Milo Sklar’s name hadn’t been on the tip of people’s tongues talking about the top baseball players in the New York City, but he’s put it there this season.
His Midwood team had a break-out year and Sklar was at the center of it.
The senior helped the Hornets beat out established powers Grand Street and James Madison for a division title. Those who saw him play regularly appreciated the skills he brought to the table. Grand Street Campus coach Steve Martinez was happy to see him on the Public School Athletic League’s Mayor’s Cup roster.
“He’s a great kid, makes the basic routine plays,” Martinez said. “He had a great season. He deserves to be here.”
Then Sklar went out and proved it by having the best day at the plate of any player during the Catholic League’s 4–3 victory over the Public School League in the senior all-star game at the College of Staten Island last Saturday. Grand Street star Emanuel Castellano started on the mound for the public schools.
Sklar, who started at second base, went three-for-three at the plate and was a home run short of the cycle. He scored twice and drove in a run to tie the score at 3–3 in the bottom of the seventh.
It was a performance that easily would have earned him most-valuable-player honors had the public schools not allowed St. Raymond’s Reynaldo Gullien to score in the top of ninth. He came in from third on an errant throw home after a single by Dylan Lanigan of Archbishop Molloy.
Sklar said it wasn’t hard for him to adjust to the pitching, despite not facing any of those guys during the season.
“It was fun,” he said. “I knew I was playing against good players and good pitching. I was happy I could do well.”
His all-star performance put a cap to a year where Sklar batted .383 during the regular season, scored 22 runs, and drove in 14. On the mound he went 2–0 and earned a save in limited work. Midwood fell to Grand Street in the second round of the playoffs.
“It was a great year,” Sklar said. “Took that next step and won the division, and played really consistent baseball all year.”
Xaverian’s Anthony Sigismondi was the model of consistency all year long and threw a complete game to lead the Clippers to the city title. Frank Del George, his coach and the Catholic team’s manager, asked Sigismondi to pull double duty in the Mayor’s Cup.
The senior coached first base for eight innings in the absence of Molloy coach Brad Lyons before picking up the save, pitching a perfect ninth inning. Sigismondi jokingly took credit that his coaching skills aided the team’s offensive output.
“I did a pretty good job,” he said. “I led us to four runs.”
He would have much rather have led his Clippers one more time to prove what league is truly the best in the city.
“I think what we should do is have the winner of the CHSA versus the winner of the PSAL,” Sigismondi said. “Then we can do the bragging rights.”
