Haddonfield Grad Leads Pro Baseball In Home Runs

SUGAR LAND, TX — He may not be a household name (yet), but a Haddonfield alumnus has been dominating the minor leagues.

Joey Loperfido, who competes in the Astros' system, has hit 10 home runs in 16 games this season. That's more trips around the base paths than anyone in Minor League Baseball — or the majors, for that matter — in the short season.

Loperfido, 24, attended Haddonfield Memorial High School, where he lettered in baseball and soccer. He competed for four years at Duke University before the Astros selected him in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB draft.

He currently competes for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys — the Astros' Texas-based Triple-A affiliate. The lefty competes all over the diamond, logging innings as a first baseman, second baseman and outfielder in the pros.

On Monday, Loperfido was named Pacific Coast League Player of the Week after batting 11-for-26 with five home runs in six games. He hit three homers in a 16-2 win Friday against the Albuquerque Isotopes, including his first-career grand slam.

MLB.com ranks Loperfido as the sixth-best Astros prospect, projecting his major-league debut to come sometime this season. Last season, he was named Houston's Minor League Player of the Year.

Professional baseball's top-two home run hitters both hail from South Jersey. The Angels' Mike Trout, who grew up in Millville, currently has eight this season.