Slippery Rock’s Mineo headed to Ohio State to play baseball
SLIPPERY ROCK — When listening to former Slippery Rock High School baseball coach Derrick Wood gush over senior Sal Mineo’s capabilities on the diamond, it’s easy to visualize the sort of onomatopoeia typically reserved for comic books.
“When you see him play, it’s just fun to watch,” Wood said. “It’s exciting, it’s explosive, it’s dynamic. ... Someone like Sal, it’s just once coaches see the level of determination, the level of preparation he goes through — they get to see just how he competes in-game, how he plays the game hard 100% of the time.
“That’s when a school can see that and be like, ‘Man, this guy was everything on paper, and now we’re seeing him and we like it even more.’”
For Ohio State — where Mineo recently committed to continue his baseball career — he jumped off the page.
“There are certain guys that I like to call it, ‘Winning when you walk in a room,’” Wood said. “In my first practice ever meeting with the team, we’ve got 32 guys out there between JV and varsity — Sal stood out as far as the work ethic, even the way he took pitches.
“He takes pitches in an aggressive way. He’s aggressive on the base paths, he’s always got active feet. It’s just, when guys move fast like that, you’re just drawn to it as a coach.”
Primarily a center fielder, Mineo has spent the past two summers playing with Team Ohio Pro Select, which broadened the exposure of what he called his blue-collar style of play.
“At the beginning of the summer, I was committed to Youngstown State,” he said. “I decommitted, basically looking for a better opportunity. ... Ohio State sent me a text and they saw some of my video of me playing in some of these tournaments.
“I went up on a visit and basically fell in love with the campus.”
Upon being offered, he didn’t wait to pledge to the Buckeyes.
“He just had a later Division I kind of commitment process than I guess a lot of guys (do),” Wood said. “But, he had a really big summer this summer. ... Just getting out there, kind of his last hurrah of seeing what kind of interest he can drum up — and Ohio State kind of picked up on some things he was doing.”
Schools such as Purdue, Penn State, Cincinnati, Marshall, and Kent State had taken notice prior to this past prep campaign. As a junior, he put up a .424 batting average with six extra-base hits, 14 RBIs, and 26 runs for the Rockets.
“He had plenty of colleges looking at him just playing right here in his backyard in Slippery Rock,” Wood said. “While it’s not a necessity for a guy to be from a small town and be recruited to a large school, it just definitely helps.”
Larger tournaments held in the South provide the opportunity to face stiff competition and get in front of higher-level college coaching staffs.
“In Sal’s scenario, being a five-tool player, being very talented, a great student with great metrics, and a good baseball background — he very well likely would’ve played Division I regardless of doing that kind of stuff,” Wood said.
His measurables are undeniable.
“In football, like NFL Combine and stuff, everybody runs the 40-yard dash,” Wood said. “In the baseball side of things, we run the 60-yard dash. Anything under a seven-second 60 is great, it’s advanced. Sal probably runs, like, a 6.6, 6.7.”
Mineo’s throws from the outfield have been recorded at 95 miles per hour. He stepped up on the mound for Slippery Rock, too, pitching more than 20 innings this past spring. He can also hit anywhere in the order.
“Just as far as those tools go, last year, we had a game at Shenango where he hits a home run over the left field fence, and then next at-bat he lays down a bunt for a base hit down the third-base line,” Wood recalled. “He gets on first, he’s going to take second. ... It doesn’t take very long — just spending some time with him — to tell there’s something special there.”
Mineo’s older brother, former Slippery Rock University pitcher Ricky Mineo, signed with the Minnesota Twins organization last August. He’s currently hurling for the club’s Single-A affiliate, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
“It’s very motivating, for my family, to continue great baseball success,” Sal said. “As soon as he comes back from Florida, we train 2-3 times a week together. I text him on a weekly basis, asking him for advice and what he does as far as programs, stretching, and mobility.
“He’s a great tool to have in my back pocket, and he’s one of the main guys who helped me grow and develop into who I am today.”
The younger Mineo was a complementary part of the Rockets’ District 10 Region 3 runner-up football team last fall, accounting for 339 yards from scrimmage, two touchdowns, and 44 tackles. He won’t step on the gridiron this time around.
“This year, I’m going full-force with baseball,” he said. “I’m definitely going to miss it (football). I’m going to go to every game I can to support my guys. ... It’s going to be tough, but it’s just the best decision for me and my future.”
