Ricardo Nanita

[chosk8]

Unheralded Nanita uses hitting streak, cycle to gain attention at Great Falls

 

BY TED MANN

 

Ricardo Nanita was only days removed from having his record-breaking 30-game hitting streak snapped when he strolled to the plate in the eighth inning at Helena. Though he was no longer under pressure to push his hitting streak to new heights, the Rookie-level Great Falls center fielder was working on a coup of a different sort. Having doubled in the second, tripled in the fifth and singled in the seventh, Nanita was only a home run away from hitting for the cycle.

 

Tired of being ribbed by his father about his power—“If I don’t hit a home run, I don’t have to call him, that’s what he says,” Nanita said, laughing—he was eager to park one over the fence.

 

Though he’d homered just twice in his first 153 professional at-bats, Nanita turned to his teammates and told them matter-of-factly that he was going to hit a home run, and it would be nice if the bases were loaded when it happened.

 

“That’s not Ricardo being cocky,” Great Falls manager Chris Cron said. “He just has a lot of fun out on the field. It’s a joy to watch him play.”

 

“There are still a few kids who would play the game for free,” added Danny Price, Nanita’s coach at Florida International. “Ricardo is one of those guys.”

 

Sure enough, the White Sox loaded the bases, and Nanita stepped into the box looking to live up to his words, complete the cycle and add a little cushion to his team’s one-run lead.

 

One changeup down the middle of the plate later, Great Falls had a comfortable five-run lead and Nanita was making a phone call home to dad. That long-distance call became even sweeter the following day, when he belted two more home runs, including another grand slam.

 

Fulfilling A Dream

 

Nanita grew up in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, dreaming of playing in the big leagues but never received a ton of attention from scouts, so the early success has been satisfying.

 

The 6-foot, 202-pounder first came to the United States three years ago, when he joined his friend and current Pirates prospect Jose Bautista at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College rather than signing as a free agent. After two productive years of hitting and improving his English, Nanita transferred to Florida International, where he led the Golden Panthers in nearly every offensive category. Though he was thriving in the scouting hotbed of South Florida, Nanita remained relatively anonymous.

 

“Ricardo just didn’t have a big name coming into the year,” said former White Sox scouting director Doug Laumann, the man who eventually snagged Nanita. “He never had the type of hype or publicity that a lot of other guys did.”

 

According to Price, the speedy outfielder’s low profile was partially due to his deceptive tools.

 

“He doesn’t have that one absolute tool that’ll jump all over you,” Price said. “But he does have really good ability. You have to see him a lot to appreciate him.”

 

Fortunately for Nanita, White Sox scout Jose Ortega saw him a lot and began to appreciate his talent. At Ortega’s urging, Laumann, now a special assignment scout, watched Nanita play twice and came away impressed. The White Sox, however, had made it a priority to take position players in the first few rounds and then mostly pitchers in the middle rounds, making it unlikely Nanita would fall to them in a later round.

 

But Nanita did fall, and the Sox happily scooped him up in the 14th round, with the 412th pick of the draft. “I was surprised to see him still around, but I’m obviously pleased with how it’s turned out for us,” Laumann said.

 

For his part, Nanita has no idea why he fell so far in the draft—“Something weird must have happened”—but was excited enough to play professional baseball that he ignored the advice of his agent, who wanted him to hold out for a signing bonus worthy of his ability.

 

Nanita just wanted to play, so he overruled his agent and signed quickly in order to get on the field as soon as he could.

 

While he is grateful to be getting a paycheck to play the game he loves, Nanita uses the draft snub as motivation, a prospect that can’t excite his Pioneer League opponents.

 

“That motivated me a lot,” Nanita said. “I just keep my mouth shut, play my game, and make sure that people know who I am now.”

 

Starting Fast

 

After a .379-5-37 start to go with a hitting streak that broke a 13-year-old record held by Billings’ K.C. Gillum and ranks as the longest in professional baseball this year—not to mention a cycle—people are quickly learning Nanita’s name.

 

“I’ve never seen a kid get off to such a good start,” said Cron, who’s managed in the minors for the past nine years. “You just don’t do what he’s done in your first shot at pro ball. He’s really opened a lot of eyes in the organization.”

 

While Laumann, Ortega and the White Sox saw potential in Nanita that may have been undetected by other scouts and teams, even they can’t claim to have anticipated quite what he’s accomplished. They just hope he can keep it going.

 

“Obviously, when you take a guy in the 14th round, you can’t sit there and say, ‘I knew he would be this good.’ I’m not going to lie,” Laumann said. “Traditionally, when guys start out like this, they find a way to carry it through. As for the big leagues, I’m not sure.”

 

Whether Nanita becomes a big league star or never again enjoys the success he’s had in short-season ball, he’s sure to give it his all—and have a blast all the while.

 

“Can he become an elite player? He’s certainly going to work at it, and give it the best shot,” Price said. “He’s met the challenge so far; how far the ceiling will rise for him, we’ll have to wait and see.”

[dasox24]

Thanks for posting the artcile. It's a shame that Nanita had to get hurt this year. He was playing so awesome! What makes this worse is that we have already had Brian Anderson get hurt and is out for the year, and Ryan Sweeney got hurt a couple weeks ago and missed some playing time. This sux. Why did our top 3 prospects from this year's draft have to get hurt?

[MurcieOne]

Thanks for posting the artcile.  It's a shame that Nanita had to get hurt this year.  He was playing so awesome!  What makes this worse is that we have already had Brian Anderson get hurt and is out for the year, and Ryan Sweeney got hurt a couple weeks ago and missed some playing time.  This sux.  Why did our top 3 prospects from this year's draft have to get hurt?

as long as it's not serious it doesnt matter.

 

Anderson Sweeny and Nanita look like STUDs to me.

[Jim Fainter]

Hope Kenny doesn't trade them next year.

[MnSoxFan]

Get real.