Issue Date: 3/8/10
Baseball's Finest
Palomar's 'Ken Griffey' figure recounts his time with the school after move to pro league with Baltimore Orioles
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"I had a dream before the draft," Terry Buchanan said at a recent practice. "I told him the day before the draft, by 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, your life is going to change, my friend."
By 4:30 p.m. that next day, Buchanan's vision became Webb's reality. Webb was drafted in the 30th round of the Major League Baseball draft. Webb signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles after orally committing to the University of Southern California.
"I was happy when I was drafted but I was not sure if I would take it or not," said Webb, who showed up at Palomar last week to practice with the team. He recalled the fateful call last year that made Buchanan's premonition a reality.
"While I was in Minnesota playing summer ball, I was taking a class and the Orioles called me up one day offering a lot of money. Eventually I ended up signing and it has been a good decision on my part."
In the 13 minor league games Webb appeared in, he batted .186 while trying to adjust to major league baseball. Standing 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 190 pounds; there is still work to be done.
"I still have some growing into my body to do but I am so thankful to the Palomar coaching staff for getting me to the point where I am now," Webb said.
Webb has been practicing with his former teammates on a regular basis this winter before reporting to spring training in Florida.
"I'm not the kind of person that when things improve for the better for me that I forget the people that helped me get where I am," Webb said. "I feel obligated to give back to the coaching staff and players for their contributions to me."
The move was unexpected for Webb. At the end of last season, he was focused on coming back to Palomar and helping the team advance.
While at Palomar, Webb patrolled centerfield like an animal in the jungle, snagging every hit that was in his vicinity and even more that weren't. The way he took every at bat, some fans said that Webb reminded them of a young Ken Griffey, Jr.
As the season wore on in 2009, he flourished. Soon the baseball crowds at Palomar grew from parents and students to MLB scouts and major college recruiters.
Webb took all the newfound hype in stride and just continued to play baseball, delivering tape-measure home runs, including one during a playoff game that measured over 450 feet, flying over the tennis courts.
"He was one of the best all-around players I have coached here at Palomar," Palomar baseball coach Buck Taylor said. "He's not just a special athlete but a great ambassador for our school as well."
Webb has had to switch positions in the batting order in the pros. Batting between third and fifth for the Comets; he has had to switch to hitting second - the equivalent of a leadoff hitter in the major leagues.
"One of the main transitions in going from aluminum to a wooden bat is that you lose some of your power, which is another reason why I have to get stronger," Webb said.
No matter how hard it is, Webb said he is having fun on his new journey.
"It's all about going out there and showing them that you can play," Webb said. "You're gonna get some better guys on the mound, you're gonna get some better guys up to bat, but it's still the same game and the same rules."
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