Ryan Jacob recently tried out for Area Code games
It’s one thing to hit batting practice alone, with your dad or
teammate hucking fastballs at, maybe, 70 miles per hour (depends on
the dad or teammate).
But it’s a completely different story when BP involves a pitcher
tossing 90-plus miles per hour, and is done in front of
approximately 100 professional scouts and college coaches, each of
whom carry a clipboard and a discriminating eye.
Ryan Jacob recently tried out for Area Code games
It’s one thing to hit batting practice alone, with your dad or teammate hucking fastballs at, maybe, 70 miles per hour (depends on the dad or teammate).
But it’s a completely different story when BP involves a pitcher tossing 90-plus miles per hour, and is done in front of approximately 100 professional scouts and college coaches, each of whom carry a clipboard and a discriminating eye.
“When I got there and I saw every single team’s pro scout out there, I was pretty nervous,” said Ryan Jacob, an incoming senior at San Benito High who last week tried out for the 2011 Area Code Baseball Games in Stockton, where he and roughly 107 other prospective players tried to stand out at one of the nation’s most exclusive baseball showcases.
“They told us to have fun,” Jacob added.
Good luck with that.
Jacob, who was the Haybalers’ starting varsity shortstop last spring after having spent his first two high school seasons competing at Valley Christian in San Jose, nevertheless managed to stand out during his brief tryout, which included speed drills, fielding grounders, batting practice and a nine-inning game, all of which was held July 6 at Banner Island Ball Park, home of the Class A Stockton Ports.
Whether his performance leads to a spot at the Area Code Baseball Games remains to be seen, though; cuts are expected to be announced Friday, July 15.
“I feel good. I think I did good at the tournament,” Jacob said.
“I’m pretty confident,” he later added. “Coaches told me I had done good and they had been watching me for a while.”
The scouts in attendance have a pretty good idea of who everybody is at the Area Code games. After all, it takes a personal invitation from a professional scout simply in order to tryout.
Jacob believes he was invited by Nathan Trosky, a scout with the Milwaukee Brewers, who last year invited former Baler Darin Gillies to the Area Code games. Gillies, a right-handed pitcher who will attend Arizona State in the fall, was one of 11 hurlers selected to his team last summer for the showcase tournament.
Jacob said he had been previously getting looks from scouts and colleges, although the added eyes in attendance at Baler games this past season to check out Gillies and fellow pitcher Bryan Granger was a benefit.
“It was good playing in the WCAL my freshmen and sophomore years,” said Jacob, referring to the West Catholic Athletic League. “But Darin and Bryan, they had guys watching them play, so it was a good advantage.”
This summer has been a bit of a whirlwind for Jacob, who earlier this season competed in the Rawlings NorCal World Series in Stockton, where he was named to the tournament’s All-Star team. He is also expected to compete later this year in the Fall Classic in Arizona.
The Area Code games is perhaps the most exclusive of the showcases, though. Now in its 25th year, the wood-bat tournament has produced more than 500 major league players, according to its website, with each of the eight Area Code teams represented by a Major League Baseball club.
Jacob tried out for a spot on the Oakland Athletics, which is selecting its players specifically from Northern California.
“There were a lot of good players there. I have no idea how they choose the team,” he said.
On July 6, Jacob started his tryout with a 60-yard dash, which he ran in 6.8 seconds, slightly slower than the top time — a 6.5 by Palo Alto’s B.J. Boyd.
It was off to field grounders at that point, which included three grounders straight on, one up the middle and another, a slow-roller on the run.
“I made all of them cleanly … on the money,” Jacob said.
Batting practice was next; 10 pitches in front of a slew of scouts. Jacob fouled one off, but was “solid” in at least seven of the 10 hacks, he felt.
The nine-inning game followed. Pitchers got 15 tosses, position players two at-bats and three innings in the field, where Jacob fielded two grounders cleanly and slapped the tag on one runner attempting to steal. At the plate, although he lined out to second during his second at-bat, his first try was much more solid, much more memorable.
“It’s hard to go up to bat. There’s a lot of scouts up in the stands and behind you, watching you, taking notes,” Jacob said.
Starting off with a 1-1 count, Jacob missed the first offering from the pitcher, who was throwing low-90s, he said. The second throw came in high and inside, near his head.
“That kind of got me mad,” he said.
The incoming senior smacked the very next pitch he saw to the left-center field gap, one-hopping the wall for a double. He would be stranded at second, though, as the opposing pitcher fanned the next three batters he faced.
Jacob is hoping the scouts noticed.
“After my first swing, I got in my zone,” he said. “When you get in that groove, you kind of forget about everything.
“You’re nervous until you get up there and realize you’re just playing baseball.”
