Jesuit’s Noah Sheffield named Saladino Award winner

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

BRANDON – Noah Sheffield found himself surrounded by the history of Tampa baseball entering the home of Tony Saladino on Thursday, much as his father – nine-time Major League Baseball All-Star and World Series champion Gary Sheffield – did nearly 40 years ago.

Noah joins his father and a legacy of generations of high school baseball standouts as he was named the 2024 Saladino Award winner by Tony Saladino in a small ceremony and dinner in the Saladino Family home.

“We hope that this award means as much to you as it does to me and my family,” Saladino said, while handing Noah Sheffield the award. “You’re in our family now, like your Dad is. We wish you well in baseball and in life.”

Sheffield, a recent Jesuit alum who helped the Tigers to the FHSAA Class 5A state championship in May, becomes the 55th player to receive the award, which was first handed out in 1971. He was joined at the ceremony by his his mother, DeLeon Sheffield, father and younger brother, Christian (a junior at Jesuit), as well as Jesuit head coach Miguel Menendez.

The Saladino Award is presented annually to the outstanding high school senior baseball player in Hillsborough County as a memorial to Tony Saladino Sr. and to promote high school baseball.

Sheffield, who was also named the All-813Preps Player of the Year for Classes 2A-5A, batted .411 (37 hits) his senior year, leading the Tigers with 28 RBI and four home runs. He also hit seven doubles, stole 15 bases and score 25 runs – five of those in the state semifinal and final games. He also helped the Tigers claim back-to-back Saladino Tournament titles over the last two seasons.

“We don’t win a state championship without him,” Menendez said. “Obviously, him as a player was a big part of that, but also his leadership. He wanted to fit in and be a good teammate, and that is hard to find sometimes.”

Thursday’s award presentation and the Tigers’ state title in May are special no doubt, but for Noah it’s the small moments – the routine of practice, and the connection with his Jesuit teammates – he’ll cherish most.

“I will definitely look back at the bond with all of my teammates,” Noah said. “Winning (a state title) was great and everything, but in 10 years when we have a reunion, we’ll all remember the laughs the most. It was great being a part of Jesuit – the team and the school. It will always be a part of my heart.”

“His pursuit of excellence makes him so special,” Menendez said. “There is so much pressure on him obviously with that last name … a lot of guys might resent that type of thing, but he looks at the blessing he has of a father, who can really help him with the struggle that baseball is at times.”

In 1986, Gary Sheffield was named the Saladino Award winner for his playing days at Hillsborough High, prior to his selection as a first-rounder (sixth overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers and his 22 years at the MLB level. The elder Sheffield is one of 14 award recipients to have played in the MLB – a list that includes Dave Magadan (Jesuit’s first recipient in 1980), Tino Martinez (Jefferson), the late Jose Fernandez (Alonso), fellow Jesuit alum Lance McCullers Jr. and current MLB standout Kyle Tucker (Plant).

“There are so many great players who have won this award,” Noah said, “to be a small part of that definitely means a lot.”

Noah is the sixth Jesuit player all time to be named the Saladino Award winner. He signed with Florida State in November of 2023 and just finished his first summer semester in Tallahassee.

“I’m just looking forward to Florida State and the opportunity that is in front of me,” Sheffield said. “I can’t wait for the career I’m going to have there, and hopefully making it to the Major Leagues someday.

“(I’m) following (my Dad) on a little different path, but hoping to reach the same goal.”

And the full-circle legacy moment of Noah’s winning the award was not lost on his father.

“This is a special moment for me,” Gary Sheffield said. “I didn’t know that we were the first father-son duo – that makes it extra special … my son and I have talked about all of these things a lot: the Saladino Tournament, winning All-American and winning a state championship. This is just really special for me.”

The family competitiveness definitely did not skip a generation.

“Now he can’t brag on (winning the award) anymore,” Noah said with a chuckle.

And the work-ethic is also being firmly engrained in the younger Sheffields. While the event was wrapping up just after 8pm, Gary announced to his two sons: “Come on. We’ve got to hit the cage.”

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TONY SALADINO AWARD WINNERS
1971 – DAVIAN MENENDEZ (TAMPA CATHOLIC) & RICK FAULKNER (PLANT)
1972 – ANTHONY LAZZARA (TAMPA BAY TECH) & DAN BAZARTE (LETO)
1973 – MIKE HEATH (HILLSBOROUGH)*
1974 – NICK RAY (ROBINSON)
1975 – JOHN SHOUSE (CHAMBERLAIN)
1976 – SAMMY SPENCE (BRANDON)
1977 – DANNY PICKERN (PLANT CITY)
1978 – LENNY FAEDO (JEFFERSON)*
1979 – RICK FIGUEREDO (PLANT)
1980 – DAVID MAGADAN (JESUIT)*
1981 – VANCE LOVELACE (HILLSBOROUGH)*
1982 – RICHARD MONTELEONE (TAMPA CATHOLIC)*
1983 – JOHN RAMOS (PLANT)*
1984 – CHUCK DONAHUE (ROBINSON)
1985 – TINO MARTINEZ (JEFFERSON)*
1986 – GARY SHEFFIELD (HILLSBOROUGH)*
1987 – CHRIS MYERS (PLANT)
1988 – MIN PARK (LETO)
1989 – KIKI JONES (HILLSBOROUGH)
1990 – SALVY URSO (PLANT)
1991 – BRUCE THOMPSON (BRANDON)
1992 – TROY KENT (JESUIT)
1993 – TROY CARRASCO (JESUIT)
1994 – SCOTT GLASER (BRANDON)
1995 – MIKE VALDES (BLOOMINGDALE)
1996 – GREG HOWELL (BRANDON)
1997 – JASON ROMANO (HILLSBOROUGH)*
1998 – JEREMY GOMER (DURANT)
1999 – RYAN GLOGER (JESUIT)
2000 – PAUL WILLIAMS (GAITHER)
2001 – RYAN ANDERSON (GAITHER)
2002 – JOSH SAWYER (BRANDON)
2003 – BRANDON McARTHUR (ARMWOOD)
2004 – RYAN STRAUSS (BLOOMINGDALE)
2005 – CALEB GRAHAM (GAITHER)
2006 – CARMINE GIARDINA (DURANT)
2007 – TOMMY TOLEDO (ALONSO)
2008 – ALEX PANTELIODIS (ALONSO)
2009 – ROBERT BENINCASA (ARMWOOD)
2010 – JAMES RAMSAY (BRANDON)
2011 – JOSE FERNANDEZ (ALONSO)*
2012 – LANCE McCULLERS (JESUIT)*
2013 – TYLER DANISH (DURANT)*
2014 – ALEX FAEDO (ALONSO)*
2015 – KYLE TUCKER (PLANT)*
2016 – ANTONIO VELEZ (BRANDON)
2017 – DREW EHRHARD (WHARTON)
2018 – ROBBY MARTIN (JEFFERSON)
2019 – DYLAN ESKEW (SICKLES)
2020 – No award given (COVID-19)
2021 – SEAN HERMANN (DURANT)
2022 – JACK OWENS (BLOOMINGDALE)
2023 – CADEN MCDONALD (SICKLES)
2024 – NOAH SHEFFIELD (JESUIT)

*  = winner reached the MLB.