Behind the Baysox: Baysox net fine minor league prospect with major league pedigree By Tim Sparks
Bowie Baysox third baseman Jeff Nettles signed with the Baltimore Orioles organization in late March, four days before opening day. The crafty 29-year-old veteran had spent most of his career with the Yankees, and he was hoping to latch onto a team that is ready to make a run for the playoffs. Just one month into the season, it's impossible to tell whether that hope will be realized this season with the Baysox.
But one thing is for certain: The addition of Nettles made an already talented Baysox team - winners of six straight games - even better.
While playing in the Atlantic League Nettles finished tops in home runs (21) and ranked fourth with a .509 slugging percentage. Thus far, Nettles has had a similar impact in the Eastern League and he is excited to see what he and his new teammates can accomplish.
"We're good," Nettles said. "It's a good group of guys. They've been playing with each other for a few years now, so they know each other pretty well. It's a good place to play, a good league, and we're playing some good ball."
Nettles, a San Diego native who attended Polmar Junior College in California, brings an exciting brand of play to the Baysox. His strength is his strength. His ability to hit home runs and drive teammates in has been a prominent part of his repertoire for years. This year, there has been no drop-off in production for Nettles, as he currently leads the team in home runs (5), and ranks in the top three in at-bats (112), runs (17), hits (30), doubles (6), runs batted in (13) and total bases (51).
Nettles' knowledge of the game was not only instilled by teaching-oriented managers and position coaches along the way, but also by his father, Graig, who played major league baseball for the New York Yankees and had a profound influence on his son. The only problem for the younger Nettles is the usual comparisons that come with being the son of a former and successful major-leaguer. Jeff said he has no inclination to make such comparisons himself.
"Other people like to compare us," said Nettles. "I leave that up to everybody else. I don't put added pressure on myself to try to be like my dad. Obviously, I idolized him growing up, and I still idolize him. But I'm definitely not trying to beat any of his records or be the type of player he was. He's in a class of his own. Not many people were as good as he was, so I don't really try to do that."
It's clear that Jeff Nettles' own talent, rather than his impressive lineage, should define his career. While many will argue that being raised by a major-leaguer was an advantage that most kids don't have, Nettles doesn't necessarily agree. At least he didn't when he was growing up.
"I'm sure it was a little bit of an advantage," said Nettles. "I don't really know any different. But growing up, I thought everybody's dad was a major-leaguer, to tell you the truth. I didn't know any better."
That innocence provided a way for Nettles to develop his skills without having to deal with the "like father, like son" label. The farthest thing from Nettles' mind is trying to live up to his dad's standards. He doesn't have time for it, as he is focused on helping the fun-loving Baysox players turn their clubhouse chemistry into victories.
"You can get (a feel for the chemistry) just by hanging out in (the clubhouse)," Nettles said. "Everybody pretty much likes each other. We're a loose bunch of guys. Whether we win or lose, we're not going to take it too serious. We're going to come back the next day and try to win."
Any baseball player would do well to have that philosophy. And it would be beneficial for any aspiring professional player to take heed of Nettles' advice. The 10-year vet has seen and experienced, as a player and as a son, enough of the baseball world to give kids some decent advice.
"Have fun," he said. "If you enjoy (baseball) and it's something you want to do, go out and do it because it doesn't last forever. Don't ever go through life saying, 'I wish I could have, I wish I would have.' Go ahead and do it, and then look back and be glad you did it."
