Travel Baseball Teams in Illinois

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MLB Players from Illinois

Illinois has produced plenty of MLB players. More than 40 are still active in the pros. The list includes some up-and-coming stars like Jason Kipnis and Tony Cingrani as well as some who have been in the pros a while, among them, Curtis Granderson, Jayson Werth, and Ben Zobrist.

Jason Kipnis

Jason Kipnis was born in 1987 in Northbrook. He played recreational youth baseball. He also received baseball instruction at North Shore Baseball Academy **(http://www.playnsba.com/latest-news/nsba-links).

At Glenbrook North High School, Kipnis lettered in both baseball and football. Despite his strong performance (with conference MVP among his honors), he was not offered a full scholarship (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20140228/jason-kipnis-all-underrated-team-cleveland-indians).

He opted to play ball at the University of Kentucky but later transferred to Arizona State University. He spent one summer playing in a collegiate summer league. At this stage, he was an outfielder. After he was taken as a second round draft pick in 2009, though, he was transitioned to second base.

Kipnis’ minor league teams included the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Kinston Indians, Akron Aeros, and Columbus Clippers. He made his MLB debut in 2011 at age 24.

Kipnis has been successful in the Big Leagues, ranked high in Fantasy 2014.

It’s not just his ball skills that have garnered attention. Kipnis won the Heart and Hustle Award and has been a nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.

Curtis Granderson

Curtis Granderson was born in 1981 in Blue Island. As a boy, he played shortstop in Little League.

He then played baseball and basketball at Thornton Fractional South High School. (He loved basketball, but ultimately had to go with the sport where he had the most talent and the best prospects.)

Granderson attended the University of Illinois – Chicago. A budding baseball star, he broke some school records. He was a 3rd round draft pick in 2002; he had just completed his junior year.

Granderson played in the minors for the Oneonta Tigers, Lakeland Tigers, and Erie Seawolves. His MLB debut came in 2004 when he was 23.

Jayson Werth

Jayson Werth, born in Springfield in 1979, was part of an athletic sports-loving family. His grandfather had been in the majors for 19 years and had retired less than a decade before Jayson's birth. His stepfather was also a big leaguer.

Werth was on some successful traveling teams. His stepdad built him a batting cage when he was eight.

Werth played at Glenwood High and was a first round draft pick in 1997. He made his debut in the majors in 2002 at age 23. He has played for several teams including the Dodgers, Phillies, and Nationals.

Tomorrow’s Ball Players in Illinois

There's now a batting cage in Werth's yard -- for the next generation. “If that’s what they want to do, great,” he says. “If they want to do something else, that’s fine, too (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/25/daly-baseball-part-of-werths-dna/).

Tomorrow’s ball players will need a love for the game and plenty of opportunity to play it. Kipnis, Granderson, and Werth all played youth ball.

There’s a lot a kid can learn through team sports – from losing as well as winning. “When you’re losing, you see what your team is made of," Granderson has said (http://jockbio.com/Bios/Granderson/Granderson_my-say.html). He also noted, "Our team goal is pretty simple … basically prepare ourselves to play for nine innings every day, every series, and against every opponent."

Kids can’t put all their effort into sports, though – even when racking up the wins and loving it. Granderson’s parents taught him education was important. Though he left college (for a while) to go pro, he did eventually complete his degree.

Granderson was the co-author of a juvenile book “Be All That You Can Be”.

Travel Baseball Teams in Illinois

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