By: Ken Weingartner
It is unlikely that junior Jarred Jimenez will be able to duplicate the numbers he put up this season for the Monroe High baseball team.
That isn’t because Jimenez lacks the talent or focus to accomplish the feat. No, as far as that goes, if anyone might be able to do it, it would be Jimenez.
But, simply, who in his right mind is going to give him the chance to do it again?
"I can do it again, but I don’t know if I’m going to see the pitches that I saw this year," Jimenez said. "Next year, I won’t see many fastballs at all, from what I’m hearing. I can handle it, though. I just have to be more selective."
Added MHS coach Greg Beyer, "He’s capable of doing it, but I don’t know if anyone will be stupid enough to pitch to him."
Jimenez batted .505 with 12 homers, 29 RBI, 40 runs and 22 stolen bases. All were school single-season records. The previous marks were .483, five homers, 26 RBI, 27 runs and 21 stolen bases. Jimenez’s eight doubles tied for second in school history, and his .577 on-base percentage holds second all alone.
His 12 homers in a season are believed to be the third most in Middlesex County history.
After the season, Jimenez was honored as a Greater Middlesex Conference all-star and as the White Division’s Player of the Year.
"It’s remarkable," Jimenez said of the honor. "I didn’t know what to say when Coach Beyer told me. I was just very proud. There are a lot of good players in the White Division. This isn’t a rinky-dink division; it’s the real deal."
With a season left to play, Jimenez already owns a slew of career records at Monroe, including hits (89), runs (59), homers (14), and RBI (49). He is tied for the lead in stolen bases (30) and is second on the list for doubles (14). His .397 career batting average ranks third.
"I don’t play for myself, I play for the team," Jimenez said. "If the team does well, I don’t care what my stats are. If I’m doing well and the team is doing well, then we’re riding on all cylinders. That’s what everyone is going to get next year.
"To be honest, I wasn’t totally satisfied with my season. It sounds greedy, but I’m a perfectionist. I strive for the best."
On paper, Jimenez might come off as cocky, but that’s not the case. He is confident, and he is driven, which are two qualities all standout athletes possess.
"When you have a kid like Jarred, and you see how dedicated that kids is he’s not only our best player but he’s our hardest worker it rubs off on the other kids," Beyer said. "The kids start to fall in line. I was talking with Jarred and he said there are a lot of things he wants to accomplish, but what he want to accomplish most is getting the record for wins."
And while teams might not want to pitch to Jimenez next season, they might not have a choice. Monroe will return two other White Division all-stars in juniors Nick Alberino and Marc Povlosky. Overall, the Falcons will welcome back eight of their top nine hitters, five of whom batted .316 or better. Four of them had at least 15 RBI.
"If they want to put me on, go ahead," Jimenez said. "I’ll steal second base and Alberino will drive me in. Or Povlosky or (Mike) Doros. We have any number of guys that can drive in runs."
Which makes looking ahead to the 2006 season an exciting prospect, whether or not Jimenez can reproduce his numbers from this year.
"It can’t come soon enough," said Jimenez, who has already started his American Legion season. "I’m looking forward to the summer practices. Everyone on the team really close. There are no cliques; we’re all like a family. You have to be like that to be successful. We’re definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with."
