When Harvard-Westlake alumni Max Fried of the New York Yankees and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs are introduced at the MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta on July 15, their former high school coaches will be in the stands to witness the historic moment.
Matt LaCour, the school’s athletic director and Fried’s former coach, and Jared Halpert, who coached Crow-Armstrong, will be traveling to Atlanta to celebrate their former players’ success. “We’re all proud on campus,” LaCour said.
Harvard-Westlake is widely recognized for its ability to produce elite Major League pitchers, including Fried, Lucas Giolito, and Jack Flaherty, who were all first-round draft picks from the school’s 2012 team.
However, the emergence of Crow-Armstrong, a standout hitter and 2020 first-round pick selected by fans to start in center field, is helping to broaden that reputation. “We’ve got a couple hitters coming through, so maybe we’ll change the pitching narrative,” LaCour commented.
Should the two alumni face each other during the game, the coaches have a clear allegiance. Halpert noted that a potential matchup would be a win for everyone involved, while LaCour confirmed their friendly division of loyalty: “I’ll root for Max and Jared will root for Pete.”
Source link