Catch a Rising Star
By Rick Speciale - Feature Writer
04/12/2006
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - An unlikely trip to Tamworth in 2004 marks the beginning of this story where I first met a young baseball player on a mission to play professionally in the United States some day. His name is Sandy Towner and he has pitched for North Shore U16s baseball during 2004-2006.
When arriving, my first impression of Tamworth was the pastoral settings leading up to the town. The rolling hills are as plentiful as the livestock. This is where country singers and musicians travel for fun, fame and fortune. For Sandy Towner, this was merely a stop over in a long journey towards a dream.
Sandy was a pudgy little 13 year old kid at the time. He did not throw hard, but displayed good command of pitch location. He would be one of the pitchers selected to throw in games. By the final game of the tournament, Sandy left a favorable impression. The tournament was over and the kids were ready to go home.
On the last day, almost all the kids left except for Sandy . He was very attentive and self motivated, perhaps more self motivated than any of the other kids at the tournament. Before leaving, he thanked me for giving pitching instruction to him. This was the last time I would see this player, or so I thought.
Sandy Towner at age 13 with coach in 2004
This would not be the end of the story as North Shore was preparing to submit a squad for the NSW State Cup competition in 2004. We were short one player and needed a pitcher. The Towner family called with interest to play with North Shore again – but for a much larger commitment.
State Cup would be daunting for Sandy , but his control, good attitude and determination provided qualities needed for the team. However, living in Newcastle meant the Towner's had to make 2 hours trips to home games at Middle Head every Sunday for 4-5 months. Trips to away games often surpassed 2 hours. There was a risk that Sandy would not be reliable showing up to games with such a brutal travel schedule.
I called the Towner's to assess their commitment and was convinced their interest was genuine. They felt their son deserved more opportunities with their local association, but the local rep coaches doubted Sandy 's abilities. To that point, Sandy was relegated to a secondary team in the local Newcastle representative association. Sandy 's father suggested that, with proper guidance, his boy was capable of being a very good pitcher. He just needed a chance.
Sandy had a chip on his shoulder that I understood. I remembered being in the same position at age 14, but my father was not able to drive me such distances as Sandy 's parents. Having no team to play for, I gave up baseball, which ended my dreams of making the big leagues.
In this case, I was determined to see someone like Sandy get the chance. If someone is willing to travel that distance – they deserve the opportunity. Sandy would set a fine example for the club with an attitude and work ethic that would rub off on the players.
We proceeded to negotiate Sandy 's transfer from Country Baseball to the NSW competition – he was officially on board.
During the 2004 NSW State Cup Tournament season, Sandy struggled with his velocity and the competition. But, even in cases where Sandy did not pitch well, he maintained a visible drive and courage to keep showing up week after week. His perseverance exceeded the relentless travel schedule and his parents made sure he made almost every game.
Throughout the season, Sandy continued to ask me for guidance on how to improve his pitching. Several post game instructions involved work on mechanics as well as extra throwing. Sandy was willing to put in whatever additional effort was required to improve.
Impressed with Sandy 's interest and motivation, I introduced him to fitness programs designed specifically for pitching as well as books on major league players and scouting. We reviewed video tapes of US major league pitchers, diagnosed proper mechanics and modified his technique.
Sandy not only absorbed the pitching advice I gave him, but took his own initiative to workout 3-4 times per week. The 2004 season was over, but there was the 2005 season to look forward to as Sandy matured.
Once the 2005 State Cup season came, Sandy showed up for his first game having grown several inches with added muscle definition. He just came off an MVP performance leading his local association club to the championship title. He threw harder and was as confident as ever.
Sandy Towner one year later - bigger, stronger, and faster
In 2005, Sandy was often the best pitcher on the mound no matter which opponent we played. He improved so much that he was also conscripted to pitch for North Shore major league under 18s at age 15!
Sandy has made tremendous progress to the extent that he has been invited by Craig Stoves, the Australian scout for the Florida Marlins Major League Baseball Team to become a member of the 2006 Baseball Development Team. This involves attending a 2 week training camp at Ft Lauderdale, Florida in April. The program is aimed at forming a talented and elite team that will receive instruction, development and guidance from experienced professional baseball coaches. Sandy will also receive exposure to Florida Marlins scouts on a daily basis and will play organised games against local and high school teams in the U.S. Sandy expects to learn a great deal from this trip and hopes to see a vast improvement in his pitching as a result of this intensive training.
Sandy appreciates the efforts that different coaches have made towards his development and wants to return the knowledge to younger players. He has been accepted as coach for his local club's U/12 team and has offered his assistance to older players in improving their pitching. With all his baseball commitments and all the traveling to Sydney, Sandy is in advanced classes for all his school subjects and this year will be sitting his Year 10 Exams.
To help sponsor Sandy's trip, you can email his father at jontow@tpg.com.au
In summary, there is no guarantee that Sandy will make the major leagues in the US. As in the days of Tamworth, Sandy may not throw as hard as some other prospects, but has continually proved his doubters wrong. I would not bet against him, and after reading this far, neither should you.
Help Sandy make this trip for what could either be a fitting end to a long journey or the start of new chapters yet to be written. Catch a rising star while you can.
Cheers,
Rick Speciale
Feature Writer, Stratogists.com and…
Head Coach of North Shore Youth League Baseball