SACO — It doesn’t take long watching the Fayette-Staples American Legion baseball team to notice that Jeff Gelinas stands out, and it’s not just because he’s the biggest guy on the field. Whether it’s on the mound, in the field, and especially at the plate, Gelinas seems to make a big play every game.

A perfect example of Gelinas making his presence felt was in a game at Massabesic earlier this summer. The first three batters of the game reached base for Fayette-Staples, and then Gelinas stepped to the plate. He then unloaded on a pitch and sent it over the fence in left field for a grand slam. He almost did it again later in the game, but the ball looped foul. Gelinas was also the winning pitcher in that game, and moonlighted at second base in the seventh inning.

“He can play anywhere. I’ve used him in the outfield. I’ve used him in the middle of the infield. I’ve used him as a catcher. He’s athletic, and he runs pretty well for a guy that is as big as he is,” said Fayette-Staples coach Ray Petit.

“I’ve been big ever since little league,” said Gelinas. “I was pudgier though, too, so I thinned out and grew a little bit. Ever since I was about 10, I’ve been two or three inches above most kids.”

That size difference is most notable when Gelinas steps into the batter’s box. Opposing pitchers know that he is a threat to hit a home run every time they face him, and Gelinas likes to prove it, he said. However, he doesn’t just go out there and swing for the fences.

“I try and wait for fastballs, and just when I know they’re coming, that’s when I try and turn the power on,” Gelinas said about his approach at the plate. “I still need to work on just putting the ball in play more, but it will come.”

“I’m in fear for my life coaching third base,” Petit joked. Being 90 feet away from a right-handed hitter when he pulls the ball can be hazardous to your health, Petit added.

Gelinas’ ability on the mound rivals his ability at the plate, but it’s not something he has harnessed as well yet. He said he knows he is far from a polished pitcher, but the talent and the electrifying stuff is there.

“Pitching-wise, he needs to work on his control, and his off-speed stuff,” Petit said.

Gelinas shared that sentiment. “It’s the accuracy still. I walk too many guys, and I shouldn’t be.”

In the game against Massabesic, Gelinas gave up four runs on just two hits. It was the five walks and two hit batsmen that got him. In the spring, Gelinas led the SMAA with nine hit batters.

Petit said he likes to talk about Gelinas’ defensive ability, the part of his game that gets overshadowed by his hitting and pitching.

“He was always a good fielder. When Coach Paradis was the head coach, we were looking at him as the shortstop or a third baseman,” Petit said. “Typical you don’t want your pitcher in the middle of the infield or catching or doing things like that, so that’s why I moved him over to first this year. But when I have a need, he goes there, and he fills that need pretty well.”

Apart from being the slugger of the team, Gelinas is also a leader. Don’t look for any memorable speeches, but his teammates said they know who to look up to, literally, when they need a big play.

“He leads by example. I think the kids respect him a lot. I have a lot of respect for him, too. He’s a good leader, a quiet leader,” said Petit. “He carries himself very well. He’s beyond his years in the way he conducts himself as a player.”

With a player with so much talent and a bright future ahead of him, Gelinas’ biggest goal for next year has nothing to do with cutting down walks on the mound or strikeouts at the plate. Gelinas is more concerned about something bigger for his Thornton Academy team next spring.

“I want to make it out of the first round,” said Gelinas. “Go deeper in the playoffs, definitely that’s the main goal.”

Gelinas and Fayette-Staples are currently at the top of the Zone 5 American Legion standings. They were the top-ranked team last season before losing in the Zone 5 championship game.

— Contact Wil Kramlich at 282-1535, Ext. 323.