Danny Gilchrist: Medford Baseball's Best Weapon

The Medford High baseball team boasts a serious arsenal, and at the top of the rotation sits senior fireballer Danny Gilchrist.

The hard-throwing right-hander has tormented opponents all season with his blazing heater and his ability to locate his pitches and catch hitters off guard with his changeup.

Add a brand new curveball into that mix, and it becomes almost unfair. 

In six appearances on the mound this season (five starts, one relief appearance), Gilchrist, who will play his college ball in New Hampshire at Division 2 powerhouse Franklin Pierce University, has amassed some gaudy statistics.

He's 6-0 and has thrown 35 innings, allowing nine runs—four of them earned—while striking out 45 and walking just 16. His earned run average sits at an anemic 0.80, placing him among the state’s top moundsmen.

He can hit a little too.

In fact, he can hit a lot. Gilchrist currently leads the Mustangs in every statistical category at the plate. He is hitting at a .485 clip with a .605 on base percentage, has clubbed 10 homers and collected 18 RBIs. 

For Medford head coach Mike Nestor, he is a godsend. But for the opposition, he is an unadulterated headache.

“He is absolutely one of the best in Massachusetts,” said Nestor of his ace hurler. “I’ve seen him for four years, and every year he develops more as a pitcher.”

For first-year head coach Nestor, who served as an assistant coach for 13 years after a fine baseball career at MHS, the most promising aspect of his development is on the mental side of the equation.

“He’s learning how to pitch and not just overpower people,” Nestor said. “You’re going to face much better hitters, and that’s what we’ve been noticing lately. The better hitters, they’re going to hit your fastball.”

Enter pitch number three. Gilchrist’s fledgling bender.

“I kind of mastered my curveball a week ago,” he said after a practice last week at Playstead Park. “I still need to work on my changeup a little bit and then I’ll be good to go with three good pitches.”

Surely a sobering thought for any of his 45 strikeout victims this year.

Although a standout during all of his prior years at MHS, Gilchrist has really come into his own this season, and has grown into the leadership role that his ability has always suggested. 

Nestor named his senior star a team captain just over a week ago.

“After the first few games of the year, I felt it was warranted he be named captain,” said Nestor, a 1995 MHS grad. “I made him a captain to try and be that leader, because he is and he deserves it ... The thing that counts most is leadership on the field, and he has it.”

When asked whether he envisioned himself as a vocal leader or someone who goes out and leads by example, Gilchrist replied that he hopes to be a little bit of both.

“I’m definitely vocal in practice,” he said. “If I see guys slacking, I’ll let them know, but I definitely feel like I go out there and show (the team) that I back up what I’m saying.”

He started the season playing third base when not on the mound, but Nestor has moved Gilchrist to shortstop. The switch has been seamless.

“He’s been very receptive to switching,” said Nestor. “We moved him to shortstop due to the fact that he’s one of our better players.

“He has everything you want. The hands, the foot work ... The kids in Medford could learn a lot by coming to watch him play ... You can tell he’s had a lot of baseball in his life, just by the things he does on the field.”

A Family Affair

Danny’s brother Kevin pitched at Malden Catholic, and played a major role in the Lancers run to the State semis in 2008. He now stars nearby at Tufts University. 

“I used to go to a lot of games when (Kevin) was at MC,” Danny said, of his older brother.

The one person whom Gilchrist credits first when asked who helped to influence his pitching the most, is former Medford High head coach and former MHS and UConn Huskies ace Nick Tucci.

“He was my coach since I was a freshman,” said Gilchrist of Tucci, who was drafted 723rd overall by the San Diego Padres in 2006. “He really helped me get ahead in the count and to be more confident on the mound.”

With all the success he’s achieved on a personal level so far this year, the ultimate goals remain firmly rooted in the “team-first” ethos.

“The goal every year is to win the GBL,” Gilchrist said. “As it stands, we’re still alive, and there’s still a chance.”

As for the personal successes, the senior right-hander prefers not to pay attention to them during the season.

“I don’t really like to pay attention to (the stats),” said Gilchrist. “I did that my sophomore year, and it kind of got in my head. I told my dad, I don’t really want to hear the stats anymore, because I feel like I can just go out and help the team.”

Focusing on the team side of things is a wise move, as Medford is still in the hunt for a piece of the GBL pie. The Mustangs are currently looking up in the standings at Everett, who sits at 9-1 overall and 6-0 in the GBL, while Medford is 9-2 overall and 3-2 in the league.

The Crimson Tide face Malden on May 17 and the Mustangs on May 19, and should the Golden Tornadoes defeat Everett, a Medford win—in a game in which Gilchrist is virtually assured to take the ball—two days later would crown the two schools GBL Co-Champs.

Everett doesn’t lack for top-drawer pitching either, as Shaun McGrath is probably the only moundsman in the GBL who could stake a credible claim to being on a par with Gilchrist. 

One thing is for certain: The remainder of the GBL schedule won’t lack for drama or excitement.

College Bound

Next year, Gilchrist will join a program at Franklin Pierce that is a perennial power in Division 2, and a coach who is widely respected in baseball circles in Ravens skipper Jayson King. 

The decision to attend 15th-ranked FPU was made even easier for Gilchrist by financial circumstances.

“It was between Franklin Pierce and Southern New Hampshire, and I got a little more (scholarship) money from Franklin Pierce,” said Gilchrist. “Plus, they’re well known around the country for being a very good Division 2 school.”

The jump to the next level will be a bigger one than at any previous stage of his baseball career, and the senior knows he will need a combination of work and patience to get where he wants to be.

“I’m definitely going to have to do a lot of working out and getting my legs a lot stronger, getting more velocity on my fastball,” said Gilchrist. “I going to have to be confident. Going up there as a freshman, I can’t expect to be the ace pitcher on the mound. I might have to sit and watch a lot of games.”

Coach Nestor, for one, has no doubts his ace can make the leap.

“His talent is rare,” he said of Gilchrist. “To succeed at the next level, he needs to understand what he brings to the table ... That’s the one thing he needs to understand a little bit more: How much talent he has. Some people would kill to have his talent.”