“I love baseball and I looked at his as a chance to get more reps and have fun,” says Troy’s Brady O’Leary. “There’s more exposure here and I think that’s going to help me a lot.” (Press Pros Feature Photos)
One of the area’s best of the up-and-coming in amateur baseball, Troy’s Brady O’Leary is spending his summer in a car and an on unfamiliar infields to sharpen his skills and make a favorable impression on those at a higher level.
Columbus, OH – Brady O’Leary has it.
More importantly, Brady O’Leary has ‘it’…the kind of instincts and movement as a young baseball player that leads you to believe that the best is yet to come. And that’s fine, because that’s always been his plan.
The sophomore-to-be infielder from Ty Welker’s Troy High School program is spending his summer playing 16u baseball for the Bo Jackson Elite team out of Columbus…working on as many of the fundamental rudiments of playing shortstop as is possible over a sixty game span.
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See the country first? He eschewed staying home to play community baseball this summer for the opportunity to play against the best possible pitching that an eight-hour car ride can provide. Last weekend he was in Hoover, Alabama. Two weeks ago he was playing outside Indianapolis. And before the summer concludes he’ll lace up his Nikes in East Cobb, Georgia.
Why go to such lengths, and yes, such expense?
“I looked at it as a chance to get more reps in, and have fun,” he said Saturday, following the second game of a three-game day at Olentangy Berlin High School. “I love baseball, I want to have fun, and that’s why I’ve chosen this path.
“There’s more exposure here [than playing at home], and I have a chance here to see more of the top arms in the country. I think that’s going to help me a lot.”
In a span of a ten minute conversation following his team’s second game of the day Saturday, O’Leary mentioned it repeatedly:
“I want to play.”
“I want to have fun.”
“I love baseball.”
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And those at home familiar with seeing him play guard on Troy’s basketball team last winter for coach Mark Hess would have no problem understanding…that while he likes to play basketball, he LOVES to play baseball. It’s a surprising admission from a lot of high school athletes who participate in multiple sports. And you can tell.
While O’Leary plays basketball, his movements, his hands, and his instincts leave little to question that he personifies whatever position he plays in baseball. And he can play a lot of them.
“I think I can play any of the eight positions on the field, anything but catch,” he says. “I played third base this spring at Troy. And I can play second. But where I really like [to play] is shortstop.”
All he needs is work and time. Brady O’Leary’s intent is to outwork…everybody!
Which is impressive because shortstop is probably the most demanding of any of the eight positions.
You have to have good footwork. O’Leary has it instinctively at the present, but is working this summer to improve.
You have to have good hands. He fields ground balls as if he’s gathering eggs.
You have to have a good arm. For his age it’s fine, because he positions himself to throw efficiently. True arm strength will come with time.
And you have to have good range. That will come as he grows into his frame – matures physically.
He’s using his summer to improve in all phases of the game.
“I’m working on my footwork a lot,” he maintains. “I want my footwork to look good.”
“When I get up to bat I’m working on my approach. I’m hunting the early fastball and when I get down in the count I want to hit something hard, backside over the second baseman’s head.”
Talk with him any length of time and he’ll prioritize what he has to do to impress someone at the next level, beyond high school. At 15 he can already talk the talk. By the time he’s 18 he wants to walk the walk…with anyone!
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“I think I saw some good arms this spring [at Troy],” he said Saturday. “And I think seeing those good arms this spring against Mason has helped me a lot. But this is a lot different.
“My goal is to play Division I college baseball,” he adds. “I feel like I can, but I’ve got to work and stay humble. I’ve got to keep working. I plan to outwork everybody.”
There’s little question that he will. We saw him as a freshman basketball player last winter, and he’s already a better athlete this summer in a span of just six months. And he knows what’s yet to be done.
He needs to get stronger.
He needs to see more pitching – better pitching.
He needs to play, and he doesn’t want to limit himself. He knows what he wants to do, and what he can’t do…yet.
The new recruiting rules will benefit him, that prohibit college coaches from communicating with potential recruits until August 1st of their junior year. That helps with staying focused, and humble.
He’ll be mindful of potential schools and their roster needs over the next three years.
But for now Brady O’Leary is putting in the miles and the work to be as good at baseball as 15 years will allow.
“I love playing,” he reiterates.
“I want to have fun,” he assures.
“I love baseball.”
And not necessarily in that order.
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