Myles brings unique skill set to the Indians

Bryson Myles (Photo: Lianna Holub)

"I hit like Mays, and run like Hayes."

So goes the famous quote from the character Willie Mays Hayes played by Wesley Snipes in the fictional movie "Major League". It has been well over 20 years since Snipes uttered those words, and ever since many Indians fans have often dreamed of a player who could in fact not only be an impact hitter but also be an impact runner.

It may have finally happened with the selection of outfielder Bryson Myles in the 6th round of this year's draft.

Myles, 21, provides a unique combination of speed and power in his 5'11" 230 pound build. He has all the intangibles to be an elite runner with the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark and be a run producer, something not commonly seen in the Indians farm system or in the game period.

Said one scout who saw him this spring, “This kid is built like Kevin Mitchell, but he [runs] like Deion Sanders.”

All hyperbole aside, Myles is ten games into his pro career with short season Single-A Mahoning Valley and so far is hitting .300 with 1 HR, 4 RBI, an .891 OPS and has 5 stolen bases.

"I feel really good," Myles said in an interview with the IPI last weekend. "I am trying to get used to everything. Playing baseball all day every day is an adjustment, but I feel like I am making it pretty good."

The speed component has always been there for Myles, but the power is something that has recently come into his game a lot more. He hit .411 with 8 HR, 36 RBI, 53 stolen bases, and a 1.065 OPS this year at Stephen F. Austin. With his very good bat speed and quick wrists to go along with his size, more power may be coming and it is something he is really focusing in on.

"Yeah, it is something I have been working on since my freshman year in college," Myles said. "I always had the speed but the power really wasn't there. I kind of started working at it and my sophomore year it started coming around more. Then this past year I started hitting for more power and for average, doing more drag bunting, and I just added a lot of different elements which help me out on the field."

Myles is a very raw baseball player as he is still learning the nuances of the game since he did not play the game full time until his freshman year at college. Prior to that the focus was always on football as he played that almost year round except for in the spring when he played baseball.

"I played [baseball] in high school, but just during the spring," Myles noted. "I did football during the fall and summer, so I didn't really get to learn the game as much as I wanted to in high school. I originally committed to TCU to play football, but it didn't work out as they ended up pulling the scholarship right before signing day my senior year. So the only place that I had to go was the junior college that I went to my freshman year. I was kind of disappointed because I played baseball because I was good at it, but I loved football."

Myles was a linebacker in football, and that impressive speed, power and size now shows on the baseball diamond rather than the gridiron. While he misses football, he is now 100% focused on achieving everything he can as a baseball player.

"My freshman and sophomore year it was kind of a struggle because I missed football a lot," Myles said. "But now I am at the point in my career where I don't even think of football and all I want to do is just make sure i get better at baseball every single day that I go to the park. It is just baseball 24/7. A lot of it has come at me fast and I struggled a lot with it early, but the more that I have been in the game and every day I am at the field the more I am learning."

Myles' little brother Candon was also drafted by the Pirates this year in the 12th round out of high school. While Myles did not get to experience being selected out of high school like his little brother, there was some interest in him.

"I did get interest, but because I was such a big football player the scouts kind of shied away from me," Myles said. "But everything happens for a reason and I am here now and everything is working out."

After being drafted this year Myles signed quickly with the Indians for a reported amount of just over $112,000. By signing early it allows him to get right into the pro game and make that transition from college to the pros and get his feet wet. Short season ball is an important step for a lot of college players that is often missed these days by a lot of the high profile picks because of how so many deals these days are waited out until the mid-August signing deadline.

"I knew going into draft that this is what I wanted to do," Myles said. "I didn't want to sit there going back and forth and miss the whole summer and not getting that experience that I may have gotten had I signed sooner. I ended up signing quickly and was here the very first day. I struggled the first couple of games, but now the game is starting to slow down and I am getting used to it. Maybe if I didn't sign as early as I did I would not have progressed at this pace so I think it was a good move."

There is no question it is an adjustment going from the college ranks to the pros, especially considering the fact that three weeks ago Myles was not even in the Indians organization. It really is a unique process with the MLB Draft where players go right from being drafted to signing and getting out on the field barely days after going into the draft with no idea where they would go. In fact, he did not even know the Indians were in on him until minutes before he was selected.

"It was really out of the blue as I really had not talked to the Indians much leading up to the draft except maybe once or twice in the spring season," Myles said. "My scout texted me right when the sixth round started and he called me as they were picking me. So it was a fun deal. I figured I was going to go a little earlier in the draft and it started getting a little nerve wrecking, but I got my name called and I celebrated with my family and here I am now."

Not only is it a feeling out process for Myles as he adjusts to pro ball, but it is a learning process for the organization and fans as they get to know him not only as a player but as a person as well. He prides himself in the way he prepares for games and how hard he plays, and has a good makeup. All of these things in addition to his talent should endear himself quickly to fans that watch him play.

"I'm a guy that just loves to play the game," Myles said. "I am going to go out there and whether I am 0-for-4 or 4-for-4 I am going to make sure I am out there having a good time with a smile on my face. I want to make sure when the fans do watch me that whether I am doing good or bad I want them to feel like that's a guy they really enjoy watching whether I am at Mahoning Valley or up with the Indians. I approach every day at the park the same. I just want to play the game the right way because that is what it is all about."

Baseball is a game of routine in the pro ranks, and one of the first things newly drafted players learn is how to manage the grind of playing the game every day for six straight months. College and high school players maybe play two or three times a week, and for three to four months, so it is something that takes a while to adjust to.

In addition to that Myles also wants to work on his consistency as a hitter while playing for Mahoning Valley this year.

"I want to get my average up and be a more consistent batter at the plate," Myles said. "I have kind of went up to the plate sometimes and given away an at bat swinging at bad pitches, watching good pitches to hit or even missing good pitches to hit. I know that along the course of the summer I will get a little better at that, and I will get a little smarter at the plate. There are a lot of things at this level that you can't do that you got away with in college. I think just being a better hitter is something I want to strive to do throughout the course of the summer."

Expectations are always high coming into pro ball. Reality quickly sets in for players once they get out to the field for the first time and see that everyone is just as talented as them. Often times the work the player puts in can be the difference in making it or not.

"I just tell myself you have to take it one day at a time," Myles said. "You have to approach every day like it is your last day. Just play hard, and as long as you do that everything is going to take care of itself. Just continue to work. I have read many stories from Major Leaguers that even when the season is over they are still out working hard every single day. Whether you are in the organization there every single day or at home you have to make sure you are going out and working hard every single day because somebody is always out there going for your job so you have to make sure you keep it."

With the start of his pro career already in motion, Myles has some lofty goals for himself now and in the future. With his skill set and makeup there is no doubt anything is possible, it just depends on how things play out going forward.

"My goal is to make it to the Major Leagues and be a hall of famer," Myles said. “That is everybody's dream. But it all starts here in Mahoning Valley, and I know that and I just have to take that path."

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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