Minor League Notebook / Donna Carter : Paquette Keeps His Eyes on the Baseball Now
Craig Paquette has had a full-length basketball court in the backyard of his familyās Garden Grove home since he was in seventh grade.
There he honed the shooting touch he used to average 22 points a game as a senior at Rancho Alamitos High School in 1987.
But Paquette, 20, avoids the courts now.
āIām trying to stop,ā Paquette said. āLast time I played, some guy twisted his ankle. . . . Iāve got to stick to baseball.ā
Paquette plays third base for the Southern Oregon Athletics, the Oakland Athleticsā Class-A team in Medford, Ore.
Although he enjoyed high school basketball and had opportunities to play at community colleges, Paquette knew his desire was to be a professional athlete. And his best chance, he felt sure, was in baseball.
The Minnesota Twins drafted him in the 36th round out of high school, but Paquette turned down the Twinsā offer.
āI wasnāt physically or mentally ready,ā he said. āI hadnāt lifted weights. I didnāt think I was strong enough.
āComing out of high school, (facing) a 6-5 guy on the mound throwing 90 (miles per hour), I thought I would be a little scared up there. I got a bit intimidated by the hard throwers.ā
That was more than two years ago. After playing at Golden West College, Paquette was drafted by the Aās this year.
And these days, itās the 6-foot, 185-pound Paquette who is doing the intimidating in his first season of professional baseball.
Last week, he was in a brief two-for-15 slump that caused his batting average to drop from about .380 to .330.
āIām not hitting the ball really well,ā he said Tuesday. āRight now, I think it is a mental thing. Iām trying to work too hard or thinking about every at-bat instead of just going out there and trying to hit the ball. Iām jumping at the pitch. I have to lay back, keep my weight back. Iām in a small slump right now, but Iāll get out of it.ā
He did.
He hit two home runs Wednesday night in a 9-0 victory over the Everett (Wash.) Giants, and added a grand slam Saturday night in an 11-5 victory over the Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds.
His .363 batting average leads the club, which leads the Northwest Leagueās Southern Division, and he is second in hitting in the league. He has a team-leading 57 hits in 157 at-bats, and also leads the team in doubles with 14. He has hit seven home runs, and is second on the team in RBIs with 31.
Paquette also had the teamās longest hitting streak earlier this year at 11 games.
āHe has been swinging the bat well,ā Manager Grady Fuson said. āWhen he tells you he went into a slump itās because he was hitting .380 and went down to about .330.
āHe has a chance to be a really good player. He has some great tools and a good personality. He is not a high-and-low guy. He has an even temperament. He doesnāt get down on himself when he has a bad game.ā
Paquette is finding the Class-A life style more comfortable than he expected.
He had heard the minor league horror stories of players living six to an apartment, sleeping on the floor and pinching pennies.
With the Aās, he is part of a program designed to give young players family support even though they are far from home.
Paquette and a teammate live with a family, and have their own rooms in a single-story, three-bedroom home with a pool, a ānice-sizedā living room and family room--āand a satellite dish,ā Paquette said.
āI prepared myself in my mind for the worst, and hoped it would be better than I thought and it was,ā Paquette said. āA lot better. Iām pretty lucky to be living with a family right now.ā
The family supplies the food, although Paquette says he cooks himself. And he doesnāt have to save his quarters for laundry.
Jim and Darla Arnsberg charge him $50 a month.
āTheir son (Brad Arnsberg) is playing triple-A ball for the Texas Rangers, so they are really baseball-oriented,ā Paquette said. āThey know what it is like, and they just want to be supportive.ā
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