:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/J7BZJLUKBPPZFAEHOVAH3LTZWY.jpg)
Baseball players with enough potential coming out of high school to interest professional scouts face a difficult decision.
Do they sign at that young age, or do they get an education and play at the college of their choice, feeling they will be better prepared to enter pro baseball when they’re a few years older.
Mike Hollenbeck, an all-state catcher in the Joliet Township combined program, was signed to attend Illinois State University and honored that commitment even after the Boston Red Sox made him their 14th-round draft pick in 2010.
Now, after his senior season at ISU, the White Sox, his lifelong favorite team, drafted him in the 23rd round. He signed and has begun his professional career in the Arizona Rookie League, where the initial games were played over the weekend.
“This is definitely the opportunity I’ve been working for,” Hollenbeck said from Arizona. “The four years at ISU, I don’t regret it at all. It was the right decision for me coming out of high school. I wasn’t ready to sign then. I can tell already that this is a daily grind that I would not have been ready for.”
Hollenbeck also was eligible to be drafted after his junior season at ISU. But even though a couple of organizations indicated they might select him, his name was not called.
“I didn’t really expect to be drafted after junior year because I didn’t have that good of a year,” he said. “Senior year I wasn’t expecting anything in terms of when I would get drafted or by whom.
“When the White Sox drafted me, I was really excited. I didn’t care about the round. Once you get started out here [in Arizona], everyone has his opportunity. Even the second-rounder is out here with us.”
Hollenbeck had a knee injury early in his Illinois State career that limited him to designated hitter duties for a while.
But he was able to catch full-time the past couple of seasons.
“I think I accomplished a lot at ISU,” he said. “My junior year we accomplished the team goal winning the [Missouri Valley] conference. As a senior, my goals were go out as best I could and it was the best year I had.”
The left-handed swinging Hollenbeck hit .265, .298 and .296 his first three seasons with the Redbirds. This spring, he hit .338 with 18 doubles, two home runs, 41 RBIs, a .410 on-base percentage, .458 slugging percentage and .868 OPS. He also had more walks (28) than strikeouts (22).
“Senior year I started being more selective at the plate,” Hollenbeck said. “Junior year I wasn’t patient enough. This past year it helped me to take a couple of pitches.”
The two home runs don’t seem like much from a middle-of-the-lineup type, but Hollenbeck is not concerned.
“I’m more of a gap-to-gap hitter and I plan to stick with that,” he said. “Like someone said, home runs are accidents. You can’t go up there looking for them. If a home run happens, it happens.
“So far here they’ve been good out here about not changing my swing. I’m more of a left field and gap hitter. I’m not going to start pulling the ball, trying to hit it out. The home runs will come.”
Hollenbeck, who always has had a cannon for a throwing arm, admitted he could have done better defensively in college.
“It definitely was harder after I had a knee injury, although I threw guys out fine,” he said. “I’ll be working hard on defense down here. Sometimes in college, you wouldn’t want to do all the drills. Here you have no choice.”
At 22, Hollenbeck said he is one of the older players with the Sox’s team in Arizona.
“But there are a couple of 23- to 24-year-olds still here who were drafted last year,” he said. “There are some 19-year-olds here and a couple of Dominicans who are only 17.”
Once you’re in a professional organization, the idea is to climb the ladder, regardless of age.
“Whether I move up from here, and when, will pretty much be based on my performance,” Hollenbeck said. “I’m pretty excited to get things going out here.”