Scouts Are Having a Hard Time Sizing Up La Quinta’s Granger

WESTMINSTER —  La Quinta catcher Kenny Granger looks more like a gymnast than a rough-and-tumble backstop. At 5 feet 7, 170 pounds, he’s an underwhelming physical specimen. And, as for slugging ability, he’s a solid singles hitter.

None of that, nor the fact that Granger has been bypassed by college and professional baseball scouts, fazes Vern Nelson, the coach at Bolsa Grande High.

Nelson has watched Granger develop over the past three years and insists that the senior is every bit the catcher as University’s Stephan Hagins, a prototypical hot college prospect and a probable high pick in pro baseball’s June draft of the nation’s top high school and college players.

Hesitating before uttering a statement bound to sound preposterous to some and offensive to others, Nelson came out with it.

“I probably shouldn’t say this . . . but I think Granger does more for La Quinta than (Hagins) does for University,” said Nelson, who has coached against Granger for four years.

“If I was choosing between the two, it would take me a long time to decide. The guy from University can outhit Granger, but I’d much rather have Granger catching my pitchers. It’s not even close.”

Unfortunately, defensive skills, leadership and tenacity don’t always mean much to professional scouts and college coaches. Nor does the ability to handle pitchers, a salient Granger trait.

Better fitting the computer profile of top high school prospects is 6-foot, 205-pound Hagins, who is not only rated the top catcher in Southern California, but is rated one of the best 25 high school players in the country by Baseball America magazine.

After sifting through piles of scholarship offers, Hagins recently signed a letter of intent to play at Arizona State.

But so far, college coaches have not gotten beyond Granger’s appearance. Cal State Northridge coaches appeared interested in Granger over the winter, but Granger hasn’t heard much from them in two months.

After two consecutive years, and probably a third, as an All-Garden Grove League catcher, Granger is coming to the realization that his resume is not the problem.

“It’s always been my goal to play at a four-year school, but everybody is so hung up on size,” he said. “My size wouldn’t matter if I played any other position, but catching has naturally been a big guys’ position.”

And big guys tend to hit with power--something Granger has never done. In his first three years, he batted .280, .325 and .335, but he had only 16 extra-base hits--15 doubles and one triple.

This season, Granger’s power numbers and batting average have improved. He has two home runs, six doubles, one triple, 19 RBIs and a .413 average. But Granger acknowledges he’ll never be mistaken for a power hitter.

“I’ve never been that type of hitter,” he said. “But I don’t think (college coaches) can overlook what I do. If they want a good, strong defensive catcher, they’ve got one.”

Granger learned his defensive skills from one of the best to play in Orange County--Brent Mayne, a part-time starter with the Kansas City Royals who played at Costa Mesa High, Orange Coast College and Cal State Fullerton.

“Brent literally taught me how to catch,” he said. “I had no bad habits to forget and that helped.”

After starting at shortstop as a freshman, the catching position opened up and Granger couldn’t tear himself away.

“I saw it as a place I could do well at,” Granger said. “And I knew I’d never be a great hitter, so I always concentrated on my defense.”

Even though his physical characteristics would serve him better in the infield, Granger said he has never thought about returning there.

“I’ve played other positions just fooling around in games and practices,” he said. “But every other position seems to bore me. I like being in on every play. I like being in control.”

La Quinta Coach Dave Demarest said Granger has been in control of his defense and his pitching staff since he becoming the starting catcher.

“He’s not a holler guy, but he’s a leader out there,” Demarest said. “The team really respects him.”

Nelson said he can see that.

“I would say he’s their catalyst,” he said. “He’s been the guy I think they build around. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”

Opponents have figured out this much: It doesn’t pay to run on Granger. Of the 12 runners that have bothered to try, nine have been thrown out.

“Sometimes, I don’t know why they run,” Demarest said. “They’re running themselves out of the game, usually.”

So often, Demarest says, that Granger is more than making up for the runners he isn’t driving in.

“In high school baseball, if you don’t have a catcher, you’ll pay for it,” Demarest said. “When people score against us, they really have to earn it.”

Nelson even takes it a step further.

“I’ve always said, ‘You show me a winning team, and they always have an excellent catcher,’ ” Nelson said. “Rancho Alamitos (14-5) has more talented athletes than La Quinta. What would Granger do for them? He’d make them an instant winner.”

And La Quinta has definitely been a winner with Granger behind the plate--going 62-20 in the past three years, including this season’s record of 18-4 overall and 8-2 in league.

But is there life after high school for a 5-7 defensive whiz, who does nothing but win?

“There’s a lot of smart college coaches out there,” Demarest said. “I know there’s a coach out there who could use a guy like Kenny.”