Patterson’s Cantu is Stanislaus District baseball Player of the Year

At some point during a baseball season that culminates with Player of the Year honors, the eventual honoree must know, deep down, he’s having a special season.

Not so with Patterson High School junior Santiago Cantu, the 2016 Stanislaus District Player of the Year.

“For me, I felt like that’s how I should be playing,” said Cantu, a lithe 6-foot, 160-pounder who plays shortstop and pitches. “If I want to get to the next level, I’ve got to stand out. So I have to push myself to do better than everyone else.”

Cantu, known to his friends as Chagi (a Hispanic nickname for Santiago), nearly carried Patterson to its first Sac-Joaquin Section championship since 1993.

The Tigers fell one win short of reaching the Division IV final, where they would have played Western Athletic Conference rival El Capitan, the eventual runner-up.

“It was pretty obvious this year that we were going to go as far as he’d take us,” said Patterson coach Tony Lomeli, who played on that ’93 Tigers squad. “He started out as a scrawny freshman, but every year he’s gotten stronger and faster. He’s continued to work, which says more about him than anything.

“If he continues at this pace, he’s going to be something special.”

In the playoff finale against Lincoln, Cantu, a right-hander, pitched well enough to win and was 4 for 4 at the plate, but the Zebras rallied for two runs in the sixth for a 6-4 victory.

All told, Cantu was 9-0 with 68 strikeouts in 59 innings and a 0.59 ERA.

But it was at the plate where Cantu really stood out, batting .581 with an on-base percentage of .673. He had four home runs, 15 doubles and four triples, meaning 23 of his 50 hits went for extra bases, good for a .988 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.661.

Despite the individual success, Cantu said he never felt pressure, which was evident by his .833 (10 for 12) average in the postseason, with three doubles, two triples and a homer.

“If I don’t get the job done, I’m confident that the next guy will get it done,” Cantu said. “I don’t feel like I have to do it all.

“It’s a team effort, so if we all play up to our full potential we should be able to win WAC and sections (in 2017).”

As Cantu starts to draw interest from Division I programs, including College World Series qualifier UC Santa Barbara, Lomeli doesn’t believe the extra attention will change his game one bit.

“He competes at a high level but has a very calm demeanor,” Lomeli said. “He can have a bad at-bat, or a bad inning on the mound, or make an error and he stays levelheaded. He’s the same whether he hits two homers in a game or goes 0 for 2.”

Lomeli believes Cantu projects as a position player at the next level, but his pitching will make him even more attractive.

“It’s nice to have a guy who can throw in the mid- to high 80s and play a position, too,” Lomeli said. “He’ll be a valuable commodity for schools that have to maximize their scholarships.”

While college is a long-term goal for Cantu, who carries a B average, he’s not looking past his senior season and the goal of winning league and section banners.

“Right now, my goal is to play the best baseball I can,” said Cantu, who has started on the varsity level since his freshman season. “If I get there (to college), I get there. And if I get to college, then there will be a different goal.”

This story was originally published June 25, 2016 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Patterson’s Cantu is Stanislaus District baseball Player of the Year."