Vincent Has Petco Goal
8/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Aug. 12, 2008
When Nick Vincent graduated from Ramona High School in 2004, he drew little interest from either major league scouts or major college coaches. In fact, Vincent's low-80s fastball didn't even make him the most exciting prospect on his own team when he joined Palomar College in the fall.
"He came in with Shawn Hardesty," Palomar head coach Buck Taylor said, "and Hardesty was the guy everybody wanted to get."
Four years later, Vincent's stuff still doesn't blow away scouts, but hitters in the Class A Northwest League are plenty impressed. After a standout career at Palomar and then Long Beach State University, Vincent heard his name called by his hometown San Diego Padres in the 18th round of this year's first-year player draft.
As of Aug. 9, the former collegiate reliever has found a home in the starting rotation for the Eugene Emeralds, compiling a 3-1 record with a 3.31 ERA and 30 strikeouts.
"Everybody's good up here ... these are all the top guys from high school and college," said Vincent, who has made the move from closer to starter since joining the Emeralds. "(As a starter), you can learn from each at-bat. After games, I have a notebook where I keep track of what I threw to each hitter."
His professional success may come as a surprise to the hundreds of college coaches who passed on Vincent out of high school, but Taylor says he got some insight into his new right-handed pitcher after Christmas break.
"His fastball was at 83 to 84, and then he came back from Christmas break at 87, 88," Taylor said. "He was a different guy, and there was no stopping him after that. He wanted to make the team, and he just went home and worked hard."
After two All-Pacific Coast League seasons with the Comets, Vincent suddenly found that offers weren't in short supply anymore.
"He came back from a JC all-star game, and he had about 20 offers (from four-year programs)," Taylor said. "He called us and didn't know what to do." Vincent eventually settled on Big West Conference powerhouse Long Beach State, where he found a home in the Dirtbags' bullpen.
"I wanted to go where I was going to be part of a good team," he said. "It's always a grind up there, and their big thing is pitching."
Cleaning out his Long Beach apartment at the end of the school year, Vincent heard he'd been drafted by the Padres. After the two sides settled on financial terms, the chance to start his professional career for his hometown team was too much to refuse.
"Originally, I'd said I'd sign if I went in the eighth to 15th round range, and otherwise I would go back to school," he said, "but I decided I might as well start now. San Diego is where I grew up, it's always been my favorite team, and hopefully I'll be playing in Petco (Park) some day."
In the meantime, Northwest League hitters are trying to catch up to Vincent's three-pitch repertoire, and he's just trying to find a decent place to eat after night games in tiny Eugene, Ore.
"We're living out of the Hilton ... we're not in apartments," he said. "We basically wake up at noon, eat, and go to the park. They have a spread for us after batting practice, but it's tough to find food after the games, because there are only about three places."
Ten-hour bus rides and microscopic minor league salaries aside, Vincent welcomes his new professional surroundings.
"It makes it easier to focus on baseball," he said, "which is what guys want to do in college anyway."
The road has been windy, but when Vincent takes the mound against Tri-City on Tuesday, he will be one step closer to making his transformation from suspect to prospect complete.
"He's the prototypical community college story," Taylor said. "Out of high school, he might not be ready, but he matures, and to go from being undrafted out of high school to pitching for the Padres is pretty remarkable."
