Donavan Tate has been the big fish throughout his athletic career, the best player on the field. That changed Tuesday at Petco Park, when Tate took batting practice with the Padres prior to their game against the Cubs. Tate looked the part of a big leaguer physically, but was jamming himself repeatedly in the cage, hitting a bunch of popups.
Eventually the swing smoothed out a bit and some line drives and gappers fell. But as a mini-metaphor for the start of a promising career, Tate’s first Padre hitting session served as a reminder: baseball ain’t easy, even when they want you to hit the ball.
Hear from Tate and Kevin Towers after the jump: For quite possibly the last time in 2009, the field was packed prior to the Cubs and Padres. The TV cameras were out, skipping evening practice at Chargers Park. The Padres had picked a smart day to welcome, wine and dine corporate partners, and the first-base line was packed with bigwigs and CEOs from local companies. And all of the front office was out on display, from owner Jeff Moorad down to Tom Garfinkel, Kevin Towers, Grady Fuson, Paul DePodesta and more. Behind the plate near the Cubs dugout, Scott Boras talked to Lou Piniella for so long, you wondered if Lou was even thinking about that night’s game.
Amidst the circus, Donavan Tate took the field, shagged flies with Tony Gwynn, jammed himself in BP, and talked baseball with Adrian Gonzalez. A whirlwind experience for a young man who had to feel like high school, completed two months before, was a million miles away now.
Tate talks about his first experience on the field at Petco Park:
Next up for Tate, his first big press conference. A white coat with black shirt underneath gave Tate the look of a young man ready to hit the town, but Donavan’s words were those of a hard worker determined to fulfill his considerable promise:
Tate on his goals as a pro:
Tate could have picked football over baseball
As had been discussed at draft time, Donavan Tate had options, including a full ride at North Carolina to play football and baseball. Tate ran through some drills with the football squad before coming to San Diego, where the Padres gave him 6.25 million reasons to consider baseball exclusively.
Tate talks about choosing between football and baseball:
Standing at the side of the room was Scott Boras, who even by his considerable standards had an amazing day on Monday. Boras represented all three of the top picks in the MLB draft, got all three to sign, and each received a record deal. Tate’s reported $6.25 million is the highest bonus ever given to a high school position player. With him standing there, the tiny auxiliary room underneath Petco Park felt more like the vault at Tiffany’s.
Scott Boras talks about dealing with Jeff Moorad and the Padres, and the character of Donavan Tate:
Towers wished he could have given Bush the heave-ho five years ago
Throughout the Padres’ various chutes and ladders the past 15 years, Kevin Towers has been there. Towers was by Tate’s side on the dais Tuesday, presiding over what he hopes is another climb up the ladder. Five years ago, Towers had to bite his lip and act like Matt Bush was the baseball choice of his front office, not the financial choice of his owner. Now, he could legitimately hype a talent that the Padres have paid top dollar to acquire.
Kevin Towers talks about Donavan Tate:
Both Towers and Grady Fuson are starting to like the smart guys in the room again. Asked by a TV reporter about the Peavy trade as a cost-cutting move, KT was quick to remind him that he liked the four players he got in return for the former Cy Young winner. Overall, the 40-man roster looks vastly different than it did in the spring, when Towers was hitting the waiver wire for seconds and thirds like it was the Mandalay Bay buffet.
Towers talks about his revamped roster:
Tate takes in his first Padres game/AP Photo
Things are about to get a whole lot less glamorous for Donavan Tate. After he finished answering questions from the ever-dwindling San Diego press corps, Tate got one last night to celebrate with his family, superagent and friends. Next up is a plane flight to Peoria, instructional league ball, then Eugene, Fort Wayne, Lake Elsinore, San Antonio, and hopefully a ticket to the Show. We may see Tate again at Petco Park in 2011 or 2012, but in between there will be a number of bus rides, cramped clubhouses and late night Sonic runs. Then again, we may never see Tate again. Picking baseball stars is more like trying to hole a 15-footer at Augusta than a tap-in on the muni course.
Still, you couldn’t help but feel like on this day, the rest of Donavan Tate’s life was looking pretty good, and the Padres’ future was brightening considerably as well. Tate left Padres fans with a glimpse of what he hopes will be a great relationship, rocketing a couple of gappers in his final set of swings on the field, then thinking ahead to when he might return:
