9-News: 38.038 – Ginn Growing Up?

[RonCo]

Young OF Blasting BBA Pitching



After a fitful first few seasons, some are wondering if 24-year-old BBA veteran and Yellow Springs outfielder John Ginn is finally finding his place in life.

He came to the club with an acknowledged head-case after wearing out his welcome in Des Moines when he was included in a three-way trade that sent YS9 minor leaguer to Louisville, and Slugger starter Mario Villareal to the Kernels. “We know what we’re getting,” said then manager Bret Richards. “But we’ve got a veteran team. I think we can handle him.” Ginn then went on to post sub-replacement level numbers in parts of three seasons that saw him on a shuttle to and from Indianapolis several times.

The team called him to the roster late last season, letting him know this was his last shot. Ginn seemed to get his head on his shoulders, and posted solid enough numbers in September. He then convinced the club that his potential might be arriving to the extent that over the winter, GM Ron Collins offered him a team-friendly 1-season, $750K extension that will keep both parties out of the arbitration room next year. If Ginn keeps performing like he has been this spring, that $750K will be worth twice that in gold.

“You know, I’m kind of happy right now,” Ginn said recently. “I’ve been fighting with myself pretty much my whole life. I came up in a tough side of Philadelphia, and it shows. So Des Moines was a weird place for me to play. But, really, this last year is the first time I really felt comfortable. I guess it too me getting to rock bottom to just let myself go out and say ‘screw it,’ I’m gonna just play ball.”

Whatever the deal is, Yellow Springs should bottle it. Ginn has drilled five homers in 46 AB, an is slashing .395/.422/.837, good for a eye-popping 1.259 OPS and .8 WAR. It’s to the point that teammate Jose Machado has taken to calling him “Sawyer” or “Mr. Silk.”

To show how far Ginn has come, he laughs at that now. “It’s all in fun,” he said in response. “I admit my first reaction to that kind of stuff still isn’t good all the time. But I’m working on it.”

It probably helps that, right now, at least, he’s spraying line drives and mega-blasts to all fields.

[recte44]

No longer to be mentioned in the same breath as Travis Lara?