AJ Orrico: From the SFCBL to the Next Chapter

By Beka Haddad

         If the South Florida Collegiate Baseball League had a Hall of Fame, one of the first people to be inducted into it would be AJ Orrico. Orrico, who just finished his college baseball career at Lynn University, played for the SFCBL for six years and is a part of the backbone of this league. Through his time in this league he has made many memories, matured in his game, and had many doors open.

         Baseball for Orrico was a family affair. His dad got him started playing the game and coached him throughout high school and into his SFCBL career. Being from Boynton Beach, Orrico heard about the league from his high school coach, Nick Franco, who was also the coach of the Buccaneers at the time. When Orrico graduated, Franco was able to get him in to play with the Bucs, where he played for five years. This year, he began his sixth and final season with the Delray Beach Wave.

         During his time in the SFCBL, Orrico added a lot of accolades to his name while on the field. He made four All Star teams and currently holds the league record for all-time hits. However, during the first week of the season this year, Orrico earned his first Player of the Week honor, which was something he described as special, especially to end his SFCBL career. 

         Besides the accolades, Orrico’s time with the SFCBL has been filled with many special memories. Though he could not pinpoint a specific favorite memory, something that he did enjoy was some of the rivalries, especially at the end of the season during the playoffs.

         “It was fun to play against the old [West Boca] Snappers team, especially during their dynasty in 2018, 2019, and 2020,” Orrico said. “The Snappers-Bucs rivalry ran deep, and it was exciting to play against them in competitive games like the semifinals of the playoffs.”

         Additionally, besides his accomplishments and the memories, the people he met while in the league also had a huge impact on his life. For instance, after his freshman year of college at Stetson University, Orrico was in the transfer portal. The coach of another team in the SFCBL, the Boca Raton Blazers, had connections to Lynn University. This coach put in a good word for Orrico because he had seen him play and knew that he would be a good asset to the team. Through the connections to the coaches he met in the SFCBL, Orrico was ultimately able to transfer to Lynn, which he said was one of the best decisions he has made.

         Besides the coaches, Orrico was also closely connected to his teammates.

         “I made some of my closest friends while playing summer ball,” Orrico said. “It was super special to grow up in this league and be a part of something so special and so close to home.” 

         This summer, which was Orrico’s final summer with the SFCBL looked a little different. As mentioned above, did not play for the Buccaneers, but instead for the Delray Beach Wave. He only played for the league a week before he left for New York to try out for professional leagues. However, in a change of events, he ended up playing for the Charleston Dirty Birds of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is a very well-known independent league. During his time with the Dirty Birds, he was able to play with veteran players from the major and minor leagues. For instance, Orrico was on base for a grand slam from Clint Frazier, who played for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox, and he turned a double play with Delino DeShields Jr, who played for the Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds.

         In his tenure with the Dirty Birds, Orrico learned a lot about the game from these veteran players. His advice for collegiate baseball players wanting to play professionally is to listen to them and soak in all that they have to say.

         “I was a true rookie, where a lot of these guys had been in the major and minor leagues,” Orrico said. “Something that I did was listen to them and talk baseball with them to learn the game on a new level that I hadn’t known before. So that is my advice to guys who want to play professionally. Listen, learn as much as possible, and try to soak it all in.”

         And he is still learning every day. The road to playing on any professional team is not linear, but rather filled with ups and downs. It will be exciting to see where Orrico goes from here as he turns the page and begins a new chapter in his baseball career. He is a legendary player in the SFCBL, and it is certain that he will become a legend wherever his professional career ends up taking him.