Friday, April 06, 2001
Colerain's Ferris should be hit in baseball draft
Slugger dreams of big leagues
By Dave Schutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Mike Ferris.
(Steven M. Herppich photo)
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When decision time arrives for Mike Ferris in early June, the 18-year-old Colerain senior baseball player expects to hit a home run.
“It's been my lifelong dream to play professional baseball,” Ferris said. “If I'm drafted, it will be hard to turn down, because it would be living out that dream.”
Ferris, considered one of the two best senior high school baseball players in Ohio, expects to be drafted by a major-league team in the annual June amateur draft.
Blessed with a fluid swing, Ferris has already signed a national letter-of-intent to play baseball at Kentucky. But Ferris hasn't ruled out skipping college in favor of immediately playing professionally if drafted in an early round and the signing bonus is right.
“It's not like football or basketball, where you can play one year in college and then turn pro,” Ferris said. “In baseball, once you enter college, you must play for at least three years before turning pro.”
One major-league scout said Ferris is one of Ohio's best high school players in what appears to be a mediocre year for the draft.
“A lot depends on what type of spring Mike has at Colerain,” the scout said. “The scouts want to update his swing and see if he's hitting for more power.”
The scout also hinted that Ferris' 3.8 grade-point average also is important to most organizations.
“Smart players keep themselves out of trouble,” the scout said. “Mike's the best high school player to come out of Cincinnati since Ricky Bell (1997 Moeller graduate who was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third round).”
Colerain's first preseason scrimmage against St. Xavier on March 19 was a good example of the interest professional teams have in Ferris.
“There were at least 14 professional scouts at the scrimmage,” Colerain baseball coach Chris Newton said. “This will be the case all season.”
A 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior center fielder, Ferris is expected to break most of the school's offensive records this season.
After four games this season, Ferris already holds the school records for career home runs (24), runs scored (74), runs batted in (82) and doubles (25).
“Mike's a power hitter; last year, he had more home runs and doubles combined than singles,” Newton said.
The pressure of playing in front of scouts every day doesn't bother Ferris. Last summer, he attended several national camps lattended by more than 350 scouts.
Another scout spoke in more glowing terms of Ferris as a power hitter.
“What sets Ferris apart is the power he has to any field,” the scout said. “I've watched him play three times and every game he hit the ball hard every time.”
Ferris is aware hitting for a high average is only part of the equation. Physical gifts — power, foot speed and bat speed — and mental approach are as crucial.
“Everybody has told me that my bat will get me drafted,” Ferris said.
When games or practices are over, Ferris isn't done with baseball for the day. He practices with his 16-year-old brother, Matt, for about an hour each night, in the basement.
“We set up a net and use a broomstick to hit a (practice) golf ball,” Ferris said. “We toss the ball from the side or from under the net and hit it with the broomstick. It helps develops hand-eye coordination.”
Ferris is batting .300 (3-for-10) with two homers and a double. He also has walked seven times. He has grown accustomed to not getting good pitches to hit.
“I draw a lot of walks because most pitchers throw the fastball low and away,” Ferris said.
“If they walk me, it doesn't seem to bother them. They'd rather see me running to first than around the bases. Even on a 3-2 or 3-0 count, they throw a fastball because if they hang a curve, I'll hit it out.”
Newton praised Ferris' character.
“Every coach we've played against commented on how nice a kid Mike is to be around,” Newton said.
“We only have three players back with varsity experience and Mike works well with them. After practice, he stays around to work on his swing or hitting. He shows the young kids what it takes to be successful.”
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Colerain's Ferris should be hit in baseball draft