Heart Is In West Virginia But Hot Bat Swings In Lake Elsinore

To say Lake Elsinore Storm third baseman-designated hitter Jedd Gyorko is tearing it up in the California League is putting it rather mildly.

As of Wednesday, the third baseman and designated hitter was fifth in the league in batting average, at .370. Gyorko, who left West Virginia University after his junior year, was leading the Cal League with 53 RBIs, was second in both homeruns with 12 and a .658 slugging percentage, and third in hits with 81, and an OPS – on-base plus slugging percentage – of 1.091. Only six other players in the league can say that.

So it’s not the hitting that vexes the 22-year-old West Virginia slugger – it’s the fielding he’s adjusting to and getting better at.

“This is my first full season at third base,” Gyorko said. “I was a middle infielder at West Virginia. I’m pretty satisfied. I’m just trying to learn from the guys in front of me.”

Gyorko normally hits third or fourth in the batting order. On May 23, the right-handed hitter was named the Cal League Player of the Week. He hit .469 that prior week, hit a homerun the previous Monday and had a double, single, two steals, and an RBI on May 17. He was a triple shy of the cycle on a five-RBI day May 18 and came up short by a double on May 20.

Gyorko said one of his more memorable highlights as a Storm ball player is “probably the Player of the Week. I put together one really good week. I hope to put together more weeks like that.”

The slugger said he’s gotten great coaching at the Advanced Class A level, and his swing has stayed steady.

“I’ve had a consistent swing all year,” Gyorko said. “That’s the big key, not having to worry about having to change my swing or anything like that. I’ve been hitting good pitches and hitting the ball well.”

Gyorko knows he has plenty of things to work on, despite the gaudy hitting statistics.

“Pitch recognition is always one of the main parts of the sport,” Gyorko said. “(Identifying) the splitter coming in or the fastball away. I’ve always got to do a better job of that.”

Undrafted out of Morgantown High School, right next to West Virginia University, Gyorko played for the hometown Mountaineers.

After winning the Brooks Wallace Award as the best shortstop in NCAA Division I baseball in 2010, he chose to forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft.

Boy did it pay off. Gyorko was drafted in the second round – the 59th pick overall in the draft – by the San Diego Padres.

“I was at home with my family, trying to relax as much as I could,” Gyorko said. “It was pretty much a nervous time. My agent said I may have been drafted the first day. It happened to be early on the second day. I was fortunate enough to play pro ball.”

Gyorko signed a contract with a signing bonus for $614,000. He’s spent the money wisely.

“My fiancée, Karley Goodwin, and I are building a house in Morgantown,” Gyorko said. “We grew up together. We started dating in college; it kind of moved on from there.”

For now, Gyorko lives less than 10 miles away from The Diamond in Lake Elsinore, with his host family, led by Joey Martinez.

Nathan Freiman, who is second on the Storm with eight homeruns and 44 RBIs, likes Gyorko’s production as well.

“He’s got a short swing,” Freiman said. “He puts the barrel on the ball. He’s a great teammate, keeps everyone loose. He shows up early does his work. He makes everyone around him better.”

He’s adjusted to pro ball just fine, after spending last season with the Eugene Emeralds, where he hit .330 with five homeruns, had 18 RBIs and 35 hits in 26 games. He was then promoted to the Fort Wayne TinCaps, where he hit .284 in 42 games with two homers and 23 RBIs.

This season, the Storm are 23-30 as of Wednesday, but have improved after being as far as 10 games under .500.

“I knew what to expect coming in,” Gyorko said of playing pro ball. “I haven’t been blown away. I’m just soaking it all in, just trying to get used to the grind of playing my first full season of pro ball.”