UCLA baseball embraces Valent

UCLA baseball embraces Valent

By Brian Purcell

Daily Bruin Contributor

UCLA baseball head coach Gary Adams recalls the moment Eric
Valent told him he was coming to UCLA as one of the happiest
moments of his recruiting career.

"We were sitting in his Canyon High School dugout when he told
me," Adams said. "We were both so happy that we hugged. I wasn’t
expecting that to happen, but we just opened our arms and
hugged.

"I’ve always been so impressed with him as a player. I was
thrilled that he decided to come here."

Adams’ happiness was well-founded.

After a senior season in which he hit .506 with nine home runs
and 32 RBI, the young centerfielder is now being touted as the best
freshman player in the nation by Baseball America. Valent, who
makes his debut with the Bruins in today’s 3 p.m. matchup with Cal
State Northridge at Jackie Robinson Stadium, is expected to bring
solid offense and steady defense to an already very good UCLA
team.

"He’s a very mature freshman," Adams said. "When you watch his
mannerisms, he looks at least like a sophomore. By the middle of
the year, he will probably be playing like a junior."

The decision to come to UCLA was far from automatic for Valent –
he had other suitors, many of which were major league teams. Not
being projected as a first-round selection soured Valent on turning
professional, but it was not as easy to turn down the school from
across town.

Playing in summer leagues introduced Valent to players from both
UCLA and USC, so when the time came for him to decide between the
two schools, he was pulled from both sides.

"My choice came down to between here and USC," Valent said. "I
knew a lot of guys at both places, but I really liked the
facilities here, and by looking at the players I knew that we would
be good for a few years."

Also a factor in Valent’s decision was the fact that his
brother, Royce, had already signed with UCLA. Royce, a catcher,
spent two years at Fullerton Junior College before transferring to
UCLA. Although they both say that the chance to play together
wasn’t the main factor in their decisions, it will definitely be
nice to have each other around.

"We know each other’s games very well, and we understand that
we’re there to help each other," Royce said. "We don’t get pissed
off when one of us criticizes the other."

Royce will start the season as a backup to junior Tim Decinces,
and could also see some time at designated hitter. Adams has been
impressed by the way Royce swings the bat, and thinks that he could
eventually find a spot somewhere in the lineup.

Everything about Eric has impressed Adams so far, his original
excitement about the player still intact.

Defensively, Adams compares him to ex-Red Sox centerfielder Fred
Lynn, who made up for lack of great speed with hustle and knowledge
of the game.

"Valent’s not the fastest runner, in fact he may only be the
eighth or 10th fastest runner on the team," Adams said. "But he has
good instincts, and always gets to the ball. His arm is already
major league caliber, so I think he could be a great centerfielder.
I haven’t seen enough of him to call him great yet, but I think he
has that ability."

His ability at the plate is similarly promising, where he has
shown surprising power for a freshman. It usually takes a couple of
years for a college player to start hitting with power, but Valent
appears to be an exception to the rule, as were last year’s
freshmen Troy Glaus, Eric Byrnes and Pete Zamora.

"I consider myself more of a doubles hitter," Valent said. "I
may hit an occasional home run, but I am really just looking to be
consistent at the plate."

Adams expects a healthy offensive contribution from the
freshman, and thinks that Valent will exhibit a little more power
than he himself lets on.

"When we recruited him, we didn’t expect him to be hitting home
runs for a couple of years," Adams said. "But he has actually
surprised us with his power, and I think he will hit some home runs
for us this year.

"With the lineup we have, we don’t really need him to hit for a
lot of power. I expect him to make good contact, while not
sacrificing his power and becoming a Punch and Judy hitter."

There are things that Adams feels Valent needs to work on, such
as "not flying open against lefties," especially when they get to
Six-Pac play and are facing a steady diet of southpaws. However,
Adams is excited about the polish on his freshman, and thinks that
he will become much better as he faces more Division I
competition.

"He holds his own with any freshman that’s been to UCLA, and
that’s some great competition," Adams said. "We feel fortunate that
we will have him around for three years."

PATRICK LAM

Centerfielder Eric Valent is rated by Baseball America as the
nation’s top freshman recruit.

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