 |
| Photo Credit: St. Louis Athletics |
An athlete on a mission is often like a runaway train. It cannot be stopped.
Holbrook native and Tampa Bay Rays prospect Alec Sole was not content with his professional debut in 2014 and made sure he did something to rectify that.
“Everyday I had one thing on my mind–getting better at the sport I love,” said Sole. “Hopefully the hard work will pay off,” he added.
Despite finishing college and balancing 18 credits this winter, Sole made sure he found time to get to the gym four days per week to gain strength while honing his craft at All Pro Sports Academy.
Sole noted that he gained weight this offseason in a “healthy manner.”
In general, 2014 was a tremendous year for Sole when you consider his performance in college which allowed him to watch the Tampa Bay Rays drafting him in the 18th round while watching it live on MLB.tv.
“Being drafted and finishing my first year of pro ball is my proudest achievement,” he said. “My dream is to play shortstop in the major leagues and getting drafted brings me that much closer to my dream.”
The shortstop led the Billikens with a .352 AVG, compiled a .419 OBP while stealing 10 bases. He also led the team to the conference title.
Nothing to be upset about with a campaign of that caliber.
Where things changed for Sole was during his time in pro ball with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York-Penn League.
In 63 games, 206 at bats, he posted a slash line of .199/.285/.243. He drove in 16 runs and stole 13 bases on 15 attempts.
After a long season, it is certainly normal for a player that should be preparing for his senior year of college to be tiring out after enduring the rigors of 100 games.
Sole doesn’t use that as an excuse, though.
“Being more mentally tough is the biggest adjustment that I will need to make this year to be able to improve my game. This is one thing that I struggled with last year and because baseball is a mental game the key for me this year is to stay level-headed.”
It is not in Sole’s DNA to be overwhelmed by the big moment. First off, his entire family has played college sports–so there was never a question he would follow in their footsteps.
Additionally, he has carved his own reputation as a player that has ice-water in his veins.
Sole led the Sachem North Flaming Arrows to the Suffolk County title in 2011–their third in school history and first since 1989.
He was the most dominant force in the county, and he was awarded with the prestigious Carl Yastrzemski Award–given to the top player in Suffolk.
How’s this for a two-way player:
On the mound: 6-2, 1.23 ERA
At the plate: .505 AVG
Tough to top that type of production. It would be irrational to expect that. But, if Sole’s work ethic is any indication, don’t bet on him struggling in Year Two of his pro career.
