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Kendrick excited to give back

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Howie Kendrick has heard some of the trade rumors about him, but the Angels second baseman said he really isn’t paying attention to that.

“You know, being traded those things happen,” Kendrick said Wednesday. “I’m just doing my best to be prepared for the season.”

Part of that preparation for Kendrick involves giving back and helping out with his MLB Pro Players Skills Camp that will take place Dec. 29 and 30 at TeWinkle Park in Costa Mesa.

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Kendrick, who has two years remaining on his four-year contract, isn’t so thrilled about the trade rumors, but he is plenty excited about the baseball camp.

“I’ve heard some of the trade rumors, but you can’t focus on those as a player,” Kendrick said. “I can’t really control that. The thing I can control the most is being ready for the season.

“I’ve been with the Angels my whole career. I love the Angels. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. If something were to happen, I would understand. The changes might come, I understand. The Angels would try to get pitching. But I’m not trying to go anywhere else. But sometimes those things happen.”

Kendrick would rather talk about the camp for young ballplayers, ages 8 to 14.

Kendrick will coach the youth on the final day of the camp, that will include a maximum of 150 participants. He also plans to sign and pose for photos.

The camp will also feature training and direction from minor leaguers, including Christian Bergman, the former UC Irvine standout, as well as Danny Espinosa, Kyle Higashioka, Blake Taylor, Tyler Rahmatulla and Aaron Wirsch.

Camp registration information can be found at https://www.quakesbaseball.com. The cost to register is $150. Proceeds go to Kendrick’s charitable initiatives.

When Kendrick grew up in Jacksonville, Fla. he said he never took part in a camp such as the one coming to Costa Mesa.

That was a breeding ground for mostly football players. But Kendrick still found help. He’s been wanting to find ways to give back to the Orange County community, he said, and he thought the camp would be a great way to start.

“To have the opportunity to give back, it means a lot to me,” Kendrick said. “I never had the opportunity to receive this type of training at a camp. We had some minor league players and mostly high school coaches.”

Kendrick wants to help in any way he can when it comes to baseball. Yet he knows the game can teach valuable lessons that can be applied to other facets in life.

“It’ll be fun to help,” Kendrick said. “I think it could be great because maybe I can help them in life whether in baseball or any other thing they do.”

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