Bolt Playing Minor League Baseball With GCL Phillies
6/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 28, 2007
Editors Note: Several former and current Air Force Falcon baseball players are in summer baseball leagues throughout the world this summer. From time to time, several of the players will be writing for www.goAirForceFalcons.com to shed a light on the summer baseball experience for cadets and graduates of the Air Force Academy.
This week, 2007 graduate Lt. Karl Bolt was able to take some time to answer some questions with go.AirForceFalcons.com, on his experience with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, the Rookie-League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, in Clearwater, Fla..
Through his first seven games with the GCL Phillies, Bolt is batting .267 with three home runs and seven RBI as he bats out of the cleanup hitters' spot. The three home runs is already more than any GCL Phillie hit in 2006. Bolt's first-career hit was a home run in his second game. After a slow start, Bolt has come on strong in his last four games, going 7-for-17 with a pair of homers and five RBI.
What is professional baseball like for a rookie?
It's been great. A little different from my last four years of collegiate baseball, obviously. My teammates and I wake up every day around 6:30 a.m. and head over to the ballpark around seven. After breakfast, we work on basic hitting and fielding drills. We work on agility drills, take some infield/outfield, do basic situational drills , first-and -third, bunt coverage, etc.
Later in the morning, we take some batting practice in preparation for our afternoon games. We then have lunch and head back to our rooms to cool off for a bit before our games. We play home games every other day and away games on the alternate days with the other GCL affiliates. It's been a great learning experience so far and I'm loving every minute of it.
Have you done anything else in your spare time?
Since we just got started, we've been pretty busy. Our days usually don't end till around 4 p.m. We lift weights after home games and do sprints after road games, so we are pretty tired by then and don't really do too much away from the park. We usually just go back to our hotel rooms and just relax.
How's the adjustment like making the switch from metal to wood bats?
It was tough at first. I hadn't played in a real game, or seen live pitching in over a month, so it was hard at first to get back into the routine. With a wooden bat, you really have to hit it on the sweet spot on the barrel for the ball to go anywhere. It was a little difficult at first, but I feel like my stroke is coming around as we practice and play every day.
How is the competition compared to Div. I College baseball?
Through the first week of playing, I'd say Rookie ball is very similar to the D-I level. You see a lot of young players here with exceptional raw talent that hasn't been realized yet. Whereas in college ball, you may see some pitchers that don't throw as hard, but have better control or maturity level.
I've faced some pitchers here that throw extremely hard, or throw a nasty breaking ball, but lack the control you see in college. You see a ton of talent here at every position, but it's not as polished yet.
How has the Academy prepared you for pro ball?
One aspect of Academy life that has already helped out is that I'm used to getting up early. For many of my teammates, they aren't used to getting up so early every single day and they kind of struggle with it, whereas it's no problem for me since it's what I did for the last four years.
I've only been here for two weeks, but the Academy has definitely prepared me for the rigors and grind of professional baseball. To be doing something baseball-related from seven in the morning till four or five in the afternoon is a pretty big adjustment and I see it wearing down some of my teammates. With the academic and military course load we carried at the Academy, on top of being an athlete, I think it has been a smoother transition for me, or less of a transition I should say. The habits I developed at the Academy have definitely helped my transition here.
To track Karl Bolt's progress with the GCL Phillies, log on to Minor League Baseball's website at: www.MILB.com and just type in "Bolt" in the "Player Search" Box located towards the top of the page.
