After dominating preps, Hobson's composure perfect for the pros
| Saturday, Jun 27 2009 10:51 PM
Last Updated Saturday, Jun 27 2009 11:19 PM
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Casey Christie / The Californian K.C. Hobson guided Stockdale High to a Central Section baseball championship, was named The Bakersfield Californian All-Area Player of the Year, and was a sixth-round draft choice by the Toronto Blue Jays in June.
Casey Christie / The Californian K.C. Hobson all area player of the year. Formerly Stockdale High baseball player, may sign soon with the Toronto Blue Jays.
When Philip Valos recorded his eighth strikeout of the Central Section baseball championship to eliminate Clovis West and crown Stockdale champions again, it was the end of an era for Mustangs baseball.
The machine that is K.C. Hobson, though, will simply move on to the next era.
Oh, Hobson celebrated with his teammates, to be sure -- his coaches, Dan Lemon and Greg Showers, say that Hobson is as good a teammate as any of their players -- but on this team full of high school stars, Hobson's shines brighter. And it will shine longer.
He is The Californian's Baseball Player of the Year for the second straight year, and the honor comes for oh so many reasons.
"He's the best I've seen as long as I've been coaching in all facets of the game," said Showers, whose assistant coaching record in Kern County dates back to the 1980s.
Start with his swing of beauty, the left-handed power stroke that is what got Hobson taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth round of the Major League draft -- that was lower than he was expected to go, but, Lemon and Hobson both say, it appears the Jays will be willing to pay more than sixth-round money to assure Hobson makes it onto a minor-league roster this summer.
"The team told my adviser they're going to do everything in their power to get me signed," Hobson said. "That's good news for me. It's not a done deal, and it won't be for another month or so, but hearing that is good news."
That leaves plenty of time to reflect on what Hobson did at Stockdale, where he played for three years after moving from New Hampshire.
"For me, it's the incredible power," Lemon said. "He just takes a great mental approach to each at-bat. He only struck out (six) times all year. Think about that. How many guys tried to pitch around him? His discipline was just incredible."
Hobson also plays a good defensive first base -- Lemon said that though his feet aren't quick enough to play many other positions, he's as solid a first baseman as he's ever seen at the high school level.
"He has won a lot of games for Stockdale High School defensively," Lemon said. "And we're not even talking offensively."
Or pitching. Hobson, even though he had never pitched before moving here, went 7-1 with a 2.72 ERA as a senior after going 10-0 as a junior.
But it's his bat that had scouts and sabermetricians alike drooling. Hobson posted a .489 batting average, 1.111 slugging average and 1.674 on base-plus-slugging.
He also led the Central Section with 15 home runs and was third with 47 RBIs.
"I expect to see him in the major leagues as a Justin Morneau type," said Showers, comparing Hobson to the Minnesota Twins MVP first baseman. "I watch the Twins a lot, and he reminds me a lot of Morneau because with two strikes he changes his approach. He'll hit the ball to left field and get a base hit instead of going for the home run."
That composure comes from an professional-baseball upbringing. Hobson's dad, Butch Hobson, played for eight years in the majors, managed for three and is managing his 18th season of minor-league baseball in Maryland.
That put K.C. Hobson on the pro radar early. And all of his success at Stockdale came while he was hounded by scouts.
"I let it run its course," Hobson said. "I wasn't out trying to get scouts to look at me. I just wanted to have a good season and help the team win a championship. That's what happened, and the draft took care of itself."
And so while Stockdale will always have the K.C. Hobson era to remember fondly, Hobson has another era to worry about already.
"I thank God every day for giving me the opportunity to get drafted," Hobson said. "But the chance to progress from here is even better, and that's my goal. I could very soon be living my dream of playing in the big leagues ... and staying there for a while."
