Garon’s heart is on the diamond

Revue de Web

By Alexis Brudnicki, Canadian Baseball Network, le 17 mars 2014

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – There aren’t a lot of 17-year-olds who carry themselves the way Jean-Francois Garon does.

The outfielder from Terrebonne, Quebec is on just his second trip with the Canadian Junior National Team. The first time he faced professional hitters with Team Canada was only a few short months ago during fall instructional league games in Orlando.

But he fits right in.

Photo ci-dessus : CF Jean-Francois Garon, 17, fit right in with the Junior National Team this spring in his second tour with the squad. (Photo: Alexis Brudnicki) ….

Garon is among the hardest of hard workers. His drive, confidence and maturity, amidst the best high school players from across the country, stand out.

“He’s that grinder baseball player you like to see,” Team Canada guest coach Adam Stern said. “He’s got the athletic ability, but he works so hard every day. That’s what it takes at the next level, to get your reps in.

“He really wants to become a good baseball player and continue to improve and obviously learn about the game. He’s very coachable and it’s just a pleasure to watch him out there, from all the practice and the work that he puts in. He’s going to be a good baseball player.”

Stern has been working with Garon day in and day out at Al Lang Field during the junior team’s first trip of the year to St. Petersburg.

Along with the instruction of Stern, the coaching staff on the current trip also includes Toronto Blue Jays Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar, from whom Garon has had help at the plate.

Garon’s entire time in St. Pete has been a great learning experience for the young centre fielder, who has even been continuing his studies at home.

“I have learned a lot with Adam Stern about playing great defense,” Garon said. “I watched some Youtube videos about him and he used to play great defense. I’ve been trying to watch him and learn what he was doing when he was playing.

“And then Robbie Alomar has helped me a lot…with some batting tips. It’s pretty cool to have them here. We have a Hall of Famer, and Adam Stern played in the major leagues.”

Stern is flattered that Garon is looking to model his defensive game after the senior national team hero, and sees a little bit of himself in the young player.

“That’s great to hear,” Stern said. “But in the end, when a guy’s career is over you just want the kids to get the information and apply it to themselves. He’s a great kid with that, you can tell.

“He kind of reminds me of how I went about going into the pre-game, as far as how I put my work in, and that’s what you need. It’s about getting out there and he’s trying to make up for time. Obviously, we have a lot of indoor time in Canada and he wants to come out here.

“He’s an aggressive baseball player – he slides hard, he plays hard, he works hard – and that’s the type you need. That’s a Canadian baseball player right there.”

It’s with that level of aggression that Garon faces every challenge. The French-first-language teenager, who speaks to everyone without struggle in impressive English, is not going to let anything get in the way of accomplishing his goals, including being cut from his local team just last summer.

“I wasn’t chosen for the Canadian championship team at the Canada Games,” he said. “They didn’t pick me. Then Greg [Hamilton, Team Canada’s head coach] saw me at the Trois-Rivieres scouting bureau [showcase] and he invited me on the trip in October. Then I guess he loved what he saw and I’m back again.”

Garon is taking in as much as he can throughout each and every one of his baseball experiences. He has continued his development with help from Hamilton and is especially motivated by his instruction.

“Greg has helped me on some defense,” Garon said. “I think I’ve improved a lot on my defense, and he’s [given me] some technical tips on baserunning. He’s meticulous. He cares about the little things, and I like that.”

The little things are what will help Garon go far in the game, and what have led to much of his success as an athlete in the past. While he loves baseball more than anything, the former quarterback at College Laval most definitely could have pursued a career on the gridiron as well.

“I played football for four years with my high school team, but now I’m done,” Garon said. “I’m going to [a new school] in Quebec now, and it’s between high school and university. I could have played football there but I decided to go baseball all the way. During my off-season I will play baseball from now on.”

The football highlight reels of Garon reveal a very impressive athlete, so much so that Hamilton even drew comparisons between the current national team member and former junior player Luke Willson, who just won the Super Bowl as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

But Garon’s heart is on the diamond, despite his football achievements (and even some accomplishments on the ice).

“It was tough [to quit football] because I loved it, but since I was five years old I loved baseball more than anything… I had success,” Garon said modestly. “When I got into high school I started playing football, but now it’s just baseball…Baseball gives me more opportunities, and I love baseball more than anything.”

Completely committed to baseball, Garon is looking forward to what awaits him, and he is working hard to continue to improve on the field.

“My goal is to stay with the Junior National Team for a long time,” Garon said. “I want to make it to the qualification in Mexico and then go to Japan. That’s a short-term goal. I want to stick with the Junior National Team for as long as I can…It’s great to be here.”

Revue de Web publiée par Jacques Lanciault.