From the Field: Caleb Lomavita, c, Washington Nationals
This is an exciting one! In 2001, catcher Caleb Lomavita was the best prospect in Hawaii. Of course, back then I was not paying as close as attention as I am not to prep baseball in the islands, so I didn’t get him before he went off to play at Cal. At Cal, Lomavita went on to become one of the best prospects in D1 baseball, and in 2024 was taken No. 39 overall by the Washington Nationals in the MLB Draft.
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What’s extra cool about this? While I am originally from Cleveland, I have been living in Ewa Beach for over 20 years. Its home. And I have to listen to the people I work with–generally a pretty affluent group–pick on me for it. But I love this part of the island. Ewa Beach is also the hometown of Lomavita, though he went to high school at St. Louis School vice Campbell High. Still, it’s neat to see a guys from Ewa go on the first day of the draft.
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Lomavita is back on Oahu right now, coaching a team at the Five Tool Hawaii showcase. So, I was able to correct my mistake and get him today. The best part? He was friendly. I was nervous, being a first rounder, he might already be sick of autographs. Not yet! So, this made my day. I am very excitied to see him kick off his first pro season in 2025, and hope he has a long career in professional ball.