I’ve always felt that my bat-to-ball skill has helped. I’m not a power hitter. I’ve had to make sure my bat control was a big part of my game.”

Barrington's Sam Tanous

Maybe Barrington’s Sam Tanous wasn’t born with a bat and ball in his cradle, but given the season he just had at Massasoit Community College and his 2022 season with the Bluefield Ridge Runners in the Appalachian League (where he hit a commendable .284), maybe he did.

Add in the fact his father, Tom, is the Mets’ Vice President of Amateur and International Scouting, plus his younger brothers, Gabe and Luke, are stand-out players on Barrington High’s baseball team who’s to argue?

After Tanous graduated from Barrington High in 2020, he did a post-grad year at the Winchenden School and then enrolled at Rollins College which is a Division II school. But after 1 ½ years, he had to make a decision coming off a season where he only hit .260.

“I left because I needed a new fit,” Tanous said. “The coaches at Rollins were great to me but I didn’t feel it was the right fit for me as a baseball player.

“When I entered the transfer portal, I was going to St. Peter’s but the NCAA said I wasn’t able to go to a Division I school. I either had to red-shirt or go to a junior college.”

At the time, St. Peter’s loss was Massasoit’s gain. But Tanous will enroll at St. Peter’s in the fall as a junior.

Following are the stats Tanous posted for a 21-12 team that lost in the semifinals of the Region XXI Tournament:

He finished second on the team with a .471 batting average and in hits with 45.

He led the team with 45 runs scored.

He was second on the team with a .573 on-base percentage and second with 54 total bases.

He led the team with 20 stolen bases in 21 attempts.

In 85 at-bats, he walked 21 times and struck out only six times.

“Sam approached me about transferring,” Warriors coach Marcus Perry said. “His dad and I have a good relationship. When Sam was looking to transfer to a junior college without having to sit out a year, we were really excited.

“We had a shortstop (Jaden Ricci) who was All-Conference. For Sam to play second base was something we couldn’t pass up.”

Ironically, Tanous wound up playing shortstop instead of his normal position.

“When our shortstop broke a foot, we moved Sam to shortstop,” Perry said. “I knew he played a little short in high school. Sam and I had honest conversations about his arm.

“He’s such a good athlete and is such a high IQ guy that never came up. He would utilize a pump-fake move. He found ways to make his deficiencies not deficiencies.”

When it comes to stats that jump off the proverbial page take your pick, especially his walks-to-strikeouts ratio.

“Sam was our leadoff hitter for a reason,” Perry said. “He commanded the zone very well. He was taught to be a patient hitter. He was able to use his IQ to adapt to our style, specifically spraying the ball all over the field.

“He didn’t chase a lot of bad pitches early in counts which enabled him to see good pitches later in counts.”

Tanous attributes that ratio to getting “older.”

“When you get older and have more maturity, you see more pitches and have a better idea of the strike zone,” he said. “My walk percentage has gone up and my strikeout percentage has gone down.

“I’ve always felt that my bat-to-ball skill has helped. I’m not a power hitter. I’ve had to make sure my bat control was a big part of my game.”

Whenever Tanous reached first, he was an automatic stolen base.

“Sam is a high IQ player and we like guys who like to run,” Perry said. “We stole 100 bases this year and 75 last year. We knew Sam was a good base runner and he fit the mold of what we were looking for.

“We have five or six guys who are ‘green’ guys. There were plenty of times when he went on his own and some where I sent him. He was one of our ‘green’ guys.”

Since Tanous grew up with two athletic brothers, it’s not a major surprise that competition essentially was their collective middle name.

“It’s always been really competitive with us,” Tanous said. ‘Every day we’re competing very hard even if it’s pickup basketball.

“There always is some form of competition but at the end of the day we’re extremely supportive of each other. We want the best for each other and have made each other better players.”

Not surprisingly, Sam’s father has had a major influence on him not only as a baseball player but also as a person.

“As a player, I’ve never been the most physically capable player (i.e. he stands 5-8 and weighs 165 pounds),” Tanous said. “He’s taught me in so many ways to be a baseball player — things you won’t get from a lot of coaches out there.

“I’ve always prided myself on being the smartest player on the field. He’s taught me how to compete and be a winner. Being a smaller guy, you’ve got to fight for everything. Everything has to be earned. That’s something I’ve taken into my personal life.”