(Picture courtesy of Rutgers Athletics)

By: John Leuzzi

Before Chris Brito could even say his first words, he already had a career path: baseball.

The Perth Amboy, New Jersey, native was born into a baseball family.

His dad, Tilson, played two seasons in the MLB with the Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics before playing internationally, where Chris would be first introduced to the game.

“It was as early as four or five years old,” Brito said. “We basically just had a catch and hit the ball around the ballpark. The first thing he told me from the get-go was, 'This is a game and you should have fun with this.'”

He has since followed that advice from his dad in everything he does on and off the diamond.

“If you're not having fun with something in life, you basically shouldn't do it,” Brito said. “You should have fun with it and take it in everyday in practice and in a game. That's what I've been carrying for my whole life in my game.”

Rutgers baseball hitting coach Kyle Pettoruto said having a pedigree like this is a huge advantage for anyone, including Brito.

“It rubs off mostly in the way he plays,” Pettoruto said. “He doesn't get really high, doesn’t get really low, he just kind of plays. He wants to have fun when he's playing too. He's an ultimate team guy too so I think all those traits definitely have been kind of ingrained in him from his pedigree and the way he goes about his work.”

Now Brito will look to carry that message from his mentor one step further as he looks to finish something that has been left unfinished.

“I don’t look up to any other baseball players other than him,” Brito said. “I really try to follow in his footsteps and just carry on something that he couldn’t finish, which was carrying on with his MLB career.”

While Brito has become one of the top prospects in this upcoming July’s MLB Amateur Draft, that rank wasn’t handed to him.

Last season for the Scarlet Knights, Brito hit .265 with a double, three home runs and 11 RBIs in 15 games before the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Brito said he kept in shape during the quarantine as he was unsure when he would be told to lace up the cleats.

“I tried to hit everyday, play catch everyday, take some ground balls and just stay in shape,” Brito said. “It was a long summer without baseball.”

Along with staying on top of the fundamentals during the extended offseason, Brito said he worked on two additional elements of his game: the mental aspect and approach at the plate.

“Before the game, you got to master your approach and stick with it throughout the whole game,” Brito said. “If you go up without a plan, your amount of success goes down.”

Despite the lost season last year, Pettoruto said there was enough time this fall to work with Brito on getting the right-hander to the level of consistency he needed to be at.

“We all felt that a year ago, he was a talented swinger of the bat but not necessarily the most talented hitter,” Pettoruto said. “As he has shown this year, he could be a talented hitter not just a talented swinger.”

As of May 4, Brito is hitting .280 for Rutgers with 33 hits, nine home runs and 29 RBIs.

Pettoruto said the main thing Brito tweaked with his swing was making a slight adjustment with his body, which has allowed him to be more free inside the box.

This has allowed Brito to be more consistent, reduce his swing and miss rate and produce more aggressive swings off of good pitches, according to Pettoruto.

“He had a lot of wrap in the shoulders that caused him to be deep, long and slower,” Pettoruto said. “This year when he's at his best, the shoulders are more square and landing, which allows them to handle more pitches.”

Brito said one way he was able to do this was by looking at past videos of how Chicago White Sox first baseman José Abreu would simplify his own swing.

“He was mostly like a leg kick guy and then he just went to a little toe tap type guy. But I always liked the leg kick so I stood with that,” Brito said. “I just try to basically simplify my swing as much as possible in order to get my contact point shortened up. That’s what I got from Jose Abreu.”

Back on March 15, Brito was named one of nine National Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball after going 9-for-18 in a four game series against Maryland where he had four home runs, nine RBIs, 23 total bases and recorded a 1.278 slugging percentage.

Like his dad, power has come natural for Brito.

“He was known for his power and some of that has carried out to me, so I just try to build from that,” Brito said. “He told me first contact and then the power would come. I’m a pretty strong enough kid to hit balls over the fence, which I’m grateful for.”

When it comes to his MLB Draft Prospect resume, Pettoruto said Brito’s power jumps out.

“If you go look at his home runs, a lot of parts of the middle of the field or to the back side of the field, which at the college level is something you don't see a whole lot of,” Pettoruto said.

Before the 2021 season began, Brito was moved from first base to third base, a position that feels like home to the 6-foot-2, 215 pound infielder.

“I was a third baseman in high school and I got recruited as a third baseman, so when I got the call from (Coach) Owens saying I was switching, I was really happy,” Brito said. “I am back where I belong and I’m pretty comfortable there.”

Pettoruto mentioned Brito’s ability to be a versatile fielder helps him stand out.

“He can really defend too,” Pettoruto said. “I don't think he's a third baseman in pro baseball, I think he's a first baseman. But he's showing that he's sure-handed enough to handle the ball and make all the throws, so I think that that definitely helps him.”

As the draft inches closer day by day, Pettoruto said despite the challenges of the draft itself, he believes in Brito's chances.

“We're excited for him with whatever happens," Pettoruto said. "If he's gone, that's great. That's one of our goals as a program is to develop players. If he's back, then that's great too but he will be a pro baseball player at some point."

Brito will be returning to the Schooners this summer but is set to make his debut with the squad after the coronavirus pandemic suspended last season.

“I've heard really good things about it from my teammates,” Brito said. “(With) it (being) a short ballpark, I hope to be able to do some damage as well.”

With the Schooners’ season right around the corner, Brito has one message for fans.

“I love winning,” Brito said. “I want to let my message be clear, my first goal is to win it all."

This article was written by John Leuzzi. He can be reached at john.leuzzi@marquette.edu or on Twitter @JohnLeuzziMU.