Straight A's: Portola Valley's baseball star Eric Byrnes goes pro
By BILL RAYBURN
Portola Valley Little League coaching legend Tom Sutter laughs out loud when asked of his memories of young Eric Byrnes, who played for him on perennially competitive Morey's for four years. "He'd swing at pitches way over his head, but he'd still hit 'em out of the park."
Byrnes is beginning to realize the potential Sutter saw in him. On June 2, after completing his senior year at UCLA, where he set numerous school records, he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the eighth round (No. 225 overall).
"Coach Sutter has been the most influential person in my entire athletic career," Byrnes said recently from Medford, Oregon, where he is playing for the A's summer affiliate. "I was sort of a rebellious kid, and he helped straighten me out. I owe him a great deal."
Byrnes played on two championship teams for Sutter, before moving on to St. Francis High School.
It was in his senior year for the Lancers, when he hit .500 with 9 home runs, 45 RBIs and 25 stolen bases, that college recruiters, and even some pro scouts, began to vie for his services. His blend of size, power, speed and his impressive work ethic, all came to a boil in a bouillabaisse of skills worthy, as it turns out, of both Pac 10 baseball, and now, professional baseball.
Tennis anyone?
As a boy, Byrnes had no role model for the game of baseball. His parents were avid tennis players who encouraged him to pick up a racket. Though he played some tennis, the physically maturing boy chose instead to focus his attention on the soft green grass of the baseball diamond, and he has never looked back.
Byrnes's father Jim is an all-around athlete who has played almost everything but baseball. He cheerfully acknowledges the ironic significance of his son's passion for the National Pastime. "I was glad he chose baseball," he says, "because it was the only thing I didn't know how to do. He didn't have to worry about competing with me."
Sutter style
Coach Sutter stepped in and guided Eric through the early stages of his baseball life. The young boy needed some discipline, says Sutter. "He had his problems, you know, screwing around, kids stuff," he says good naturedly of young Byrnes's impetuosity. Sutter's style, which has come under criticism by some parents in the past, is culled from the "old school," where toughness is both taught and admired. "Some kids are scared of me, but Eric was tough, even back then. He was a good kid, and he worked his tail off."
Sutter says it was Byrnes's phenomenal bat speed, "the fastest, at that age, I'd ever seen," that makes him unsurprised at the success his pupil has achieved.
Bruin country
Byrnes was recruited by UCLA and, after accepting, his biggest test ever was staring him in the face. He would prove more than a match for that test, held in the well-respected classroom that is Pac 10 baseball. Once again, he was blessed with a coach, Gary Adams, whose style suited him, though it was a decidedly different approach than Sutter's.
"Coach Adams is one of the nicest men I have ever met," says Byrnes. "He sincerely cares more about the player than winning. You learn to appreciate that as an athlete, because it's so rare."
Byrnes firmly believes that the contrasting coaching styles helped him immensely. His youthful rebelliousness needed the stern disciplinarian style of Coach Sutter, while the more mature college athlete was ready for the nurturing, supportive methods employed by Coach Adams at UCLA. "I've been lucky in the role model department. And my folks are the safety net all kids should have."
Early success
After his junior year at UCLA where, among other accomplishments, Brynes hit 17 home runs in 67 games, he was offered a contract from the Houston Astros. This provided him with a dilemma that, he says, was "the toughest, and easiest, decision I've ever had to make." Many factors came into his decision-making process. He was adamant about getting a degree (he's currently ithin a quarter of getting his degree in economics). He wondered whether his skills were advanced enough for the pro level. Most important, says Byrnes, was the money. The Astros simply didn't offer enough. "It wasn't what I thought I was worth," he says evenly.
High grades
Rick Magnante, Southern California area scout for the Oakland A's, followed Byrnes's progress at UCLA and, on his recommendation, the A's drafted him and subsequently signed the 6-foot, 2-inch outfielder to a minor league contract.
Magnante is certain Byrnes will benefit from playing every day in a professional environment. "Most guys take four to six years to develop, and we feel Eric falls into that category." Magnante concedes, however, that Byrnes's prodigious work ethic, well known at UCLA, may set him apart from other, similarly talented ballplayers. "He's an overachiever, with a good blend of speed, strength and athleticism. Nothing would surprise us." Byrnes's statistics during his Pac 10 career at UCLA were eye openers, says Magnante. "He's played at the highest amateur level (Pac 10 baseball)." Magnante also implies that Byrnes's two summers spent in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League back East, where he put up equally impressive numbers, "were one of the keys to us drafting him."
Though an avid Giants fan for most of his life, Byrnes says he'll have no difficulty transferring his allegiance across the Bay Bridge to the Oakland Coliseum.
"Fortunately, I get to go back home to the Bay Area, and the A's are going to pay me well." Byrnes acknowledges that as a senior in college, his negotiating power was nil, since there is no logical next step. When he passed on the Astro's offer after his junior year, he still had the option of his senior year to fall back on. If you aren't one of the elite players in the country, he says, you pretty much have to take what they offer, "unless you want to buck the system and become a free agent as an amateur," a virtually impossible way to become a big leaguer.
This summer, Byrnes is living with a host family in Oregon, along with two other players, one of whom is the son of current A's manager Art Howe. It never hurts to have friends in high places. "It's $100 a month for room and board," he says, "and I'm going to play 76 games over 79 days."
Perspective
Byrnes has learned much from his experiences. "In college, I felt like it was life or death." His temper often got the best of him, he confesses. "I'm still intense, just under better control."
After his stint ends this summer with the Southern Oregon Timberjacks, the plan is for Byrnes to play in the fall with Oakland's single A affiliate in Modesto.
"He's gotten up over .300, and he hit his first home run," Byrnes' father reported recently. "He's going to do just fine."
Indeed, the young Byrnes is aware of the opportunity that stretches before him like the road yet travelled. He is living out his dream and is intent on enjoying the ride.
"It's what I've been waiting for. I'm 22, and a lot of my buddies are out searching for jobs in the real world. I'm so fortunate."
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