LIHU‘E — About 70 aspiring baseball players, aged 6 through 14, took advantage of the free clinic hosted by the Chevy Youth Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Monday. “We would have had more players, but a lot
LIHU‘E — About 70 aspiring baseball players, aged 6 through 14, took advantage of the free clinic hosted by the Chevy Youth Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Monday.
“We would have had more players, but a lot of kids are at Pop Warner football practice,” said Mikey Cardinez, a community baseball coach. “But this is not bad for a daytime event and we have players from the Lihu‘e and Kapa‘a leagues.”
The free youth baseball instructional clinic drew from the talent of former professional baseball players who offered tips on pitching, infielding, outfielding and hitting.
“We’ve always wanted to come to Hawai‘i, but have not been able to make it until we came across the Chevy Youth Baseball program,” said Tyler Kourajian, special events coordinator for the MLB Players Alumni. “We plan to do about 85 of these clinics through the year. Most of the clinics are in the United States, although we are looking at Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and London.”
Cardinez said credit for getting the clinic to Kaua‘i should go to Todd Koishigawa, whose family operates a batting cage in Waipahu, O‘ahu.
Tyler Yates, a graduate of Kaua‘i High School and the University of Hawai‘i-Hilo, headlined the lineup of MLB alumni players.
A Koloa boy, Yates was drafted in the 23rd round of the 1998 draft by the Oakland A’s out of the University of Hawai‘i-Hilo. He went on to play in five Big League seasons for the Mets, Braces and Pirates.
Yates’ career numbers include 248 innings and 222 strikeouts as only the 13th player to come out of Hawai‘i and play professional baseball.
Also scheduled to join Yates at the clinic was another pitcher, Glenn Mickens, an avid spectator at the weekly Kaua‘i County Council meetings.
Mickens was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950 out of UCLA. After his stint with the Big League, Mickens headed to professional baseball in Japan where he played for five seasons. He coached at UCLA following his career as a player.
Other participants included:
• Mike Remlinger, a pitcher drafted as the 16th overall pick in the 1987 draft out of Dartmouth College, went on to play 14 season for the Giants, Mets, Reds, Braves, Cubs and Red Sox, working 879 innings with 854 strikeouts and a 3.90 Earned Run Average.
Remlinger was a member of the 2002 National League All-Star team and the 1999 National League Champion Atlanta Braves.
• Ron Robinson, a pitcher drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round during the 1980 draft, went on to play nine seasons for the Reds and Brewers, working 800 innings with 473 strikeouts and an era of 3.36.
During 1986, Robinson won 10 games and in 1990, won 14 games, throwing seven complete games.
• John Hairston, a pinch hitter, outfielder and catcher who was drafted by the Cubs in the 16th round of the 1965 draft, played one season for the 1969 Cubs and played seven Minor League seasons.
His father, Sam, and brother, Jerry, were both Major League baseball players and has two nephews, Jerry Jr. and Scott, playing in the Big Leagues.
During the clinic, which worked to beat the setting sun, players rotated through the different stations, each having a turn to work with the MLB Alumni in pitching, outfielding, infielding and hitting.
Following the workout, players were available for autographs while a healthy snack was offered all around.
Chevrolet, recognized on the national level as the “Official Vehicle of Major League Baseball,” has expanded the support of MLB down to youth baseball players in communities across the country through a grassroots, community outreach program labeled the Chevy Youth Baseball, states its website.
Visit www.chevyyouthsports.com for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
