Shorewood Baseball Star Is A Hit On The Field And On Social Media

SHOREWOOD, IL — Like most parents, Jorge Acosta hopes his children find something in life that fuels their passion. Once they do, he said, he is willing to do whatever he can to help them achieve their dreams.

So, when Acosta’s 8-year-old son, Abel, discovered baseball at age 4, he was curious to see where America’s pastime would take the Shorewood youngster. Four years later, not only has Abel found something he loves, but he's also built a social media following that neither father nor son could have ever seen coming.

Abel Acosta is the baseball talent behind Kid With A Bat, which has built up 900 followers on Instagram and also has a healthy following on YouTube, where his videos have grabbed more than 25,000 views. Abel’s videos have garnered thousands of likes and have drawn the attention of MLB Network studio host Scott Braun as well as personalities at the Chicago Cubs-owned Marquee Network.

The videos, which Jorge Acosta posts once or twice a week, often feature Abel working out in the baseball hitting factory that his grandfather set up in the family’s garage while others show Abel honing his skills with his Shorewood-based travel baseball team, the Illinois Dynasty and before that with the Joliet-based Whiteford travel team.

While Abel isn’t aware of the reach the social media posts have among a growing fan following, he isn’t afraid to allow his passion for baseball to come shining through in each video.

And for his father, that — not the viral nature of some of the videos — is what matters most as Abel continues to chase after his baseball dreams.

“He has definitely been able to excel at a different level,” Jorge Acosta told Patch this week. “The passion that the boy has for the game is unreal. Because he has such a passion (for baseball), I’ve never had to push him. It’s something that comes from him to want to do more.”

He added: “That’s the best part because I can just sit back and enjoy my son doing what he loves to do.”

This past season, while playing with the Dynasty’s 9-U program as a 7-year-old, Abel finished the year hitting .369 with 39 hits, 36 RBIs, 68 runs scored, and 54 stolen bases. Abel has always played with older boys but has never shied away from bigger and better competition as a way to fuel his competitive spirit. This past summer, Abel was selected as one of three Illinois players to be part of the USSAA travel team that competed at a tournament in Memphis and that showcased some of the nation’s top baseball talent.

Abel, who was playing with 8-year-olds at age 6, is now playing with the Dynasty’s 10-U program at a time when his love of the game only continues to grow nearly as quickly as his social media following. Next week, Abel will travel to Florida for another showcase tournament with USA Baseball, which not only puts him up against top competition from around the country but also sets him up to be noticed by others impressed with his impressive talent.

Abel has received a sponsorship deal with Ozinga, the south suburban-based concrete company that also sponsors local baseball teams and programs. The sponsorship covers Abel’s baseball-related travel and training costs, which Jorge Acosta said will make things easier for Abel to continue to excel at the game he loves so much.

Abel has also been contacted by the Baum bat company, which features the local youngster on its website and that is working toward adding him to its promotional advertising campaign. Abel has continued to take the attention in stride, again, not fully understanding what the notoriety has meant for the exposure that has come his way because of baseball.

“He gets excited, but he doesn’t understand the extent of it,” Jorge Acosta told Patch. “He’s so small, and so he doesn’t understand that, Whoa, this is big.”

“But I’m just letting it flow and see where it goes …but it continues to grow, and it’s just incredible …it has just taken its own course.”