SEATTLE – Brent Lillibridge spent last week hard at work. But the work wasn’t so much about hitting a curve ball or turning a double play. Instead, it was trying to get all his school work done.
He wanted today to be as stress free as possible. After all, he’ll have enough on his mind today without having to worry about getting an important assignment turned in.
Lillibrige, the University of Washington’s shortstop from Jackson High School, is expected to be a high-round choice when Major League Baseball’s amateur draft begins this morning. Lillibridge says he’s not feeling a lot of stress because he has options. If he is not drafted in a position he is happy about, he can always return to school for his senior year. That also gives Lillibridge strong leverage when negotiating a contract.
But indications are, that won’t be a problem.
Baseball America, considered the foremost authority on amateur baseball, ranks Lillibridge as the seventh-best middle infield prospect in the draft and the 88th-best player overall. That projects to Lillibridge being drafted in the third round.
Scouts have compared Lillibridge to Seattle Mariners utility man Willie Bloomquist.
“I’ve done everything I can,” Lillibridge said. “If it’s going to work out, it’s going to work out. I believe I’m a top-five (round) player. I’m hearing good things and getting good information. Now I’m just waiting to see how it goes.”
Lillibridge is viewed as one of the top three draft prospects in the state. Washington pitcher Tim Lincecum is rated as the 72nd-best player by Baseball America and Everett Community College pitcher Zach Simons is ranked 135th.
Everett CC pitcher J.T. Zink is close behind the top three, and Simons could be the first of the trio to go because he may have the most potential. According to Baseball America, scouts feel his mechanics flaws are correctable.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Lillibridge hit .420 with 16 home runs in his prep career but went undrafted out of Jackson. He arrived at Washington expecting to take over at shortstop, but when Tila Reynolds unexpectedly returned for his senior year, Lillibridge was moved to center field. The move didn’t affect Lillibridge at the plate, as he set a UW freshman record with 13 home runs and his .388 average was the second-best among freshmen in the nation. Lillibridge was the runner-up for Pacific-10 Conference Freshman of the Year and was a first-team freshman All-American. That summer, Lillibridge started in center field for the U.S. national team, winning a silver medal in the Pan-Am Games.
As a sophomore, Lillibridge began the year at shortstop before again moving to center. He earned his second all-Pac-10 honor, hitting 11 home runs, then spent the summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League, where the nation’s best collegians play.
Finally at shortstop for a full season, Lillibridge batted .330 with eight home runs and 45 RBI for the Huskies this season. In three years at the UW, he has a .342 average with 32 homers, 128 RBI and 40 stolen bases.
Lillibridge says pro teams have been in contact with him, asking him how likely he is to sign a contract and giving him psychological tests.
“They’re all finding out the same things,” Lillibridge said. “I’m a perfectionist who works hard and loves baseball.”
Lillibridge said that while he initially was not happy about having to move to center field, he believes it helped him in the long run. Players who can play several positions help their value.
“Baseball is a game where so many things can happen to a hitter,” Lillibridge said. “You can hit the ball hard four times but hit it right at people, then you can have some bad swings but the balls drop. But defense is something I can control and hopefully that’s something that people notice.”
Lillibridge first began noticing scouts taking an interest in him during his freshman year of high school. Since then, he says he’s gotten used to the attention. But, he said, he’ll be glad when the draft is over and he can get back to focusing strictly on the game.
“Since I was a little kid I wanted to play baseball for a living,” Lillibridge said. “Now I just want a chance to get to the minors and then work my way up. It’s not really important who takes me. All I need is one club to like me enough to give me a chance. Once I get my foot in the door, I feel good that I can prove myself.”
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