De La Salle's Tyler Spangler, All-Metro POY, draws big comparisons, posts huge numbers
Big frame. Big bat. Durable. Smooth. Quiet demeanor.
'You remind me of a young Cal Ripken Jr.,' said Jeans, who figured his junior shortstop wouldn't be familiar with the 19-time All-Star and two-time MVP who was out of Major League Baseball seven years before Spangler was born.
Spangler thought for a moment and nodded gratefully.
'He had a pretty good career, didn't he, Coach?' Spangler said.
Of course Spangler knew who Ripken was, Jeans reminded himself. This was Spangler, 'the throwback,' Jeans said. Never rattled. Nothing flashy. The consummate team player. Mature beyond his years. Never too up or too down.
Ripken is a player Spangler would naturally emulate. But because he bats left-handed, Spangler is more often compared to Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager. Spangler's baseball idol is Barry Bonds.
'Utterly coachable,' Jeans said of Spangler. 'You tell him one thing to work on, he applies it right away. He processes it, works on it and gets it done.'
Here's one thing he might not easily process: Spangler is the Chronicle's 2025 Metro Player of the Year.
The modest 6-foot-3, 190-pounder led the Spartans (29-4) to their seventh North Coast Section title in eight seasons and third Northern California crown in four years, utilizing every facet of a nearly flawless all-around game.
He entered the season having secured a scholarship to Stanford and was ranked the third-best junior in the nation (No. 1 in California) by Prep Baseball Report. He then went out and met all expectations, hitting a team-best .430 (43 hits, 100 at-bats) with 42 runs scored and 40 RBIs.
He tied a De La Salle record with 10 home runs to go along with eight doubles and six triples, for a hefty OPS of 1.470 and slugging percentage of .930.
On a team filled with stars — he's joined on the All-Metro first team by pitcher Graham Schlicht, infielder Antonio Castro and outfielder Alec Blair — Spangler was the obvious team and East Bay Athletic League MVP.
'He's the best player I've ever played with,' said senior Ethan Sullivan, a second-team All-Metro outfielder. 'His bat control, his hitting and defense is amazing. He's a great teammate, too. Super modest.'
When asked about his junior campaign going into the season's final week, the third-year starter said: 'As long as we're winning, it doesn't really matter what I'm doing. As long as we're winning, it's all good and I'm happy.'
Spangler rarely swung at pitches out of the zone and would often take the ball to left. He did so twice in the NorCal title game, lacing RBI doubles in the first and seventh innings down the left-field line, igniting the Spartans to a 5-4 win over Serra to close the season.
It was a perfect conclusion to a season for Spangler, who made just five errors in 102 total chances, while leading the team with 63 assists. The Spartans made a program-low 25 errors this season, with Spangler also having a hand in a team-best 15 double plays.
'There's nothing he didn't do for us,' Jeans said. 'He's not fazed by exterior or interior expectations. If he makes a mistake, he corrects it, all with a very quiet confidence.'
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