PREP BASEBALL ‘94: SEA VIEW LEAGUE : Talent Isn’t a Concern for Baker

Confession is good for the soul, but it’s a bear to deal with.

Derek Baker knows he has all the talent in the world. He knows Baseball America has ranked him as the seventh-best high school prospect in the nation. He knows he has some jealous teammates who make digs at him. And he knows that, in some ways, they are right.

“I’m not too worried about failure,” said the Tustin third baseman who has known very little of it. “I feel if I put my best effort forward each time out, I can be successful.”

Can you put your best effort forward each time out, he is asked.

“I think my absolute best forward each time out is not impossible, but improbable,” Baker said, referring to practices and games. “It all depends on how much self-discipline I have, and I’m already a very disciplined baseball player. I know I can be more disciplined in my work ethic; that’s one of the reasons some guys call me a ‘big-leaguer.’ That’s one of my goals, to improve my work ethic.”

Baker, including his team’s playoff games en route to the Southern Section Division III championship game, batted .426 last year; he scored a school-record 39 runs and had 35 runs batted in in 32 games. His 15 extra-base hits raised his slugging average to .713.

In addition to improving his work ethic, Baker--who bats left-handed--vows to not get cheated during an at-bat and to be more focused on defense this season. His mind tends to wander, thinking about his previous at-bat, his next at-bat, whatever.

It is a surprising admission from someone so accomplished. His coach, Tim O’Donoghue, met with Baker at the end of last season and together they examined Baker’s game. Their conclusion? Baker should concentrate more on his first throw of the game, O’Donoghue said.

Anyone who wants to be nitpicky can tell the 6-foot-3, 195-pound senior to improve on his speed, although he is by no means slow. If he stays healthy, he will definitely get a chance at the major leagues, either this summer when he is drafted out of high school, or down the road near the end of his career at USC.

He has given little consideration to baseball’s financial state and what that might mean to him if he is a first-round selection in June. He said right now he doesn’t favor professional baseball or the USC experience. He likes having his options open, and for now, he’ll have to live with being Tustin’s leader by example.

“My responsibility to the team is to be a team leader,” Baker said. “I’m not a rah-rah player. I consider myself a catalyst for offensive purposes. If I have a good game, the team will have a good game. I don’t say that to be cocky, but it’s been like that in the past with all the teams I’ve played for.”

He also knows that he is better because his teammates complement him.

For example, he had eight home runs in 22 games during the summer of 1991 as Tustin won the Colt World Series title.

“If I got the most out of my talent, I think I can accomplish anything,” Baker said. “And that goes back to the work ethic.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t work hard, it just means I could work harder.”

1993 IN REVIEW

Highlights

How evenly balanced was the Sea View League? Tustin reached the playoffs because Newport Harbor upset University. Third-place Tustin defeated Irvine in the Division III semifinals and La Quinta in the title game. Woodbridge lost to La Quinta in the second round. . . . League honors were split: Irvine’s Tommy Louie was the league player of the year and Tustin Coach Tim O’Donoghue the coach of the year. . . . The league’s leading hitter was University’s Stephan Hagins (.507 during the regular season); the premier power hitter was Corona del Mar’s David Angeloni (11 home runs); and the top clutch hitter was Tustin’s Derek Baker (37 runs batted in).

Standings

League Overall School W L W L Irvine 11 3 23 8 Woodbridge 11 3 24 5 Tustin 9 5 22 9 University 7 6 13 9 Santa Margarita 5 8 7 12 Corona del Mar 5 9 13 11 Newport Harbor 4 10 6 19 Saddleback 3 11 7 17