GLENDALE, Ariz. – It was purely coincidence that of the 25 prospects in attendance at the Perfect Game West Uncommitted Showcase held Dec. 6-7 at the Camelback Ranch Cactus League spring training facility, three flew in from the Pacific Island state of Hawaii. Or was it?
With native Hawaiians like Shane Victorino and Kolten Wong enjoying success at the major league level and Kodi Medeiros being selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 MLB amateur draft, baseball is as popular as it’s ever been in The Aloha State.
Catcher/outfielder Shaye Higa, catcher/corner-infielder Brandon Henderson and right-handed pitcher/utility player Teaugan Eckstrom, all high school seniors in the class of 2015, came to the PG West Uncommitted hoping to secure a college scholarship offer.
They arrived hoping to show Perfect Game scouts and the college recruiters that will view their performances on perfectgame.org how the level of play in their Pacific Paradise has progressed and what they are capable of doing. They came with confidence and also with a bit of trepidation.
“It’s been kind of tough looking at everybody but I just have to stick to my own game,” Higa, a 5-foot-7, 145-pound senior at Hawaii Technology Academy in Pearl City on the island of Oahu said on the second day of the showcase. “I want to move on into the baseball experience and I want to move on up to the next level; that’s why I’m here.”
Henderson, like Higa a native Hawaiian, is a stockily built, 5-foot-10, 200-pound senior at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Ca, also in Pearl City.
“It’s been a great experience just to come up here and just play baseball,” he said. “Performing for scouts and college coaches, it’s nerve-racking at first but it’s a good test to show what you’ve got for them. College is a big factor at this point. The exposure here and getting yourself noticed (is important) … and I think every showcase is important.”
Eckstrom calls Wahiawa, Hawaii, (also on Oahu) home after his family moved there this past summer from El Paso, Texas. While still living in El Paso, the be-speckled Eckstrom attended the 2014 Rocky Mountain Showcase in Parker, Colo., and enjoyed the experience.
“I like coming to these (showcases); there’s a lot of good talent,” he said. “I’m looking to get some interest from colleges and some information on my velocities and see just how good people think I am. When you’re out here all of the talent gets better because we’re all trying to show ourselves more.”
Eckstrom is only now getting acclimated to the Hawaiian game and will play his senior season at Leilehua High School in the spring. He did play a few games on the islands this summer, however, and described the action as “very quick.”
The showcase went pretty well for all three Hawaiians, but especially for Higa who was named to the event’s Top Prospect List by PG scouts. He recorded a 1.93-second Pop time (third best at the event) and a 73 miles-per-hour velocity on his throw from home plate to second base (fourth best). His scouting report read:
“Higa had a strong weekend all around, showing well with his right-handed stroke and a quick, short path to the ball with a strong feel for the barrel. Behind the plate Higa showed very smooth, athletic actions with a quick pop and accuracy on throws to second base.”
“I expected to come here and see some hard-throwing, hard-nosed baseball,” he said. “I can’t compare (myself) to these guys; I’ve just got to play my own game. It’s kind of tough seeing everybody here; everybody wants to go to the next level and we’ll see who wants it more.”
Henderson recorded a 1.95 Pop time (fourth), 74 mph catcher velo (third) and 75 mph infield velo (fifth). Eckstrom threw and event-best 83 mph across the infield and also caught scouts’ attention when he doubled and singled in one of the games while showing “a line-drive swing plane with a good bat path to the ball.”
“It brings out the competitive monster inside you,” Henderson said of the showcase experience. “It makes you perform better, and even though you want to see your teammate perform just as good you want to try to show what you’ve got and try to see what colleges you can pick up.”
Higa and Henderson have known each other and have been playing against each other since they were youngsters and they share an appreciation for the level of play on the Hawaiian Islands. Higa called the state a “small community” when it came to baseball, a place where the kids can play the game the year-around. Henderson whole-heartedly agreed:
“Baseball is pretty much the year-around in Hawaii,” he said. “High school baseball is very competitive and it’s very edgy; everyone is on each other. The main goal is to win the state championship no matter what and it’s different than what I expected being here, but nonetheless, it’s always competitive.
“Everyone pretty much knows each other, how their playing style is – it’s pretty much like that all the time.”
Native Hawaiians have long been a part of Major League Baseball, with trail-blazers like Ron Darling, Mike Lum and Charlie Hough. Victorino has emerged as one of the brightest home-grown stars with two All-Star Game appearances and four Gold Glove Awards on his resume.
The 23-year-old Wong, an alumnus of five Perfect Game events from 2006-08 including the 2007 PG National Showcase, crashed the MLB party big-time this past season. In 113 games with the St. Louis Cardinals, he hit .249 with 14 doubles, 12 home runs, 42 RBI, 52 runs scored and 20 stolen bases and finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting.
“Everybody watches Kolton Wong (in Hawaii). He’s a pretty good inspiration; he never took any breaks, Kolton Wong, just played straight baseball,” Higa said.
“He’s an inspiration to every single player in Hawaii,” Henderson echoed. “And it’s not just him, it’s Shane Victorino, Kurt Suzuki, all of those players that came from Hawaii – even (first-round draft pick and current minor-leaguer) Kodi Medeiros.”
They came from their island paradise to the Arizona desert – which on Dec. 7-8 was somewhat tropical with high temperatures in the 70s with some humidity and morning fog – to see if one day they might join Victorino, Wong and Medeiros in the professional ranks.
First things being first, the guys from The Aloha State mostly came to the PG West Uncommitted Showcase to test their skills against peers from across the country with the hope of eventually catching the eyes of college recruiters.
“I wanted to see the upper level of the mainland. I wanted to experience the kind of baseball they play. It keeps me motivated to keep moving on,” Higa said.
“I want to leave here knowing that there is always going to be competition outside of Hawaii,” Henderson added. “There are always going to be people that are better, stronger, faster, but it’s the work ethic that makes you the better player.”