"No One Has a Right To Crush Anyone's Dreams"
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by Manny Stiles
Imagine you're in the ninth grade and you have an important assignment due. You are to write a paper detailing your future career and how you plan to achieve it. You need to research and be as specific as possible in listing the necessary steps to achieve your goal; what education is important, what experience is needed; everything you need to accomplish you dream job will need to be visualized, examined and expressed in the paper to be presented to your class. It's a pass or fail assignment and it's important. It's especially important to you because you are a smart kid with good grades and a bright future ahead.
So you know what you are going to be, that's the easy part. Even your Mom has known since you were 2 years old what you were going to be. She wrote it in your baby book. Most of your living waking hours have been consumed with your dream job as long as you can remember. You know you "want" it, and no one will stop you. But you do the research, find out there really is more trials, work and determination needed to achieve your dream - and it motivates you more!
You finish the paper. And it's a masterpiece. No, it's the blueprints of your future laid out in front of you. You see what it takes, you know what it takes and you're ready to go take it on!
And you get up in front of your class and you give the report of a lifetime; the report of your lifetime, Your Future: Every drop of sweat is detailed, every drop of blood is laid out on paper, every tear of joy you will cry is there before you. You are going to be a Major League Baseball player!
And the teacher says "No, this isn't good enough. You can't be a Major League Baseball player."
You just poured your hopes, wishes, dreams and everything you have ever wanted in life into this otherwise meaningless piece of paper. And she just poured it down the drain.
"What? What do you mean I can't be a Major League Baseball player?" you ask.
"Rewrite the paper or you're going to fail the assignment" the teacher retorts. "It's not realistic. You're not going to be a Major League Baseball player."
What would you do?
Matt LaPorta decided he would rather fail the assignment than pass on his dreams. He was devastated that someone would attempt to crush his dream but he also knew he was destined to be a baseball player. He was already working towards it. And now he had even laid the framework of the future out, because of that failed assignment.
He used those words of a disbelieving ninth grade teacher as motivation. He worked harder, more focused and determined than ever before.
Why wouldn't he be determined to live his dream? As a toddler, his mother Cindy noted that he was strong and he had a passion for baseball. By the time he was first able to handle a toy bat he demonstrated acute hand-eye coordination. When he was five he asked his Uncle Rick to pitch wiffle balls to him in the backyard and would get mad that he wasn't throwing them overhand. Then little Matt would get mad and tell his Uncle "throw it HARD!"... and to his Uncle's surprise, Matt wasn't just making contact, he was crushing the offerings (for a five year old)!
A few years later, Florida Power and Light would get to know the LaPorta family's address due to frequent street light replacements. Matt's practiced his swing with the help of hitting buckets full of small pebbles was a hazard to all things breakable.
Matt was competitive in other realms too. He won a state BMX championship at age 7 demonstrating his even-for-that-age powerful lower body. He played football and was ostracized early on for being "too big" to play with kids his own age. But nothing could squelch his love of baseball. His Dad had a room that was essentially an "All Things Cubs/Bears" shrine and he loved the Cubbies, too. Maybe one day he would play for them!
Uncle Rick knew of Matt's dream to play baseball and was made fully aware of his special talents. One day, he came across a magazine article about the kids of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. He showed Matt that these kids didn't have fancy sneakers like he had on. They didn't have nice gloves like he had. Yet there were 30? 40? 50? Major Leaguers coming from the small area on the little island.
Rick said to him "there's all these kids in this one town making it to the big leagues. No one from Port Charlotte is in the majors. And here we have better equipment, we have better fields. Do you know why they make it?" he asked, figuring the young boy might not pick up on the moral or impetus of the story.
"They want it" replied the astute youngster. He got the message.
He practiced and drilled day and night with his boyhood friend Nate Spears (currently a Cubs farmhand - I love these tidbits - he led all Minor Leaguers in Sacrifice Bunts this year). By age 8 they would practice hitting plastic bottlecaps with a metal rod or a broomstick, whatever they could find - the thinner, the better the challenge!
