Michael Gretler admits it will be odd to be in the visitor鈥檚 dugout this weekend at funky 3,248-seat Goss Stadium at Coleman Field in Corvallis, Oregon.
The 2014 Boston Red Sox draft pick is usually in the home team dugout at that field with the Oregon State Beavers. But this is summer ball in the West Coast League and the Victoria HarbourCats infielder finds himself playing against the Corvallis Knights on the diamond he got to know well this past year as a Pac-12 freshman for the Beavers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting, but it鈥檚 going to be little bit different, admits the six-foot-two native of Bonney Lake, the first MLB draft pick ever out of the city of 17,000 in Washington state.
鈥淪ome of my OSU coaches, and OSU fans, will be watching. So it鈥檒l be fun.鈥�
And don鈥檛 expect the latter to cut the HarbourCats any slack.
鈥淭he fans are loyal in Corvallis . . . after cheering for the Beavers in the NCAA season, they switch over to cheering for the Knights in the summer,鈥� noted Gretler, a willowy infielder with great flexibility.
鈥淎nd because Saturday is the 4th of July, it should be full for that game.鈥�
The HarbourCats (8-13) and Knights (7-14), associated with the Knight family of Nike fame, begin their three-game set tonight.
Gretler heads into it batting a team third-best .296 in eight WCL games for Victoria and showing why the HarbourCats are so high on him. This guy knows how to get on base and has drawn 10 walks, been hit by one pitch and scored 10 runs. He also has a homer.
鈥淢ichael Gretler is going to be a key guy going ahead for us,鈥� said HarbourCats GM Jim Swanson.
He鈥檚 a player who knows what he wants.
Drafted after batting .395 in Grade 12 and carrying his team to the 2014 Washington state high school final, Gretler was rated the fifth-best high school baseball prospect in Washington state last year. He bypassed signing with the Red Sox in order to get more development in college ball. If he had not committed to the Pac-12, it is estimated Gretler would have dropped from being selected in the 39th round by Boston to going between the 15th to 20th rounds. He will be eligible to re-enter the MLB draft in 2017 as Gretler looks to follow the footsteps of former OSU and HarbourCats first-baseman Gabe Clark, who signed with the Blue Jays after being selected in the 26th round this spring by Toronto. But Gretler realizes there鈥檚 a lot of work ahead.
鈥淢y freshman year at OSU had its ups and downs [Gretler hit just .171 but played in 41 games, starting in 32] but it was a great learning experience,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t was definitely a great choice to go through college.鈥�
And, now, summer ball in the WCL.
鈥淚 want to play and get at-bats and reps in Victoria . . . the WCL is one of the best summer leagues in which to play,鈥� he said.
DIAMOND DUST: The Knights draw their name from Penny Knight, who is a major sponsor of the team, and wife of Nike co-founder and former chairman and CEO Phil Knight . . . former MLB all-star fielder Lloyd Moseby has been added to the Blue Jays Honda Super Camp for kids to be held in conjunction with the HarbourCats on July 12-13 at Royal Athletic Park, joining the previously announced Roberto Alomar, Brian McRae, Homer Bush, Devon White and Tanyon Sturtze. Registration: toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/tor/baseball/honda_super_camps.jsp.
