MLB Scouts Descend On Husky Ballpark
October 15, 2014 | Baseball
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
For Braden Bishop, the goal is simple: Prepare today for success tomorrow. Washington's centerfielder doesn't spend much time looking into the future.
“For me right now, it's focusing on what I can get better on today to help us win this year,” Washington's centerfielder said. “If I can do that, it will take care of the draft and what may come after that.”
Executing that goal Wednesday meant working out in front of a group of major league scouts at the equivalent of a college football Pro Day. Bishop was one of the draft-eligible Huskies who worked out at Husky Ballpark.
“Anytime you can get an opportunity like this, it's a blessing,” Bishop said. “We're all lucky to be a part of it. It can add a little bit of pressure, but at the same time, that's why we're here. We want that pressure.”
While Bishop wants to one day get his chance to play in the big leagues, he believes things need to be accomplished in order to ensure the success.
“Anybody is going to say they want to play in the big leagues, but it's how you get there that is important,” he said.
The Huskies opened the workout by running the 60-yard dash. They took infield and outfield and batting practice before an intrasquad game.
“It's a big opportunity,” catcher Austin Rei said. “You get all of the scouts coming in at one time. They will see us play throughout the year, they know who we are, but they want to get to know us a little bit better and really see how we perform when we're looked at under a magnifying glass.”
Rei was originally drafted by Minnesota in the 37th round of the 2012 draft. When asked about deferring his MLB dreams for a few season with the Huskies, the junior said he needed to go through the collegiate “learning process.”
“I know I had really high hopes going into my freshman year of college and it didn't work out as I probably would have liked it to,” Rei said. “There are absolutely guys who are better than me and I have to work that much harder to get to where I want to go to.”
Choosing the Huskies over the minor leagues also allowed him to be a part of the program's surprise run last spring.
“It made it way worthwhile,” Rei said. “Our program wasn't at its full potential when we first came in or the year before. We always had great players, but we could never put the pieces together. To see it all come together last year, it was an awesome experience.
“It's something you don't get if you're going through the minor leagues after high school.”
While Rei, Bishop and their teammates took time to showcase their skills in front of scouts, their focus is on taking the next step as a team after finishing four wins away from a trip to Omaha, Neb. for the College World Series last season.
“Last year's group set the bar in a certain place,” Bishop said. “The guys who are returning from last year know what that is. They know what it takes to get there. We're very luck we got to where we did.
“If we're going to win those four games, we're going to have to carry over from last year, but do a few things a little bit differently.”
