For
the week of :
June 30, 2003
Interview with
Chris Lubanski
California League -
Carolina League All-Stars
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Minor League Ramblings is produced by Bill Mitchell for Minor League Watch.
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Lubanski's pro career off
to a "Royal" start
The Kansas City Royals are hosting two rookie level teams in the organization's first summer at their new training facility in Surprise, Arizona. The Royals #1 squad is looking like the class of the Arizona League after the first two weeks of the season. Their lineup sports a number of high choices from the most recent free agent draft. None of the new Royals came in with as much attention and fanfare as 18-year-old outfielder Chris Lubanski. The left-handed hitter from the Philadelphia area was the fifth overall pick in last month's draft. He was the first top five pick to sign, inking a deal with the Kansas City organization for a reported $2.1 million bonus. After a slow start in the first few games, Lubanski's performance has heated up as quickly as the blazing Arizona weather. In 11 games, the 6'3", 190 pound outfielder is hitting .340 with a .415 on base average and .532 slugging percentage. Lubanski's early performance is not surprising considering the numbers he put up in high school. He hit .592 in his junior season at Kennedy-Kenrick High and then followed with a .528 senior year. He also posted a .415 average for USA Baseball's junior national team last summer. Lubanski is enjoying the challenge of the professional game so far. "It's a lot of hard work," he said. "The competition's already tougher and I'm just trying to get used to it now. I'm just playing hard." Hard work is something the natural center fielder has always been known for. He's also learning many other valuable lessons from the Royals coaching staff.
"Just to keep a level head," Lubanski replied when asked what his instructors have tried to teach him so far. "When you have a bad game, you can't let it get to you. Because there are so many games in the season, you just have to keep going every day and not worry about one at bat. It's not going to ruin your whole career." Lubanski's determination will be put to the test in the Arizona League, where games are played in brutal heat in front of only a few fans per game. "I thought it was going to be weird," Lubanski said about the relative anonymity in which rookie league games are played. "But it's not that big of a deal. Rookie ball is more of a thing of learning the basics; that's what we're doing right now." Lubanski also has a good handle on what he needs to improve. "Just finishing my all around game," he replied, "that's what I'm focused on." Lubanski added that learning to hit in different situations is another part of his game needing development. Players arriving from cooler parts of the country often have trouble adjusting to playing day games in Arizona, where high temperatures often push past 110 degrees. Lubanski is adapting to his surroundings quite well. "It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be," he said. "The first few days were tough, but now I'm pretty much used to it." --- Bill Mitchell |
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