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The Pittsburgh Pirates made a significant investment in Long Island’s baseball future during the 2026 MLB Draft.
The organization selected The Stony Brook School switch-hitting shortstop Aiden Ruiz with the 44th overall pick in the second round before adding St. Anthony’s graduate and right-handed pitcher Jason DeCaro 80th overall in the third, giving the Pirates two of the region’s top prospects.
“Honestly, the Pirates had one heck of a draft getting both of them,” The Stony Brook School baseball coach Jon Brewer told Greater Long Island.
Top: (L) Aiden Ruiz, courtesy, The Stony Brook School. (R) Jason DeCaro, courtesy, St. Anthony’s High School
From catcher to elite shortstop
For Brewer, watching Ruiz hear his name called was emotional.
“This was incredibly rewarding,” Brewer said. “Obviously for Aiden, but for me too. I’ve known him since he was in eighth grade, so to see him grow, on and off the field, is just incredible. We all had tears of joy.”
Brewer knew Ruiz was special almost immediately after he arrived at The Stony Brook School following eighth grade. He just wasn’t expecting the future draft pick to become a shortstop.
“He came to us at the end of his eighth-grade year to try out, and he was a catcher,” Brewer said. “He was very talented. I knew right then that he was going to be my catcher the next year when he was a freshman.”
Then Ruiz showed up for fall workouts.
“When he showed up in the fall, he started playing shortstop,” Brewer said. “I was so confused, but I let him try it. Holy cow was he good.”
Brewer laughed as he recalled Ruiz arriving with his catcher’s gear.
“I guess he changed his mind over the summer but never told anyone,” Brewer said. “I still have no idea to this day why he showed up with his catching gear.”
Ruiz never looked back.
“Aiden is the most talented player I’ve ever coached, and that includes some future major leaguers when I was coaching down south in Georgia,” Brewer said. “He’s cerebral, he has an elite mentality, he’s steps ahead of everyone else. The tougher the situation, the better he is. He doesn’t feel pressure.”
Brewer said Ruiz’s leadership was every bit as impressive as his talent.
“His talent on the field was astronomical, but to me, off the field was just as important,” Brewer said. “He was another coach for me. Incredible leadership in practice and games.”
A dream years in the making
Ruiz was the first Long Island player selected by Pittsburgh, but DeCaro wasn’t far behind.
Although the East Northport native had a strong feeling the Pirates were interested, he entered draft day knowing nothing was guaranteed. After narrowing the likely destinations to a handful of teams with his family the day before, he waited for the phone to ring.
About 10 minutes before Pittsburgh made its third-round selection, it finally did.
“That call was awesome,” DeCaro said. “Just knowing that all the work that I’ve put in kind of finally paid off and just having the opportunity to live out my dream.”
For DeCaro, the journey began long before draft day. A lifelong Mets fan, he started playing organized baseball around age 4.
Professional baseball stopped feeling like a distant dream during the summer after his junior year at St. Anthony’s.
“The summer after junior year is kind of when I took off,” DeCaro said. “I kind of just got way better out of nowhere.”
The rapid development earned him a scholarship to the University of North Carolina and put him firmly on professional scouts’ radar. He also experienced the draft process after high school, when the Pirates attempted to select him before he ultimately chose to attend North Carolina.
After that, DeCaro knew reaching the major leagues was a realistic goal.
“I was kind of like, all right, this is definitely something that I can do,” he said.
His time at St. Anthony’s also left a lasting impact.
“Some high school teammates — some of the seniors on that team — I haven’t heard from them in probably five years, and some of them are reaching out,” DeCaro said. “It’s pretty cool just to hear.”
Just the beginning
As memorable as draft day was, DeCaro knows it marked the start of a new challenge rather than the finish line.
“The work just starts now,” he said. “Everything before now doesn’t really mean anything. I’m on the same playing field as everyone else now.”
Confidence, however, has never been in short supply.
“When I’m on the field, I know that I’m out there fully believing that I’m the best pitcher in the country,” he said.
DeCaro backs that belief with a fastball that reaches 96 to 97 mph and a changeup that developed into one of his top secondary pitches at North Carolina.
His favorite offering, though, remains the heater.
“There’s nothing better than throwing a fastball and having a guy be late on it,” he said. “Just like, yeah, I just beat you with something you know is coming.”
Now, with professional baseball finally within reach, he’s eager to prove himself all over again.
“I can’t wait to get started and prove myself all over again,” he said.
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