FORT MYERS, Fla. – It was with a focused sense of fascination that 2017 Deland, Fla., shortstop prospect Greg Lewandoski watched the beginning of the 2015 MLB June Amateur Draft last Monday night. As the first three picks went off the board, Lewandoski couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
With the No. 1 pick, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected college shortstop Dansby Swanson from Vanderbilt. At No. 2, the Houston Astros took another college shortstop, this one Alex Bregman from LSU. And then, as the topper of all toppers, the Colorado Rockies took fellow Florida prep shortstop Brendan Rodgers with the No. 3 pick. A winning shortstop trifecta, boom-boom-boom.
“It motivates me,” Lewandoski said Sunday. “Your goal is to be like them; your goal is to do whatever they did and follow their footsteps and just do the best you can.”
Lewandoski was speaking from JetBlue Park after taking part in the workout session at the Perfect Game Junior National Showcase. The event features more than 190 of the top underclass (classes of 2017 and 2018) prospect in the country, and Lewandoski fits nicely in the collection of 2017 talent with his No. 25 overall national ranking and No. 7 ranking among the country’s shortstops.
“It’s fun just talking to these kids from all over the United States,” he said. “Just talking with them and getting to know them and listening to their stories because they grew up (living) the dream of trying to play college ball and making it to the bigs. Definitely, being here with Perfect Game at the Junior National is going to help us get to that stage.”
This is the 16h Perfect Game event Lewandoski has attended since he first showed up at the 2012 13u PG BCS Finals at Terry Park here in Fort Myers. He played with Hardwood Baseball at that event but his next stop – the 2012 14u PG World Series in Marietta, Ga. – was made with him wearing the uniform of the Orlando Scorpions.
Joe Lewandoski, Greg’s father who was also in attendance Sunday, made the decision to have his son start training with the Orlando Scorpions organization and owner and general manager Matt Gerber when Greg was 10 years old. Joe said he was told time and time again that a young prospect growing up in Central Florida would be best-served to get involved with the Scorpions from the get-go. It’s been a perfect marriage.
Lewandoski refers to Gerber as “family” and a “second dad” and is appreciative of everything the entire staff at the Scorpions organization has done for him since he first got involved with the group. He has been named to a pair of PG all-tournament teams while playing for the Scorpions: the 2013 14u PG World Series and the 2014 15u PG BCS Finals.
“Greg’s really a great kid,” Gerber, who was also at JetBlue Park Sunday, told PG. “He works really hard – he’s yes-sir, no-sir – and he’s just another one of those guys who kind of epitomizes what it means to be a Scorpion.”
Lewandoski describes himself as a baseball guy “since day-one” who has always tried to work as hard as he could while playing with his high school team and with competitive travel ball teams like the Scorpions. He has attended Deland (Fla.) High School the last two years but will be transferring to Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Fla., for his final two years. He played on the varsity at Deland both his freshman and sophomore years.
The middle of the field – shortstop and centerfield – has always been Lewandoski’s spot defensively, mostly because he’s always been one of the more athletic kids on the teams he’s played for. He likes being in the center of the field because that translates into being at the center of the action more often than not.
“You’ve got to be in the game, you’ve got to be hard-nosed; you’ve got to grind,” he said of playing straight up the middle. “You’re a leader when you’re out there and you’ve got to talk, you’ve got to communicate; I love that part.”
It is the combination of his love of playing shortstop and his association with the Scorpions that made Brendan Rodgers’ selection with the third overall draft pick so special. Rodgers, who is from Lake Mary, Fla., was a longtime Scorpion who helped lead his teams to Perfect Game national championships while developing into an early first-round selection.
The last 2014 tournament Lewandoski performed at was October’s PG WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., with the Orlando Scorpions/Mets Scout Team. As fate would have it, it was the last PG tournament event for Rodgers, as well.
Lewandoski had just started his sophomore year in high school and he didn’t get to see a lot of playing time at the premier upper class tournament, mostly because Rodgers and a host of other top prospects were playing in front of him. This was, after all, a Scorpions/MST that finished as runner-up at the blockbuster tournament, won by the EvoShield Canes.
Despite his lack of playing time, the experience bordered on surreal for the young Lewandoski, simply because he got to rub shoulders with Rodgers. It was an experience that will last a lifetime regardless of how far Lewandoski’s own career advances.
“It was just amazing, being next to him and seeing how he holds himself,” Lewandoski said. “I looked up to him, man, and he’s a great role model.”
Gerber makes an effort to take some of his top underclass guys to Jupiter every year just to show them what the PG WWBA World Showcase is all about. Having Rodgers on the roster last year made the experience all the more impressive for a young guy like Lewandoski.
“It’s just a good opportunity for them to learn and to prepare them for when it’s their turn,” Gerber said. “When the lights are on them, they’ve been there, they’ve done it and they’ve seen it, especially with something like Jupiter. If you’ve never been there before the first time you go and you show up, you can’t explain (to a young player) what’s about to happen.
“Obviously, learning from a guy like Brendan was a pretty cool opportunity and I know Greg really enjoyed. He had a great time – he didn’t play at all but he loved it.”
Rodgers was at the 2013 PG Jr. National Showcase which served to further enhance the experience Lewandoski was enjoying on Sunday. It was something that wasn’t lost on his dad, Joe Lewandoski.
“The greatest thing is having the opportunity to compete against the best kids to gauge where you’re at,” Joe said. “Also, I think it’s a great motivating factor because most of these kids, two years from now they’re going to get drafted. And like I told my son, how hard you work over the next 24 months is going to determine how far you’re going to go.
“Coming in here, the biggest thing is to go out there and try your best,” he continued. “The only expectation is to gauge where you’re at compared to the other kids, so you can say to yourself, ‘If I want to get to that next level I have to do this to get to the next level.’ This is a great gauge to see where you’re at.”
Lewandoski has committed to the University of Florida and has been attending camps in Gainesville for years where he became close with the Florida coaching staff. He loves the fact that the Gators are ultra-competitive not only within the powerful Southeastern Conference but on a national level, as well.
They are, after all, back at the College World Series this week, competing for a national championship. “If I’m going to go play college ball I want to go to Omaha,” Lewandoski said, “and I feel like that’s definitely a (school) where I can do that.”
This is a young prospect who prides himself on playing the game hard and playing it right. He’s got the commitment to Florida in his pocket and the strength and influence of the Orlando Scorpions organization behind him. It’s impossible to predict if he’ll ever achieve what Rodgers was able to but very, very few do. He just knows if he continues to do the right things, nothing is out of reach.
Despite that confidence, Lewandoski admitted to some nervousness as he entered his 16th PG event but his first showcase.
“This is Perfect Game and it’s big-time with a lot of (college) coaches and a lot of really good talent around you, and you feel like you want to impress them and you want to go out and perform at a (high) level,” he said. “You’re always going to have little bumps and crannies but as soon as you take that one ground ball, you’re going to be fine. It feels good to get all the knots out.”