Former Red Sox Reliever's Son Carves Own Path as East Bridgewater's Leading Bat

Through the first nine games of the season, East Bridgewater High left fielder Manny Delcarmen is hitting .357 with two triples, nine RBI and five runs scored. Last week he hit his second home run of the year in a 10-run win over Rockport, the Vikings' fifth victory in six games. The name on his jersey is one baseball fans in Massachusetts know, and it belongs to three generations of the same family.

His father, also named Manny Delcarmen, was a Red Sox reliever who won a World Series with the club in 2007 and spent six seasons in the majors, from 2005 to 2010. His grandfather, Manual "Cookie" Delcarmen, played in the Phillies' minor league system in the 1970s and never reached the big leagues. The elder Delcarmen said that made his own goal simple: get one step further than his dad. "He lived his dream through my eyes," he said.

The youngest Delcarmen says the name carries weight. "My name means a lot to me, and I love that it's connected to baseball," he said. "It adds some pressure, but that's a good thing."

Part of his early production, by the account in the reporting, comes from the winter. He put in long workout sessions in Hyde Park, the Boston neighborhood where his father grew up, and where his father was known for his own offseason training. The work mattered more because Delcarmen lost time a couple of seasons ago to a stress fracture in his back. "Now he's even stronger," his father said.

Delcarmen is an honor roll student and is committed to Stonehill College. He also pitches out of East Bridgewater's bullpen and will likely make a few starts this season. The way he pitches resembles the way he hits: thoughtful and intentional. His father says he hits the ball harder than he did in high school, and that he plays through bumps and bruises. "I want him to crush his senior year, then we'll see what happens after that," he said. Watching his son play, he added, is a different joy from playing in the majors: "I'm at a loss for words. He's creating his own path."

The Vikings are not a one-player team. They reached the MIAA Division 4 Round of 16 last year and have won six of their first nine games this season. Coach Jeff Ghiloni brought back all his starters, a core that has been together for three years. He said the team knows the expectations, and that Delcarmen's production gives everyone something to chase. "It's created some healthy competition on the team," Ghiloni said.

Third baseman John King described Delcarmen as extremely competitive and said he wants to make everyone around him better. The group's bond goes back to Little League, and the team is often found around a table of appetizers at the local 99 Restaurant. Pitcher Collin Meserve, one of the staff's aces, remembers King homering off Delcarmen, and, he added, off him too. They also won a number of tournaments together, and Meserve says they don't let each other settle after one good game.

With graduation approaching, Delcarmen sees no better moment to push. "The big goal is to win a state 'chip," he said. The Vikings' next games will show whether the start holds up.