2008 Woodie Awards
New A's making the grade
Spartan alums benefit from hard work and determination
Brad Howell
Issue date: 10/31/06 Section: Sports
| |
|
Two former UNC Greensboro baseball stars are still working towards turning their dreams into reality. Patrick Currin and Jermaine Mitchell enjoyed successful seasons with the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League after being drafted by the Oakland Athletics last June.
Mitchell, 21, spent only one season in Greensboro, but he made the most of his short stay, leading the SoCon in hitting with a .397 batting average. Mitchell led the UNCG in slugging percentage (.568), on-base percentage (.493), hits (93), triples (7), home runs (5), total bases (133), RBIs (41), walks (42) and stolen bases (24).
A centerfielder as a Spartan, Mitchell played all three outfield spots at short-season Vancouver (Low-A) after being selected in the fifth round (158th overall) by the A's.
The left-handed hitting Mitchell went on a tear last May, batting .529 during the month. The late season outburst combined with his blurring speed considerably raised Mitchell's draft stock.
As soon as the A's called his name, the Daingerfield, Texas native was anxious to begin playing so as to not interrupt his hot streak. "I was hitting the ball well. It just carried over from when I was in Greensboro. I also didn't want to hold out and make a bad impression."
Mitchell treated pro pitchers the same as he had hurlers in the Southern Conference, batting at a .362 clip in 37 games. He hit only three homers, but he also displayed a good eye by drawing 22 walks in 138 at-bats. "Oakland likes hitters that walk a lot and have a good eye, so I tried to make a conscious effort to improve in that area."
Mitchell's desire to improve on the raw aspects of his game led him to the Instructional League after Vancouver's season concluded. He focused on improving his defense, getting better jumps on the ball, and running the bases. Mitchell swiped 14 bases, but was also caught six times -- not a great percentage considering his wheels. "Speed is going to take me places," Mitchell said during a phone interview from Arizona. "I'd like to hit for more power, but my speed will enable me to hit for a higher average, beat out grounders, things like that."
The level of success experienced in his first pro season didn't come as a huge surprise, mostly because he knew what to expect. Most hitters struggle making the adjustment to wood bats, but Mitchell felt right at home.
"Hitting with wooden bats wasn't that hard because I've been playing in wood bat leagues every summer for the past few years. Wood helps you focus on staying inside the ball better."
The biggest difference to Mitchell was the talent level of the pitchers. "Guys are better of course because it's pro ball, but you can't sit on certain pitches in hitters' counts. You're not always going to see that fastball 2-0. Pitchers here have better command - they throw all their pitches for strikes."
Mitchell plans to work out and visit his family in Texas during the off-season. He's looking forward to coming back in the spring, where he believes he will report to High-A Kane County (Ill.) for his first full professional season.
Another player who hopes to join Mitchell at Kane County is Patrick Currin. The right-hander from Chapel Hill was Mitchell's teammate at UNCG and Vancouver, as Oakland made Currin a member of the organization after drafting him in the 22nd round this June.
"The experience was unbelievable," said Currin in regards to his first taste of professional baseball. "I got to play with and against some of the best players from around the country."
Currin's impeccable control was his forte at UNC Greensboro, as evidenced by his career 1.99 BB per nine innings ratio. Currin throws a two-seam fastball that can be devastating to right handed hitters…a talent he gets to display from time to time.
"The biggest difference from college ball is the hitters tend to not miss mistake pitches. They (batters) hit it a little further when you do make a mistake, but breaking wood bats is always fun."
After his four-year Spartan career had ended, Currin walked away second on the school's all-time list in saves (14) and relief appearances (95). He also ranks in the top 10 in strikeouts and innings pitched.
Currin finished his senior year 10-3 with eight saves and a 2.93 ERA. One of the saves came against Currin's hometown school, North Carolina, who failed to recruit him coming out of high school. The Tar Heels were No. 1 in the nation when UNCG defeated them 7-6 in Greensboro on April 18. Carolina went on to lose the national championship.
Currin appeared in 19 games for the Canadians, going 2-5 with a 3.66 ERA and two saves. He held batters to a .254 average against and racked up 38 K's to only eight walks.
Although the transition was relatively smooth for the reliever, Currin is still trying to refine his game in hopes of advancing in the A's system.
"Towards the end (of the season) I started throwing the ball really well; the biggest improvement probably involves the development of my changeup and trying to get a larger speed differential between it and my fastball."
History says chances are slim that any of the surviving Spartans is going to make it to the bigs, as less than 15 percent of minor leaguers ever see the Promised Land. Brian Moehler, drafted in the sixth round by Detroit in '93, is the only Spartan to make it to the majors.
But those figures don't deter either of the A's prospects, which plan to continue living their dreams as long as the opportunity presents itself.
According to Mitchell, advancing in the system is something a player can't concern himself with. "Go out and just play every day. Do the best you can. Don't worry bout what the next man's gonna do."
Currin is spending a portion of his summer back in Chapel Hill as an intern with an accounting firm. That doesn't mean he doubts his ability, but he is aware the game may not be around forever. As long as he plays however, he plans to lay it all on the line.
"(Baseball) is something that I could spend the rest of my life doing just as long as I am able to compete and succeed at higher levels," said Currin. "I try to motivate myself to consistently work hard so the question can't be asked 'what if'."
Be the first to comment on this story