Travel Baseball Teams in Hawaii

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MLB Players from Hawaii

Hawaii may not have the population to produce a huge number of major leaguers but it does have the weather. According to the Baseball Almanac, the state has seven active players -- though one did recently leave to play ball in Japan (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/birthplace.php?loc=Hawaii).

Kolten Wong

http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=543939#gameType='S'

Kolten Wong was born in Hilo in 1990. He decided as a kid that he wanted to be a pro ball player (http://www.staradvertiser.com/sports/20110526_Workin_for_a_livin.html). His dad, who had played a couple years in the minors, was a bit iffy, but when Wong let him know he really did want to put in the work, he supported him. His father built a batting cage and later, with help from a family friend, turned teaching kids to bat into a business.

Wong built his strength up chopping wood. He played football and baseball at Kamehameha High. He also helped his younger brother build his baseball skills. (That paid off, too, as his brother's Little League team ended up going all the way to the World Series.)

Wong turned down a 16th round draft pick in 2008, opting instead for college at the University of Hawaii. He was selected to the First Team of the All-Western Athletic Conference three times. His team won the WAC Tournament his sophomore year; he was selected as MVP. After his junior year, he decided he was ready for a pro career. He was a 1st round draft selection in 2011 at age 20.

In the minors, Wong played for the A Quad City River Bandits, AA Springfield Cardinals, and AAA Memphis Redbirds.

Wong never make it past 5'9" -- but he did make it to the majors. He had his debut in 2013 at age 23. He was -- and is -- a St. Louis Cardinal.

Shane Victorino

Shane Victorino, the 'Flyin' Hawaiian', was born in Wailuku in 1980. A lot of pro ball players showed interest in baseball as toddlers, but Victorino did so in an unusual way; one of the stories of his admittedly wild childhood is of him standing on a toy truck smashing vases with a baseball bat (http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/9489005/shane-victorino-winning-lifelong-battle). He made multiple trips to the emergency room when he was small. Sports were a way of channeling his energy. In recent years, he has become a spokesperson for the disorder he was diagnosed with: ADHD.

Victorino played several sports at St. Anthony High. In order to go far, though, he had to learn self-discipline. The assistant baseball coach remembers spending time with him, helping him learn life skills.

Victorino was just 18 when the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the 6th round. He spent quite a bit of time in the minors, but his MLB debut did come -- in 2003, when he was 22.

Now Victorino is known for community service as well as baseball. He enjoys being father to a very energetic little girl.

Scott Feldman

Scott Feldman was also born in Hawaii, though he grew up in California. He played ball with his father from the time he was four.

Feldman and his friends were coached by his father (http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080607). He tried lots of positions: first and third base, shortstop, catcher, and, pitcher.

Feldman went to Burlingame High School and then to San Mateo Junior College. There he earned East Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year. He did not sign when the Rangers selected him in the 41st round, but signed when they selected him again after his sophomore year, this time in the 30th round.

In the majors, he has played for two Texas teams, the Rangers and the Astros.

Tomorrow’s Ball Players in Hawaii

Tomorrow's ball players are learning the same things these three did: the importance of working hard to make their dreams reality. They, too, can find motivation in team sports. They, too, benefit from having role models.

Feldman notes that his father was not the type to argue with umpires, but he made sure he didn’t throw curve balls as an elementary kid. "I don't know if he ever thought I would make it to the Majors,” he says, “but he always made sure I did good in school (http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080607)."

Travel Baseball Teams in Hawaii

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