Getting scouted in Hawaii as an athlete may take a lot of work and dedication. Because the islands are in the middle of the ocean there are not many scouts that come down to watch Hawaii athletes play. So, most athletes have to go up to scouting events in the mainland in hopes of getting seen by them.
There were over 100 Hawaii baseball players hopeful attending a fall tournament, one of them being senior Braden Enomoto. Enomoto, who is also on the Moanalua High School varsity team, played for Team Cal, which is one of the many club teams that attended the tournament this year. Enomoto’s adult league coach told him that Team Cal needed one more outfielder, so he took the offer right away with no questions asked.
The Arizona Senior Fall Classic games, which is one of the biggest baseball scouting events in the US, occurred Sept. 26-29. There were about 190 scouts all from different schools that attended the Classic this year.
The players played four controlled games, which means they played seven innings a game and five batters hit per inning. No one was keeping score; the whole goal of the Classic was to allow the players to show off their skill sets in hopes to catch the eye of a scout.
There were about 30 scouts watching each game, so there were a lot of opportunities to impress them.
“I felt a lot of pressure and stress to perform well, knowing that there were a lot of scouts watching my every move,” Enomoto said. “It did feel good knowing that there were actually people there to watch me play.”
He felt that he did well and really liked the experience, but he felt he could’ve played better. Enomoto feels that his hitting has room for improvement, and feels like he needs to work on covering all parts of the plate.
Which means that he wants to be able to hit the ball to all parts of the field consistently. His defense was flawless in the outfield, he made all the plays that came to him.
He felt that he did well and really liked the experience, but he felt he could’ve played better. Enomoto feels that his hitting has room for improvement, and feels like he needs to work on covering all parts of the plate. Which means that he wants to be able to hit the ball to all parts of the field consistently. His defense was flawless in the outfield, he made all the plays that came to him.
Although the mainland kids may naturally be bigger and stronger than Hawaii kids, Enomoto feels like he can compete with them any day. Enomoto says that size doesn’t matter, he doesn’t need to be big to hit the ball and make the same plays as the mainland guys can.
“We can hang with those mainland kids anyday,” he said. “They may be bigger than me, but I feel like I am at the same skill level as them.”
Enomoto’s goal before varsity season starts is to get stronger, so that he will be able to throw and hit harder. Although Enomoto may not be the biggest kid around, his work ethic more than makes up for it: weight training and nutrition are important tools. He is even in an adult baseball league, which requires even more of his 24-hour days.
Still his love for baseball makes him willing to put in the work that will provide him with new opportunities.
Enomoto always goes out of his way to get better everyday even if it’s something small. He tries to do something baseball related everyday, it could be hitting, fielding, or even learning the game a little more. He makes sure to work out and eat well so that he gains the most muscle possible. He does all of this while maintaining his grades.
All the hard work paid off, because he recently committed to North Park University located in Chicago to play baseball on a partial scholarship. When he’s not on the baseball diamond, he will pursue his degree in nursing.
