Jayden Ocasio dreams of playing baseball at the highest level possible.
He just took a huge step.
Ocasio is a senior at Franklin Towne Charter High School, and the Northwood resident who grew up in North Philly has always loved the spring sport.
It’s something he got from his dad.
“I’ve been playing as long as I can remember, I guess T-ball,” Ocasio said. “It’s my sport. I couldn’t tell you, as soon as I grabbed a ball and a bat, I’ve loved it. It’s always been close to my heart.
“I get it from my dad. He played minor league ball for the Chicago White Sox. It runs in our blood. It’s my motivation. I love playing baseball, and I’ve worked really hard at it.”
Really hard.
Growing up, Ocasio was a slugging first baseman who had pop and power, but he wasn’t always in the greatest shape.
He was a great ball player, but he wanted to become fit.
“When I was 12 or 13, maybe around COVID, I was a little bigger so I started to slim down,” Ocasio said. “I wanted to work for what I wanted to do. I saw guys my age committing to colleges. I said I gotta catch up. Guys get drafted out of high school. I was thinking bigger picture. I got bigger, stronger, I developed skills. I was hitting the ball further, throwing the ball further. I did the work, then I wanted the opportunity.”
Now he has it.
After starring at Franklin Towne for the past three years, he heads into his senior season without worrying about the future.
Now he’s just living in the present.
Ocasio will continue his baseball career at La Salle after accepting a scholarship based on his baseball game and academics.
It’s everything he wanted in a college and he’s ready to get started.
“I love it, I’ve been around the city my whole life, so when I went there, it felt like home,” Ocasio said. “It’s closer to home, so it’s not far for my family to go. I visited over the summer in August and it felt like every other college.
“Every college I went to, I was like, ‘I’m not sure,’ until I got to La Salle. There, I felt like I was destined to be at La Salle.”
He’s getting everything he wants in a school and baseball program.
They’re getting everything they could possibly want in a player.
Ocasio, who will major in sports management, was a hard-hitting first baseman, but once he got to high school, he decided he wanted to play a different position.
He switched to the outfield, which is perfect for his size and speed. It’s where he’s played at Franklin Towne, and it’s where he’s slated to play when he becomes an Explorer.
“I was the biggest target, and always did my job at first base, and when you’re younger that’s a place they put you,” Ocasio said. “One day me and my dad started practicing the outfield and I got used to playing it. I really liked it. I told my coach and he put me in the outfield to try it. I was an asset. I transitioned and it’s my home. Now it’s my favorite position.
“It’s a tough transition, it took, realistically, it probably took me a month and a couple games. I practiced every day. My dad would throw the ball as high as he could to the sky. I would catch it. He would tell me, you’re going to end up in the outfield. I’m never moving. He always told me that. That’s what happened, got me scouted.”
Ocasio worked hard to get to this spot.
Lots of long days in the cages, lots of time in the gym and plenty of time working on his fielding.
But he also knows he had a lot of help to get to this point.
“My dad played softball in Puerto Rico and played minor league ball before he got hurt, then he switched to softball,” Ocasio said. “He was a shortstop, we play completely different positions, and play different, but he’s helped me so much. I was blessed to have great coaches, too. That got me to the next level. My dad was always my first coach. We don’t want to just play college ball. That’s a huge goal, but we want the big leagues. He’s been through all this, and he helps me a lot.”
Then there’s his high school.
Ocasio has found a lot of success while playing at Franklin Towne, leading them to the brink of a Public League championship twice.
This year, he wants to reward the school that has helped him so much.
“Franklin Towne has shaped me into the guy I am today,” Ocasio said. “The education is phenomenal, you can’t go wrong. The baseball team, we made it to the championship two years, and the semifinals my freshman year. We’re successful. And the atmosphere is really great. Teachers, staff, security guards, I get love and support. I’ll never forget it.
“We have the potential to be a good team and make it to the championship. We have a lot of competition again, hopefully we do our job, put the work in and not slack. We have a lot of competition.”
Ocasio is focused on his final year at Franklin Towne, but he’ll be ready to be an Explorer. In fact, he already is.
“My story’s not done yet,” he said. “We want more, we’re not going to settle, whatever God has planned. There’s no offseason. I take probably a month or two I go without baseball, but I’m still air swinging, dry hacks. Then for two months, I’m strictly gym. Starting end of December, I’m swinging again.”
