Here’s a tip: If you see our Athlete of the Week, Ryan McNeil, anywhere around town, get his autograph. Quick.
There are three main things to look for when trying to spot the high school baseball prodigy. First is his height; he stands about 6-foot-4, making him hard to miss. Also, look for a swarm of local baseball scouts trying to charm him with tobacco-stained smiles. Lastly, look for a cannon. It’s said that’s what the Titan pitcher has for an arm.
McNeil picked up a baseball for the first time when most kids his age treated their hands as edibles. Since then, it’s been his dream to play baseball at the highest level. Today, he’s steadily climbing.
“I saw his potential from the first time I saw him play,” said John Stevenson, who’s coached McNeil since the player was a freshman. “He was exceptional—heads and shoulders above his peers. He had the frame and the size.
“He was the best 14-year-old that I have ever seen, and he is now the best 17-year-old that I know of,” the coach added.
Although he’s always been an excellent baseball player, McNeil didn’t realize he could make a career out of it until his junior year, when he got his first call from an area scout, which he described as “nerve-wracking.” A year later, he’s talked to so many scouts, the calls have become “second nature.”
Just a few months ago, McNeil signed a letter of intent to pitch for the Dirtbags at Long Beach State. The decision didn’t come easy; other universities he had to choose from were Cal State Fullerton, the University of Arizona, USC, and UC Santa Barbara.
“I’m really confident with it,” McNeil said. “I had a lot of options, and I had a lot of pressure. It was tough, because when you have to make that kind of choice, it weighs on you. But I’m really happy with the decision I made.”
It wasn’t the beach or the weather that attracted McNeil to Long Beach; it was the Dirtbags’ head coach, Troy Buckley, who has an impressive track record of churning out stellar pitchers primed for the majors. Jered Weaver, Jason Vargas, and Vance Worley are just a few of the hurlers he’s worked with. McNeil believes Buckley can help improve his pitching, and he hopes to add his name to the coach’s résumé.
“I don’t really have any hobbies besides baseball,” McNeil explained. “It’s pretty much my life. I’ve been doing it forever. I never get tired of it. There’s nothing I would rather do than come out here and play baseball every day.”
McNeil has his mind set on baseball being a part of his life. Whether it’s playing as a pro or coaching, he says he’ll always be involved in the game in some way.
“I want to make a life out of it,” he said. “My dream is to play professional baseball for a career. I want that to be my life. I don’t want any other job; I just want to play baseball.”
This article appears in Mar 15-22, 2012.