Highland grad Chad Sedio glad to be back playing baseball

For former Highland baseball standout Chad Sedio, this season represented far more than just a return to a familiar routine. Sedio thrived in his first season as a member of the Florence Y'alls in Kentucky, leading the Frontier League with 29 doubles and helping lead the Y'alls to a league-best 57-38 regular-season record. "I feel like I'm still getting better, which is interesting because most players at 27 years old aren't still developing the way I feel like I am," Sedio said. "I'm still working on hitting for higher average and more power, and I'm still getting faster. I actually got faster during (the pandemic), and that's pretty cool." While this was his first season in the Frontier League, Sedio spent last summer in Kentucky in the temporary Bourbon Trail, a four-team circuit that played in Florence and Lexington after the 2020 Frontier League season was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The fact Sedio was named a Frontier League All-Star backed up his assertion that he is still getting better. In addition to leading the league in doubles, he was fourth in hits with 114, fifth in RBIs with 69 and fifth in runs with 68. He also stole 17 bases in 21 attempts, which topped the 12 stolen bases he had in 332 games as a member of the Detroit Tigers organization from 2016-19. In addition to this year's Frontier League All-Star nod, Sedio was named an MiLB.com Tigers organizational all-star in 2017. "That was cool to be named an all-star," Sedio said. "We didn't have an actual game, but it was still nice to be recognized as one of the best players in the league. It was interesting to be named as an outfielder, even though I was a utility player on my team all season." Sedio was most excited about the fact that he was available to help his team for all 95 games as it made a postseason push. Florence was upset in the first round by the Schaumburg Boomers, the eventual champions. "I'm especially proud that I was able to play every game and played pretty consistent," Sedio said. "It was also pretty cool for our team to have the best record in the league, even though we ran out of gas in the playoffs." The 95 games Sedio played were the second most in his professional career. He surpassed his career-best numbers in runs, hits, doubles and RBIs. The .319 batting average and 15 home runs Sedio recorded were also career bests. "I changed my swing in the offseason and that was huge to increase bat speed," Sedio said. "That allowed me to hit more pitches in different locations." Sedio continues to weigh his options as to what will best serve his career interests moving forward. He is currently looking into playing winter ball somewhere. The California Winter League is the official winter league of the Frontier League and begins play in January. After winter ball, Sedio is optimistic that he can attract the interest of a Major League Baseball franchise for the first time since he was released by the Tigers in July 2020. If that does not happen, he is open to continuing his career in a number of leagues, even possibly overseas. The Frontier League has an age limit where not more than three players on a team can be 29 by Oct. 1, which would mean Sedio has one more season there before reaching that veteran status. "There's a million different avenues I could take," he said. "It's just about which path is right for me and what can open up the most doors." Contact John Urchek at sports@medina-gazette.com.