From a Spark ... Fire : Scouts Warm to Solomon After Anonymous Baseball Career at Small School

Few baseball scouts and college recruiters considered Steve Solomon a can’t-miss prospect after his junior year at Crossroads High.

Although he went on to become a two-time all-state and three-time All-Southern Section outfielder, Solomon was virtually unknown to those who make their livings forecasting the futures of high school baseball prospects. Most had never been to, let alone heard of, Crossroads, a private college preparatory school in Santa Monica with an enrollment of 410.

“At Crossroads,” Solomon said, “you really don’t get noticed.”

Solomon’s anonymity became apparent last winter when he played for a winter-league team managed by Doug Deutsch, a scout for the Houston Astros. The team, which included local minor league players from the Astro organization, competed against many of the top four-year schools in Southern California, including USC, UCLA, Loyola Marymount and Cal State Fullerton.

Deutsch said inquiries about Solomon from college coaches and interested observers were almost always the same.

Coach: “Who’s the kid in center field?”

Deutsch: “Steve Solomon.”

Coach: “Where’s he from?”

Deutsch: “Crossroads.”

Coach: “Where?”

Thanks to a batting stroke among the best in Southern California last season and, specifically, his play in the winter league, exposure is no longer a problem for Solomon, who is on his way to Stanford and a possible position on the 1992 Olympic baseball team.

In July, Solomon was a member of the West team in the National Junior Baseball Championships in Sioux Falls, S. D. The four-team, round-robin tournament was sponsored by the U. S. Baseball Federation--a branch of the U. S. Olympic Committee--and served as a showcase for some of the top 17- and 18-year-olds from around the country.

Solomon hit two home runs and drove in three runs in the championship game against the North, securing a berth for himself on the U. S. Junior National Team that will compete in the World Junior Baseball Championships in Australia in December.

Solomon and Joe Furukawa of Anaheim’s Canyon High were the only Californians who made the 18-man squad that was culled from the 64 players who participated in the tournament.

“Steve showed surprising power, good arm strength and good speed,” said Bernie Walter, coach of the Junior National Team. “He was an easy selection.

“The kids on the Junior National Team will be playing against competition from around the world. They have a foot in the door for the Olympics. Whether they keep it remains to be seen.”

Those who watched Solomon develop during the past few years have no trouble envisioning him playing in Barcelona, Spain, in the 1992 Games.

“Steve had a great swing from the time he enrolled at Crossroads in seventh grade,” Crossroads Coach Chuck Ice said. “He comes from a baseball family and he understands the game.”

Mike Solomon, Steve’s brother, was an All-American outfielder at Cal State Northridge. He led the Matadors to the Division II national championship in 1984 and played in the Seattle Mariners organization.

Steve lacks his brother’s power, but his easy swing produced a .464 average, 7 home runs and 36 runs batted in last season despite missing 12 games because of a broken wrist. His performance helped the Roadrunners to their fifth Delphic League title in seven years and a trip to the Southern Section 1-A Division final, where they lost to Fillmore.

However, Solomon didn’t become a Division I prospect until last winter when he played with the Astros’ winter-league team. His performances against college players helped him catch the eye of recruiters and overcome the stigma that often accompanies players from small schools.

“It’s very difficult to evaluate baseball players at the Small Schools level,” Stanford Coach Mark Marquess said. “The competition just isn’t that consistent. But Steve played against players from high divisions during a winter league and it was obvious he could compete at that level.”

The winter-league experience also proved something to Solomon.

“I felt comfortable out there,” he said. “I was holding my own ground. I was playing with and against guys from the 4-A schools in Orange County and I didn’t think anything of it.”

Solomon, who graduated with a 3.75 grade-point average, made recruiting trips to Stanford, Arizona State, Illinois, Cal and UC Santa Barbara. Intrigued by the academic atmosphere and Stanford’s status as the defending national champion, Solomon signed with the Cardinal.

“I just thought that I might have a little edge coming out of there,” he said.

Solomon is confident that the experience he gained during the Junior National tournament, coupled with the improvement he hopes to make during the fall at Stanford, will help him at the World Championships in December. In Australia, the United States will compete against defending champion Cuba and teams from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Europe, Canada, South America and the host country.

“I’m looking forward to representing the United States,” Solomon said. “Hopefully, I can keep getting better and continue to learn.”

Others, including baseball scouts, have learned from Solomon’s success story.

“It’s already had an impact,” Deutsch said. “I think it’s going to make all of us pay a little more attention to the small schools.”