South Kingstown's Ben Brutti is the 2021-22 Gatorade RI Baseball Player of the Year
The state’s most dominant pitcher has been named the Gatorade Rhode Island Baseball Player of the Year.
A Friday morning press release announced the honor for Ben Brutti, the South Kingstown senior. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-hander has been dominant in what will be his final season with the Rebels.
Brutti’s numbers in 2022 are eye-popping — 0.46 earned-run average, only 14 hits allowed and 105 strikeouts in 46 innings. He’s produced a handful of memorable outings, including 17 strikeouts and a lone unearned run in a 2-1 victory over Interscholastic League Division I semifinalist Portsmouth on May 9. Brutti's work at the plate includes a .465 batting average, a .586 on-base percentage and 21 RBI through 20 games.
“Ben has completely dominated Rhode Island high school baseball in 2022,” Patriots assistant coach Matt McGuire said in a statement. “As a pitcher, he is nearly untouchable, but offensively he’s been a weapon, too.
“He is the best player in Rhode Island.”
Brutti put himself on the national radar over the winter with a 20-pitch bullpen session at the Prep Baseball Report Super 60 showcase in Chicago. His fastball topped out at 96 mph in front of an estimated 100 professional scouts. Brutti has found an extra tick of velocity at certain times this spring — he’s touched 97 mph and paired it with a slider that has wipeout potential.
Brutti committed to South Florida despite comparatively little previous experience playing high school baseball. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the 2020 season and Brutti sat out all of the 2021 campaign due to a back injury. The majority of his buildup to the last three months has been done on the showcase circuit and indoors at Hop’s Athletic Performance in Coventry.
Gatorade includes an off-field component in its selection criteria — Brutti filled it through community service and classroom performance. He’s volunteered at a local homeless shelter and food bank, coached youth baseball and refereed children’s flag football games. Brutti also carries a weighted 4.19 grade-point average.
Brutti could find himself with a decision to make later this summer. He's among the candidates to be selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, which is scheduled for July. Brutti could opt to sign and begin his career in the pros instead of honoring his commitment to the Bulls.
Brutti makes it three recent winners from the South Kingstown program, joining Harrison Barlow (2011) and Sam Kenyon (2017). The Rebels hosted La Salle on Friday for a chance to reach the semifinals.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: South Kingstown's Ben Brutti is Gatorade RI Baseball Player of Year