Dreams, no matter how "unrealistic" CAN become reality
After the failed assignment and resulting motivation, his dream began to take shape. He made the Varsity baseball team that Spring - the first freshman ever to do so in the school's league - and he did so as a pitcher. He was later moved around from position to position to fill needs and to get his "country strong" bat in the lineup. He ended up at catcher (and the school's all-time HR hitter) by his senior year when he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 14th round (as a catcher) but opted to turn down his favorite boyhood team for an education at his Mom's alma mater, University of Florida. He knew that "if it was God's will", baseball would be there after college. If baseball wasn't still waiting for him in four years, then he wasn't going to be pro ballplayer anyway. At least he would get a degree. He attended on a 75% academic scholarship and 25% athletic scholarship.
The list of his accolades at Florida are longer than [a typical Manny Stiles article] - all you need to know is he is the only 2-time SEC Player of the Year (and only Gator to ever win the award), Florida's career (74) and single season HR record holder (26) and in the top 10 all-time NCAA in career HR. Of curious note, he had 30 of his team's 33 intentional walks in 2007 as well as led the team in Hit By Pitches with 19 (ouch!).
This led the Milwaukee Brewers to draft him 7th overall in this year's draft. At the time, the yapping heads on TV questioned "why?". After all, just a year previous, the Red Sox had drafted him in the 14th round (an attempt to coerce him to sign after an oblique injury sidelined part of his Junior season) and while he demonstrated power, he didn't have a clear position (after DHing and playing mostly first base in college). With Prince Fielder at first why would the Brewers need another slugging first baseman/DH playing in the National League?
The Brewers saw something else. They saw a determined player, a versatile player who was willing to do "what it takes" with a mature, positive and God-fearing personality makeup. LaPorta was a grounded, educated and well-balanced human being. And they also saw "Star Left Fielder" in his future as well.
He began his pro career in Helena, Montana of the rookie league, which lasted all of 7 games (he hit a HR in his first pro at bat) before they bounced him up to Single-A West Virginia. All together, he smacked 12 HR and 31 RBI in 115 minor league at bats in 30 games, batting .304 with a 1.065 OPS.
Now he is starring in the Arizona Fall League with the Mesa Solar Sox in the same outfield as a family friend Sam Fuld a prospect with the Chicago Cubs. Yes, it is a small world... when you dream big and you don't let anyone crush your dreams.
Notes
This story started off with me attending another Arizona Fall League game with the intention of scouting Matt LaPorta, for the benefit of a certain Brewers "beat" writer. After getting the lineup and other media notes, passed on the evening's presentation of grub (and I call myself a journalist!) in the press box before the game, I went out to do my usual wandering about - to "look" for the story. I found it quickly.
I sauntered by a concession stand and saw a gentleman wearing a Brewers' LaPorta jersey and thought, well... "this guy's gotta know something". At least where one can find a 1st round pick's jersey. I asked him a few questions and quickly found out that he was Matt's Uncle Rick and the nice lady standing next to me was his sister; Matt's Mother, Cindy!
I told her I wrote for a website and before I could get much more out, she asked my name - I said "Manny Stiles". She said "I've seen that name around"
That's when I did the quick-scan of my brain before wondering (Oh shit! What did I do now?) when I might have bashed her son... but I haven't yet, so I proceeded with some easy conversation. Before long we were chatting in the stands and Matt was in the field probably wondering "Who the hell is that big, ugly dude hitting on my Mom?"
I asked if she had any anecdotes she would share and the story of the Career assignment led to the quote "No one has a right to crush anyone's dreams". I agreed.
Turns out, she's quite a special and inspirational woman in her own right. She is a special needs and learning disabilities teacher who prides herself in helping kids who otherwise were left unguided, unbridled and/or unmotivated. She has had some rough experiences in life, she is a fan of her local nine, the Tampa Bay Rays and is working on writing a book; so we had lots to talk about. She motivated me to write without abandon and I encouraged her to take a few stabs at writing on ArmchairGM as practice for her book.
She glows with beaming pride for her son and seemingly admires him as a human being. She confirmed my theory that it takes more than sheer talent and mental makeup to make it in the professional sports realm. You need a strong support sytem around you to guide you and/or kick you in the ass when you need it. Matt definitely has that in his Mom and Uncle (they were visiting from Florida), his former coaches and most everyone but that ninth grade teacher.
