receive a scholarship to the University of Miami.
If he goes to Miami he could follow the path that current Red Sox manager Álex Cora took from college to the majors. The Boston organization is hoping to convince Lugo to follow a path that might culminate in his playing for Cora.
Lugo’s ultimate goal is to be a role model for the younger kids at the academy, whether he signs now or goes to Miami. He wants them to understand the hard work involved in order to accomplish their goals and to pursue their own big league dreams.
“I’m very thankful and very blessed to be part of this academy and develop my baseball skills in this academy,” Lugo said. “I will never forget that I came from here and that I’ve developed here, and it really means everything to me.”
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