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| (Photo: Tony Lastoria) |
High-A Kinston 22-year old outfielder Bo Greenwell is excited to get the season going after putting a lot of hard work into his five month offseason to get bigger, stronger, and better. He also put the finishing touches on some college classwork to give him a head start on a four-year degree whenever the baseball career comes to an end.
“My offseason went well," said Greenwell in a recent interview for the IPI. "I did all kinds of working out to get ready for the season. I also made a little stepping stone as I finished school and got my [associates degree] at the University of Phoenix and two years of school out of the way. So I am pretty proud of that and now I am just excited for the season.”
Baseball is no doubt Greenwell's primary focus. But he is preparing himself for life after baseball since even he makes it to the big leagues the careers can often be short so players need something to fall back on when their playing careers are over.
“I don’t want to get out of the game and turn around and have to go to school for four years," said Greenwell. "I don’t really know what I want to do, but now I have two years of school done. Obviously I want to be a professional baseball player and that is where my focus is at. At least now I have [my school stuff] organized to the point that when I am done with the game it is there if I need it."
Players have a ton of free time at their disposal during the season. When they leave the field after a game that night they often have to find things to do from about 11:00 PM that night until about 4:00 PM the next day when they show up to the field for the next game. Some sit in their hotels and read books or play video games while others like to go out to the bars and clubs.
In the past Greenwell would often use his free time to concentrate on his studies.
“The first two to three seasons I had school during the season," said Greenwell. "It helps with the down time as in this game you can get so caught up where if you go 0-for-4 your life sucks (laughs). It helped maintain a little balance and keep everything in perspective a little bit. Being a young player it also gave me an out with guys wanting to go out and do something as I would just say I had school.”
It looks like that school-baseball relationship worked quite well for Greenwell the past few years. In 67 combined games between short-season Mahoning Valley and Low-A Lake County in 2009 he hit .296 with 2 HR, 30 RBI, 9 stolen bases, and a .766 OPS. Last year he played in 131 games between Lake County and High-A Kinston - his first full season - and had his best season as a pro hitting .301 with 6 HR, 57 RBI, 25 stolen bases, and a .776 OPS. He also made the Midwest League All Star team while playing for Lake County.
“I couldn't be any happier when I [look back] on last season," said Greenwell. "I made the All Star game in Lake County and had an MVP type of game. I went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a stolen base and did everything I could possibly do in that game and really put myself on the map, and then got called up to Kinston. I not only held my own last year, but I feel like I was one of the better hitters on that team. Overall I couldn’t be more satisfied with my play last year.”
While Greenwell was satisfied with his season last year it does not mean he is content with where he is at as a player. He understands that he needs to improve in all facets of his game, and for this season coming up it will mostly just be about becoming more consistent as a player than any significant changes to his hitting, running, or defense.
“When it comes to the style of play that I have it is just being a consistent all around baseball player," said Greenwell. "I am never going to be the fastest guy, I won’t be the strongest guy, and I am not going to have the best arm, but I want to be in the top two or three everywhere I go. I am that kind of player and just want to focus on that and use the field to my advantage. The organization wants to see a consistent baseball player.”
Consistency is definitely something Greenwell could use a little work on.
Greenwell got off to a raging start at Lake County last year hitting .405 with 3 HR, 23 RBI, and a 1.142 OPS in 21 games in April, but after that he hit just .282 with 3 HR, 34 RBI, and a .705 OPS in 110 games from May to the end of the season. The batting average and on-base ability were still pretty much there, but the power numbers dropped significantly after the hot April start.
“That’s something I have worked on and I grew from that," said Greenwell. "I had such a great April and then I went into May and kind of stuttered a little bit. The reason why is because I just started trying to maintain instead of just staying that player I am. I grew from that and it is something that I am definitely going to work on [going forward].”
Greenwell started playing some center field late in the season last year at Kinston. With high profile 2010 draft pick Tyler Holt and speedster Delvi Cid in Kinston this year, the opportunity to play center field may not be there much for him this year, but he still may see some action in center from time to time.
“I am not sure [about center field]," said Greenwell. "I believe I can play anywhere that they need me too. I don’t think I have quite the arm for right field and I am an ideal type of left fielder and I am fast enough and can cover enough ground to handle center field. But that’s up to them and all I can do is get ready for whatever they may throw at me and to just make sure I get my reps everywhere during batting practice and all the drills."
With the start of the new season about 24 hours away, Greenwell has many goals for the upcoming season.
“Just stay consistent," restated Greenwell. "Last year I had about 25 stolen bases and I would like to steal 30 this year. I’d like to show a little more power with the home runs and hit about ten. I just want to be a .300 type hitter and have no errors in the outfield. That’s kind of the player that I would like to be known as, someone that is consistent and shows up and spills his guts for the team every day. I am ready to go this year and am excited."
Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).
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