Matt had an opportunity to meet with the same teacher recently but didn't bring up the assignment he failed. He wants to wait until he's in the majors before he starts popping off and saying things like "I showed you". But he really is a humble person and might never say anything of the ilk. After all, he probably sees the incident as a blessing; it is quite a motivator proving her wrong.
He has a solid faith in God and credits all of his fortunes, life's twists and turns as God's will and he readily extends the credit and outcomes to the higher power. "It's in God's hands" he frequently says.
All in all, I spent the first 5 innings watching the game with Matt's Mom and Uncle and have every impression that he is legitimately a quality human being. It sounds like he's very intelligent (high grades, understanding life lessons) and mature for his age. She said "I'd like to hope we raised him right", but it seems he gives as many lessons as he's learned. "Matty" has a way of spinning seemingly bad situations into positive outcomes and it's taken him far.
The Nitty Gritty on LaPorta
- Scouts love his power. "Country strong" as they like to say. You can't miss it. He is a thick dude at 220 lbs, has oak-like thighs and great hand-eye coordination.
- No problems converting from aluminum bats to wood. Silenced any doubters with excellent power numbers in Cape Cod league last year and similar trends in Minors and AFL. Rates as a 70 power (out of 80)
- He has hit safely in every game of AFL action (11 games thus far) and leads the league in RBI, second in HR. He's batting third in the lineup and has not disappointed.
- His muscularity actually makes him appear shorter (maybe it's the lack of stirrups that make these guys look shorter) on the field than his listed 6'2", which he may actually be a tad taller (I'm 6'6" and he isn't 4 inches shorter than me)
- He's played every position on the baseball field at some point in his career including where he is stationed now in Leftfield. His arm is above average for outfield and he seems to get good jumps on balls hit his way, although I only saw him have two cans of corn hit to him in the game.
- LOVES to play the game, highly motivated, good instincts, willing to play any/all positions, but suited best for first base or leftfield.
- Can hit the ball to the right side better than typical mashers and has an above average eye at the plate (second in AFL in walks) and decent pitch recognition.
- Definitely not afraid to take a pitch.
- He's highly competitive and his Mom says that he can be highly motivated by food. He will compete in anything and win if the reward is a meal. This could be a successful character trait in a place like Milwaukee. Or he could balloon to 300 lbs if he wins too much!
The knocks:
- The main (only?) knock is his speed. He runs around a 4.6 40yd, which isn't horrible but he won't be stealing 50 bases a season anytime soon. In fact, he had zero stolen bases in Minor League action this season. I did see him break for second on a hit and run that was fouled off; he appears to be a heady baserunner, gets good secondary leads.
- He might not be fast but his well-tuned baseball instincts give him a "quickness"
- There are some minor concerns about injuries, but none have been major. Strained oblique in college cost him part of his junior year. Has a "tender" right elbow currently and is wearing a compression sleeve, but it's more nicks and soreness from the rigors of playing baseball since January, when UF's season started.
Outlook
Well if I was a Milwaukee Brewers fan, I'd be happy for the future. I think if the current trend continues, there's a decent chance he makes the Big League club as the Leftfielder in 2008 out of Spring Training. The Brewers are notorious for taking their time with prospects, but it appears that Leftfield might need to be filled and LaPorta would be a viable solution. It also explains why he's playing Leftfield in Arizona right now: seasoning.
Ryan Braun parlayed a hot Arizona Fall league season into a successful rookie campaign. Might Matt LaPorta follow suit? I can't see why not, but I'm pretty sure he'd say "Only if it's God's will".
Manny says - He's the real deal. As the only non-pitcher 1st rounder from 2007 draft in Arizona and a 4 year player in college, he's clearly getting worked by the parent club for next season. He's not here to rehab an injury and I can't imagine they are showcasing him for a trade when they just drafted him and they're gonna need a left fielder. Add it up.
He went 1-4 tonight with two walks (got on base all three times I was chatting with his Mom; I'll take credit for that) in a 3-3 loss to the "Robinson Rule" where the teams kiss their sister, I mean... where the game is called a tie after 11 innings.
