Long Beach State University Athletics
Dirtbags Player Spotlight: SS Garrett Hampson
2/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Long Beach, Calif. - Back in November, at the 2015 Long Beach State Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Garrett Hampson was asked to introduce a prominent former Dirtbag who was ready to make his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. As Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria stepped behind the podium, he said this to the crowd: "Watch out for that guy. He's got a chance to be up here one day."
So are the expectations placed on a Long Beach State shortstop, and Hampson is no exception. He's started every game since he's arrived on campus, and his play on the field has got people noticing—even MLB All-Stars.
"That was pretty special," Hampson remembers. "I've talked to Evan a couple times but for him to even know who I was was pretty cool because I didn't even think he knew me really. But that just shows how much (the alumni) care and how much they know about the Dirtbags."
Long Beach State has a longstanding tradition of producing great shortstops, highlighted by the run of players starting in the late 90's with Bobby Crosby, Troy Tulowitzki and Danny Espinosa all holding down the position. That earned the program the nickname of "Shortstop U", which makes it special to play that position for the Dirtbags.
"I definitely want to carry on that tradition and be a part of that group, which is pretty tough to do, obviously," Hampson admits. "I also think that every player is different. I'm not trying to do what (Longoria) did or what Tulo did, I know who I am as a player and we're all different. But it's pretty cool to even be mentioned at Shortstop U and be a shortstop—I just take that in and play hard every day."
But things might have gone very differently for Hampson. Growing up in Reno, Nev., his father, Chris, taught him the sport of baseball at a young age. Garrett took to the sport well, as one might imagine, and was good enough to play on his older brother Colton's travel ball teams.
But baseball wasn't his only love. In fact, he could just as easily have been a point guard instead. Hampson was a four-year basketball star at Reno High, and loved being a two-sport athlete. There was even a time during freshman year—as he sat out the baseball season with an injury—when he considered committing full-time to basketball.
"I'm really glad I didn't do that," Hampson says with a smile. "Because baseball is special to me and it's my passion. Basketball is awesome, I still love that game and I miss playing, but baseball is definitely my favorite."
The results have been excellent for Hampson, and for the Dirtbags. In 2014, he was the Big West Freshman Player of the Year, helping the Dirtbags reach the postseason for the first time since 2008. As a sophomore, he had another solid season at the top of the lineup, earning All-Big West honors again.
During the summer, he was selected as one of 26 players to play for the Team USA Collegiate National Team. Hampson is the 11th player in program history to play for the Collegiate National Team and the first since Espinosa in 2007. The previous 10 have all gone on to reach the Major Leagues, meaning that expectation is now there for Hampson's future. But future is the operative word, because his current priorities are not with professional baseball.
"That's second right now. First is this team and winning this season, and that means a lot to me," Hampson says. "I think at the end of the day it'll happen, but right now I'm just worried about this team and what we're doing tomorrow."
Hampson makes it clear that his goal for this season revolves exclusively around the team, and around winning a Big West championship. Head coach Troy Buckley knows Hampson's importance in achieving that goal, noting that "you're not going to win without him." But Hampson's impact is felt not just on the field, but in the clubhouse as well.
"I think he's a fantastic player and a fantastic person," says Buckley of Hampson. "I think he has a burning desire for us as a team to be extremely successful; I don't think he was at all pleased about how last year went. He's really improved his leadership and his vocalness at this position which is very needed, and quite honestly, part of the legacy here. With the Tulowitzki's and the Crosby's and the Espinosa's and those type of guys, not only were they talented, they were vocal. And he's learned how to do that without changing who he is. "
The biggest difference between Hampson in his first two seasons with the Beach and Hampson now as an upperclassman, is his leadership ability. After a disappointing 2015 season which saw the Dirtbags finish sixth in the Big West, Hampson discussed one of the most important changes he hopes to bring for a better outcome this year.
"Holding everybody accountable for their actions," he says. "I think last year we let things slide that we shouldn't have and this year it's been totally different. We've got good leadership and it teaches the young guys, and some of the returners too, that you've got to come every day to work and get better, and you can't take any rep off because they all count."
With the prospect of the MLB Draft looming, and the legacy of the players who held his spot before him, Hampson has kept his focus on this team and this season, by having a very clear and simple priority: winning.
With two full seasons of experience under his belt, Hampson is ready to lead the 2016 Dirtbags, and he's prepared to do what it takes for the team to reach its goal.
"One thing we all learned from last year is it doesn't matter if everybody likes you, you want to be respected," he states. "So if you've got to pull a teammate aside and get in their face a little bit and tell him he's doing something wrong, that's the better way to go. "It's not about being liked, it's not about being everybody's best friend, but at the end of the day who's going to be the leader and who's going to respect you."
