It began with offseason workouts, continued when he won a starting spot in the outfield and has become clear in recent weeks as he has produced big hits in the bottom third of the Poly Prep lineup.
Matt Zapata is beginning to carve out his own niche at the Ivy Prep League dynamo. He’s not simply Andrew Zapata’s younger brother anymore.
“He doesn’t compare himself to Andrew, he understands he has to be himself – that’s gonna make him a better player,” Roventini said. “He takes the only approach he can, that’s he’s his own person. Matt understands how good his brother is, but what’s impressed me the most, he hasn’t let Andrew overshadow him.”
The 15-year-old outfielder has always looked up to his older brother, arguably the city’s top pitcher and one of the nation’s top arms who has a horde of top Division I programs after him, such as Kentucky, St. John’s, Maryland, Ole Miss and Stanford. He came to Poly Prep, in part, because Andrew did. When Andrew was lighting the city on fire last spring, leading Poly Prep to the NYSAISAA title, Matt was in the dugout as a reserve.
That changed this offseason as he joined his brother in early-morning and late-night workouts. He won a starting job with that work ethic, Roventini said, and after a slow start with the bat has been a huge contributor in the Blue Devils’ current 10-game win streak. He blasted two homers in the last week and often takes extra bases with his breakneck speed.
“My confidence is through the roof,” he said. “I’m just being more aggressive at the plate, which is something [the coaching staff] preaches to me. Hopefully I can continue this kind of play. It’s incredible, helping my team win games. Individual stats don’t mean much to me. Winning games is the important thing.”
While Andrew is the face of the Poly Prep program, overshadowing his teammates, not to mention Matt, his younger brother loves playing for Poly Prep. His brother’s success motivates him, pushes him to the best player he can be.
“I’m proud of what he’s doing and I don’t dwell on his accomplishments,” Matt said. “I just take it in stride. It motivates me to play as well as he can play. … He may be one of my biggest motivators. He’s working so hard, I know if I really put in the effort it will pay off for me like it pays off for him.”
It has begun to already. Roventini envisions Matt as a power-hitting leadoff type next spring, given his improvement continues. He’s also shown a big arm from the outfield and Poly Prep has used him on the mound once, in a win over Trinity.
“We’re real happy with the way he’s been developing,” the coach said.
Matt is happy he can experience it with his older brother. Last spring was the first time the two ever played together on the same team. The last time, in fact, they were on the same field in an organized game, Andrew took Matt deep in the World Series of a Great Kills Little League game.
“I can’t even put into words what playing with my brother means,” he said. “I love it. Not too often do you ever get to play with your friends, let alone a family member. We talk baseball every day.”