A Player Who Inspires With Desire

Tyler Brady slid a weight down his bat, trotted to the on-deck circle and twirled the 28-ounce barrel until it looked like a windmill on a blustery day.

A short distance away, a spectator cupped the side of his mouth and, in a hushed tone, confirmed the obvious.

“He only has one hand,” he said.

A few minutes later, Brady pulled a two-strike pitch into the hole on the right side of the infield. The second baseman dived and came up with it, but Brady beat the pitcher to the bag with a headfirst slide.

He also reached base in his other three plate appearances, helping Santa Ana Mater Dei’s freshman team to an 8-0 victory.

For many in the opposing dugout and bleachers, Brady’s performance on a recent afternoon surely inspired a story that was shared with neighbors, friends and co-workers.

Brady, who was born without nearly half his left arm, has provided many such stories this season. He has 15 hits in 43 at-bats -- a .349 average -- leads the Monarchs with 12 stolen bases, and has played flawlessly in center field.

Many baseball fans remember left-handed pitcher Jim Abbott, a popular member of the Angels during two stints beginning in 1989. And Chad Bentz, a former Long Beach State pitcher who is a Montreal Expo rookie this season and will be in the bullpen when they visit Dodger Stadium this weekend. Both were born with missing or deformed right hands.

Abbott has inspired many, including Bentz and Brady. They also share his desire to be remembered for their playing skills rather than the hurdles they’ve overcome.

Brady detests being described as “handicapped” or “disabled” and has a message for physically or mentally challenged youths and their parents who might be insecure about participating in mainstream sports and activities:

“Just ignore what everyone else says and do what you want.”

Brady has been swinging a bat and donning baseball equipment since before he can remember. He keeps a picture of himself hitting off a tee when he was about 2 years old.

His father, Steve, a senior second baseman in 1980 when Mater Dei won its only Southern Section title, was responsible for Tyler’s early start.

“I was working nights and my wife was going to school,” said Steve, a graphic designer. “We had a lot of time together during the day.”

When the family moved to Oklahoma when Tyler was 3, the baseball gear was unpacked first. Sometimes it meant playing in 100-degree heat and high humidity, but Tyler never wanted to quit.

The Bradys moved back to Orange County in 2000 when Steve took a new job, and Tyler immediately began impressing those who watched him play. He was selected to all-star teams in Little League and Pony League in the Newport Beach area.

“He’s the hardest-working, most likable kid you will find,” said Paul Manning, whose son Bobby played youth baseball with Brady and is now a teammate at Mater Dei.

Greg Soper, Mater Dei’s freshman coach, knew Steve Brady from when they played together at Mater Dei. He has kept track of Tyler’s progress since the family returned from Oklahoma.

“He’s the reason I came down to coach the freshman team this season,” said Soper, a former varsity assistant.

Just as Abbott used to say he’d rather be compared to Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan than Pete Gray, the first one-handed major league player, Tyler’s idol is Cincinnati Red outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

Tyler shrugged when asked if he ever felt like other players had an advantage because they had two hands. He said he’d never thought about it.

“I don’t feel like there is or isn’t,” said Tyler, who also likes to surf. “I play baseball so often, [the missing hand] doesn’t affect me much.”

Bentz, the Expo pitcher, has a similar attitude.

A seventh-round draft pick from Long Beach State in 2001, he went 1-4 with 16 saves at double-A Harrisburg (Pa.) last season. Then he made a strong enough impression during spring training to earn a spot on the opening-day roster as the team’s lone left-handed pitcher.

In his big league debut April 7 against the defending World Series champion Florida Marlins, he gave up one hit in two-thirds of an inning of relief in Montreal’s 3-2 victory. Afterward, he told reporters that he never considered his deformed hand -- he calls it a “birthmark” -- to be a hindrance to his career.

“On the field, I’m not any different,” said Bentz, 23, who also batted .271 during the spring. “I’m just like any left-handed pitcher trying to get guys out. Off the field, yeah, I might be a little different.”

Tyler was impressed when his father told him about Bentz’s debut on the way home from a game.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “It’s hard enough just to get there

Gray lost his arm in a truck accident during his youth. He played 77 games as an outfielder for the St. Louis Browns in 1945, taking advantage of roster openings created by players leaving for World War II.

Probably the most recognizable disabled professional athlete is Abbott, the Angels’ first pick in the 1988 draft.

Abbott won the Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player of 1987, beating out a cast of other future major leaguers, including Griffey.

Abbott became the 15th player to skip the minor leagues when he made his major league debut in 1989. He won 12 games as a rookie.

Among the highlights of his 10-year career was a third-place finish in the Cy Young Award voting in 1991 and a no-hitter as a member of the New York Yankees in 1993.

Bentz said Abbott influenced him to give baseball a try, even though he spent his high school years in frigid Juneau, Alaska. Bentz was in college when he met Abbott. Tyler Brady doesn’t remember his first meeting with Abbott because he was an infant.

Shortly before Tyler was born, Steve and his wife, Jennifer, read a newspaper article about the Angel star.

When Tyler was born with a similar arm, the article provided comfort and reassurance for Steve and Jennifer. They inquired into purchasing the photograph of Abbott that ran with the article.

The newspaper employee, who learned of Tyler’s condition during the phone call, went one step further, contacting the Angels, who invited the Bradys to a home game.

The game was eventful. Steve caught a foul ball while sitting in the owner’s booth and Abbott met the family after the game. They chatted about their experiences and gathered for a picture, the foul ball resting on Tyler’s lap.

“It was really a memorable experience,” Jennifer Brady said.

If Brady continues to develop, some predict he could be competing for a varsity spot by his junior season.

At 5 feet 9, 140 pounds, Brady still has some growing to do, and nobody can predict how an athlete will perform at the next level.

“He might have a little trouble hitting 90-mile-an-hour pitching down the road,” Soper said. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if he just kept getting better.”

After all, he has that favorite major league example to follow.

And Griffey is off to a decent start.