Waxahachie Daily Article on Lance

[Heads22]

Got this link from el Cheato's blog.

 

http://www.waxahachiedailylight.com/articl...26-broadway.txt

 

Ex-Indian enjoying major success

By JUSTIN BAER/Daily Light sports writer

Posted: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 10:27 AM CST

 

Most likely everyone has heard of Broadway, but they may not be so familiar with the newest Broadway “show” about to make it big time. His name is Lance Broadway, a 6’4’’, 210-pound product of Waxahachie High School and a recent number 15 overall pick of the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 MLB draft.

 

Broadway transferred to Waxahachie in 2001 after being an all-district starter for Grand Prairie High School his three previous years.

 

“I had a blast playing for Waxahachie,” Broadway recalled, “I had a great time with so many families and so many guys. Getting to know Coach Miller and getting to know guys like Caleb Rodgers, Ben Hudspeth, Kurt Ross, and Louie Cravens. I still keep in contact with all of those guys.”

 

Despite only coaching him for one year, coach Jim Miller noticed Broadway’s potential during his senior season.

 

“Lance had all the qualities of what the big league scouts look for,” Miller said. “He is tall, he had good movement on his fastball, and a good work ethic. He always brought that certain charisma and brought a good personality. I just wish he could have been healthy.”

 

Miller, who went and watched Broadway play in a series in Chattanooga this summer, says Broadway hasn’t changed a bit even after all the success he has had recently.

“Lance always had that million dollar smile,” Miller said. “He really made himself available for autographs after the game. He is a different guy. He is really humble.

 

“The only regret he had was to not be in Waxahachie all four years. He said he might have developed quicker. But at the same time, if he had not gotten hurt his senior year he might not have developed a work ethic. He told me, ‘I just wanted to prove what we could of had’, and he sure is doing that.”

 

Unfortunately the Indians weren’t able to get much out of Broadway his senior year as he was sidelined with a back injury the majority of the time.

Yet despite all the pain, Broadway did manage a way to still make an impact on an Indian team that finished with an overall record of 18-7.

 

“I was pinch hitting against Ennis,” Broadway remembered. “We were down, and we all knew we shouldn’t have been losing. I came in to pinch hit and hit a double that brought in the tying run.”

 

Broadway had to be carried off the field, but he had done his job. Ben Hudspeth would then knock in the pinch hitter to win the game for the Indians.

“I think what I remember the most though is the friendships I made,” he said.

 

After graduating from Waxahachie in 2002, Broadway went on to play ball at Dallas Baptist University with Hudspeth, where he made a huge splash early on to say the least, recording two no-hitters his freshman year.

 

Broadway then transferred to TCU his junior year where he had a breakout season going 15-1 (tied for most wins in the nation) with a 1.62 ERA (third in the nation) while piling up 151 strikeouts for the Horned Frogs.

Broadway piled up a plethora of awards that year as well, earning Conference USA pitcher of the year and Male Athlete of the Year for C-USA.

 

He was also named a consensus first-team all-American from Louisville Slugger, Baseball America, and the NCBWA.

 

From there, Broadway was drafted as the 15th overall pick in the first round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft by Chicago White Sox, making Broadway the highest draft pick in TCU’s baseball history.

After starting in Class A ball with the Winston-Salem Warthogs, Broadway impressed the White Sox organization enough in just half a season to earn an invitation to spring training in Tucson, Arizona the following March.

 

“I was just like any kid,” he said. “I was excited to be there working out next to the names on the backs of guys you see on TV each day.”

 

Broadway was then promoted to AA Birmingham for the beginning of the 2006 season.

Broadway didn’t get much run support behind him posting a .500 record (8-8), but his 111 strikeouts and 2.74 ERA enticed the White Sox organization to bring him up to AAA Charlotte at the end of last season.

 

Broadway only started one game, but definitely laid a strong foundation to build off of for next year throwing six solid innings allowing only two earned runs while striking out six.

 

“I have been surrounded by a bunch of good coaches,” Broadway said of the reason for his rapid success in the minors. “They have given me a good plan to follow. Just by trial and error I have found my niche in baseball. Hopefully I can make it to the big leagues.”

If anyone keeps up with the White Sox organization, they would know that their starting rotation is stacked from top to bottom with stars such as Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, and Jose Contreras.

 

But general manager Ken Williams traded away two-time all-star Freddy Garcia earlier in the off-season to possibly start making room for future stars such as Brandon McCarthy and Broadway. Yet Broadway tries to keep his focus straight ahead and not let what is going on up in the windy city affect him, despite the fact that McCarthy was traded to the Texas Rangers this past weekend.

 

“I really don’t worry about it,” he said. “I feel like if I pitch the way I am capable, I can end up in the big leagues.

“They (the White Sox Organization) have been very honest with us. If we deserve a shot we’re going to get a shot. I am going to take their word for it and not worry about who is ahead of me.”

 

For now, Broadway will have to live the not so glorious life of a minor-league baseball player.

 

Yet Broadway says it’s not as bad as what it can be portrayed to be in movies such as Bull Durham.

“The worst thing is you feel pretty isolated,” he said. “The one thing I loved about college baseball is you feel like a strong team. In pro ball guys are coming and going all the time and you really don’t get to establish a strong bond with them.”

 

Broadway doesn’t even mind the travel accommodations, which aren’t necessarily sitting in big leather chairs on a chartered plane.

 

“I would rather bus six or eight hours then fly,” Broadway said. “To me airports are just a hassle.”

Moving up three classifications in the minors in just over a year and a half, Broadway has noticed many a difference between AAA and A ball, none as much as the gap in the skills of his opposing batters.

 

“The hitters are more confident,” Broadway said. “They know what they are capable of doing; they are not afraid to fall behind in the count. My out pitch is my curve ball. I got a lot more hitters swinging and missing on pitches in the dirt in AA.”

 

Now that the hitters are more disciplined, Broadway is forced to use his fastball more affectively to try and get hitters out.

 

But even though Broadway has been extremely successful, he will be the first to admit that he still has some work to do before pitching against American League sluggers such as David Ortiz, Derek Jeter, Vladimir Guerrero, etc.

 

“If I pitch like I did last year, my numbers speak for themselves,” he said. “Going into this year I don’t really deserve a shot (to earn a spot on the White Sox). I don’t have enough innings underneath my belt.

 

“The White Sox are a good team so they have a lot of good players. There is not a need for an inexperienced player who has only had success at the AA level. Right now there is no reason for me to be up there. If I can get AAA batters out then put me at the next level. I just don’t want them to throw me on the roster. I want them to put me on because I can help the big league team.”

 

Until then, Broadway has to suffer with the problem so many Americans wish they had — getting paid to do what you love you to do.

[Gregory Pratt]

Awww. Good stuff.

[Chisoxfn]

Good read. Thanks for the info Heads/Cheat

[Whitewashed in '05]

Thanks, good read.

[beck72]

By his own account, Lance got a lot of K's in AA and below on balls out of the strike zone. Getting big league hitters to chase pitches won't be easy. That may translate into Lance getting battered around in AAA and above. His value now may be at it's greatest. Esp. as Charlie Haeger is the same age as Lance and did stellar in AAA.