Baseball prospects Danny Oh and Derek Jones might play in the major leagues someday.
They recently got an enticing sneak peek.
Oh (Jackson High School Class of ’08) and Jones (Snohomish High School Class of ‘08) are playing on the same team this summer in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, a 10-team wood-bat league in Massachusetts that features many of the country’s best junior-to-be and senior-to-be college players.
Jones and Oh, outfielders who completed their sophomore seasons last month at Washington State University and the University of California Berkeley, respectively, are members of the CCBL’s Brewster Whitecaps. On June 28 they got a taste of what being a pro is like when Brewster was invited to work out at legendary Fenway Park in Boston.
“You just walk in there and you just look at the Green Monster,” Oh said of the stadium’s famous, towering left-field wall, “and you’re like, ‘Wow!’ There’s so much history there.”
All 10 CCBL teams took batting, infield and outfield practice at Fenway. Brewster squeezed in the 85-mile trip to Boston during an off-day in its busy season, which started June 14 and continues into August.
“It was one of the best off-days I’ve ever had,” said Jones, a slugging left-handed hitter who drilled a few balls over the right-field wall during batting practice at Fenway.
Oh, a left-handed hitter like Jones, hit balls off the right-field wall a few times during BP but didn’t quite knock one over.
Dozens of pro scouts observed the CCBL players as they worked out on the Red Sox’s field. That sort of attention is nothing new for Oh and Jones.
In the high-profile CCBL, “every move is watched,” Brewster Whitecaps general manager Ned Monthie said. It is one of the premier wood-bat leagues in the country, said Monthie, and gives college players like Jones and Oh — who will both be eligible for the Major League Baseball draft next year — a chance to display their skills.
The talent level is impressive, Jones and Oh agreed.
“There’s no slouches in this league. Everyone is here for a reason and it gives you an eye-opener on how good the competition is and how good guys are across the country,” said Jones, who helped Washington State achieve a national ranking and advance to the NCAA Regional final in Arkansas in June.
“Just going out here every day, you get to be around the best players in the country,” said Oh, who aided Cal’s journey to the NCAA Regional in Oklahoma. “You sort of compare yourself with the talent you’re playing against.”
Teaming up on the Brewster Whitecaps is the latest twist in Oh and Jones’ long baseball relationship. Their homes in Mill Creek and Snohomish, respectively, are about two miles apart. They played together on the Seattle Stars select team from ages 13-16 but were high school rivals: Oh started for Jackson’s 2006 team that went undefeated and won the Class 4A state title, and Jones was the state player of the year when Snohomish won the 4A championship in 2008.
“We pretty much grew up playing together,” said Jones, who will go back to being Oh’s Pacific-10 Conference rival when their summer with Brewster ends.
Oh and Jones have spent time in opposite sides of the outfield — Oh in left field, Jones in right — and have each filled the designated hitter slot.
“It actually feels the exact same as it did when we were younger,” Oh said. “It’s pretty fun.”
Playing in the CCBL simulates what being a pro ballplayer is like. Hitters use wood bats, unlike the college game, which allows aluminum bats. Hitting with wood is considered more difficult and it’s what pros must learn to do. And the jam-packed schedule — CCBL teams play games six days per week — gives players an idea of the mental and physical grind that awaits future pros.
Oh and Jones, whose college coaches helped them land in the CCBL, each signed a contract with Brewster. They are not paid to play. Players in the league live with host families and many have part-time jobs, said Monthie, the CCBL general manager.
Lots of players work at youth baseball clinics put on by their respective teams. For example, Oh has worked at the Whitecaps’ camp, teaching kids ages 7-12.
Statistically, Oh and Jones have not excelled at the plate for Brewster. Oh was hitting .235 (8-for-34), Jones .174 (8-for-46). But they are gaining invaluable experience and like being part of a strong Whitecaps team that was 14-6, tied for first place with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the CCBL Eastern Division.
Asked about his hopes for the 2010 major-league draft, Jones said, “I’m just trying to obviously stay healthy and have a breakout junior year (at WSU) like I’m capable of doing. Hopefully all of the pieces come together (for the MLB draft) in June.”
“I try not to think about it that much,” Oh said in response to the same question, “and if it happens, great. I’ll think about it when it comes.”
For now, they are savoring their special opportunity together in a high-profile baseball mecca across the country.
Mike Cane writes for the Herald in Everett.
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