EVERETT — Baseball may be in Ryan Royster’s genes.
But genetics aren’t the most valuable baseball resource Royster’s received from his family.
The Everett AquaSox outfielder is a product of Major League Baseball, being the nephew of longtime major leaguer Jerry Royster.
But it’s the lessons he’s learned from his uncle, moreso than the physical attributes he inherited, that have spurred him on to a professional career of his own.
“My family’s been a great resource,” Ryan Royster said, “and it’s even a bigger resource to have someone who’s done exactly what I’m trying to do, and done it the right way.”
The 22-year-old Ryan Royster, the Seattle Mariners’ 13th-round pick in this year’s draft out of UC Davis, is just beginning down his professional path. And in his uncle Jerry, he has a family member who’s just about seen it all.
Jerry Royster has long been involved in professional baseball. It began with a 16-year major-league career as an infielder that included five stops, most notably a nine-season span in Atlanta from 1976-84.
Since his playing days ended Jerry Royster’s been heavily involved in managing and coaching. That included most of the 2002 season as interim manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as a stint in the Northwest League managing Yakima in 1990.
Currently Jerry Royster is managing the Lotte Giants in South Korea, the first foreign manager in Korean Baseball Organization history.
But despite the distance, Jerry Royster still finds time to keep track of his nephew’s progress.
“I called Ryan the day that he signed and told him to go and enjoy himself,” Jerry Royster wrote in an e-mail interview from South Korea. “It was a big accomplishment for him to become a professional after the struggles he had getting playing time early in his college career. I have always been available to Ryan when he needs me. I e-mailed him the other day and told him to cut down on his strike outs and watch is average start to climb.”
Having a family member who played in the majors was a motivating factor for Ryan Royster right from the beginning.
“I grew up with a baseball bat in my hand, and from day one I wanted to be like my uncle,” Ryan Royster said.
Because of Jerry Royster’s baseball commitments, and because they lived on opposite coasts for much of Ryan Royster’s childhood — Ryan in California, Jerry in Florida — the opportunities for on-field baseball teaching were limited.
However, there was always time for the spoken lessons, lessons Ryan Royster took to heart.
“I have always tried to teach Ryan and the others (including Aaron Fuller, another nephew who played in the Boston Red Sox organization) the importance of playing the game the way it was meant to be played,” Jerry Royster wrote. “Playing with pride and respect. Always trying to be the best player on the field.”
Said Ryan Royster: “He was just an amazing resource, especially as far as the grooming aspect: how to carry myself, how to be a teammate, how to be a leader, how to manage myself emotionally. You can’t get too down on yourself when times aren’t going well, and when times are going really well you have to try and stay even-keeled and stay focused. He always taught me to project myself as a confident player in control of myself and my emotions, and ultimately in control of my performance.”
That attitude has been helpful for Ryan Royster at the beginning of his pro career. He’s had a slow adjustment, batting just .174 in his first 44 games. However, he’s picked it up a bit lately, including a recent seven-game hitting streak.
The Roysters have remained in contact throughout Everett’s season, mostly through e-mail, and Jerry Royster listens to AquaSox broadcasts online when he can.
And if things break right, Ryan Royster might just follow in his uncle’s footsteps.
“(Jerry Royster) really drove into me that this is just the beginning,” Ryan Royster said. “I haven’t made it yet. Now it’s time to turn the work ethic up a notch, turn the focus up a notch. But my foot’s in the door and my goal is really within reach now, getting to be a major-league player.”
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