Wiswall could hear his name called
Published on June 6th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - Things are getting exciting for Stoneham resident Mickey Wiswall as the spring turns into summer.
The slugging third baseman/pitcher just finished up his senior season at Belmont Hill, where he put together an impressive four-year career, and has a baseball scholarship just waiting for him at Boston College beginning next fall.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound hardball prospect plans on playing in many of the same baseball tournaments and district teams - as well as the Wakefield Legion squad that his step-brother Dale Crispin will play on - but the hardball prospect could also have one of his all-time best weeks if his name is called during Thursday's Major League baseball draft.
Wiswall, who turned down scholarship offers from both Duke University and the University of Maryland to stick with the BC baseball program, has talked with a handful of scouts leading up to the draft and left no doubt that he hopes to someday hear his named called and then play professional baseball.
"This is something that my dad [James] and I have worked awfully hard for over the years," said Wiswall. "That's always been the goal since I was little traveling around and playing in tournaments or working for hours in the batting cage. It's so rewarding to see the hard work that my parents put in starting to pay off, and it's really such an exciting time for me.
"The long term goal for my family and me has always been to someday play professional baseball," added Wiswall. "It's hard to put into words how much I love to play the game, and it's really exciting to know that I'll be doing that in a league like the ACC [with Boston College] over the next four years. That's as good a baseball as you can get at the college level."
If Wiswall doesn't get drafted this week, it likely won't be a reflection of his ability and long term potential as much as it will be an admission by scouts and Major League teams that the kid simply wants to go to college and play ball.
If Wiswall were to get drafted by his hometown Boston Red Sox, for instance, it's much more likely to happen after three or more years of seasoning against ACC pitching and Division I baseball.
"We have three more years of evaluating," says Boston Red Sox Director of Scouting Jason McLeod, of the advantage of drafting players from college programs. "See what he's done in the Pac-10, see what he's done in the Cape League. It's somewhat safer, if not necessarily easier, to scout college players."
"There's also, for the players, putting a price tag on the value of a four-year scholarship to the college of their choice during a pretty special time in the players' life...that's difficult to put a price tag on," said Sox GM Theo Epstein, of the predicament a player drafted out of high school might deal with in deciding between college or pro ball. "We're dealing a lot more with projections. We may be trying to evaluate a high school batter who has never faced anyone throwing a fastball harder than 78 miles an hour and attempting to project him seven or eight years later facing someone who's throwing 98."
The lefty-swinging Wiswall had an excellent career in the ISL (Independent School League) with Belmont Hill, and started to gain attention as a prospect following a junior year in which he hit .505 with four home runs and 23 RBI's in 95 at bats.
The 18-year-old then played in several summer tourneys, American Legion Ball, the Wakefield Merchants in the Intercity League, the Bay State Games and pretty much anywhere else he could to get his skills displayed - and he began to get noticed pretty quickly.
"This is a very special young man that we're talking about, and he comes from a very special and supportive family," said Belmont Hill baseball manager Ed Gallagher. "I don't think I'm overstating things when I say that Mickey made a major impact on this baseball program when he chose to play here as a freshman, and he - with the help of his dad - has just brilliantly developed his skills.
"He's a special hitter and he's really developed a mature approach at the plate where you don't see him making those 'statement swings' and trying to murder the ball," added Gallagher. "That's when you get into trouble as a hitter, and as you could so out there today he's hitting the ball with power to all fields. He may have to work a little bit on his glove at the next level, but he's a hard worker and Mickey has an extremely bright future as a person and as a baseball player."
The hitting ability Wiswall's coach is referring to was an at bat in the final game of Belmont Hill's season when the senior, after walking on four pitches in his first at bat and getting hit on the hip in second at bat, took a 2-1 pitch to the opposite field in left field and narrowly missed a home run at BB&N's baseball field. Instead Wiswall settled for a run-scoring double off the base of the left field fence, and a ringing example why the Stonehamite is so good as a hitter.
Wiswall's senior season again saw him clear a batting average well over .400 with 5 home runs and 20 plus RBI's, and also saw him emerge as hard-throwing closer for the Belmont Hill squad - a role he may again adopt at the Heights next year.
"They clocked me throwing 92-mph last year during a summer tournament and it's a lot of fun to get out there and pitch," said a modest Wiswall, who already has the build, approach and maturity of a baseball player much older than his birth date would dictate.
Wiswall was also a frequent guest at Stoneham High baseball games this spring, watching his step-brother Dale Crispin develop as a sophomore Spartans catcher after all of the swings they've taken together in the backyard.
"I've seen him just get better and better and I'm actually going to get to pitch to him this summer when we play Legion ball together...that's going to be pretty fun," said Wiswall. "We just need to get him to start working with the weights and putting some size on, and then he'll be good."Spoken like a true baseball scout, or a guy that's about to get drafted and is an old hat with the entire process.
Subscribe and get Home Delivery of The Independent
Save 36% off the newstand price — that's like 18 FREE issues!