The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

ONE of the top junior baseball prospects in the country, Trent Deveaux is preparing for a pivotal few weeks as he makes the transition to the professional game.

Deveaux, 16, is currently training in the Dominican Republic with his sights set on signing day in the near future.

After spending the past six months in the de facto mecca of baseball in the Caribbean, he said the rigorous training schedule has prompted a development in his game as he prepares for the series of important showcases.

“We train nine hours a day for six days out of the week. At one time I was waking up at 4am to do a throwing programme and I have practice right after that. So I would be a van going from city to city to do different things and they’re long drives because the facilities aren’t close together. So we drive, sleep when we can on the way and wake up to go straight on the field. We usually get back from that, eat, go to sleep, go to the gym, and then it’s the beach and the training session on the beach,” he said. “It was a huge difference because we’re used to mediocre or okay players, but in the Dominican everyone is really good. Everyone has something special about them that the coaches look for and it forces you to get better. For me, they say speed doesn’t slump, but I can hit.”

Growing up playing in the Freedom Farm Baseball league, Deveaux said he first had dreams of professional baseball following his performance at the Bahamas Baseball Federation’s Nationals in 2011.

“The Reds organisation knew me since I was 12 years old when I went to Freeport for the Nationals. There was a guy named Jim Stoeckel, a Reds scout and he was watching the 13-15 game, at the time I was playing 11-12. He said he heard a big crack of a bat so he turned around and saw a tall kid jogging the bases and it caught his attention. He started watching me and watching our game and afterward he took me and dad aside and he was showed me the positives of where my career can go,” he said.

The Reds hosted Deveaux to a closed workout last February while he was enrolled in Elev8 Sports Institute in Delray Beach, Florida.

The decision to make the progression to the Dominican Republic was one he mulled with his family following previous stops at St Augustine’s College, Max D and Elev8. “I had to go and make my new path. Going through those at that point it grew me up to realise that I had to make some tough decisions. My dad knows me so well and he always looks out for the best for me so I just lean back and let him make the decisions. He lays out the options and I’ll choose from those and we talk on it. Going to the DR was one of those decisions because I had other options. I could have stayed home, I could have stayed at Elev8 Academy. But we chose the DR because we felt like it was the best path,” he said.

“It wasn’t tough for me, I had my eyes on the prize. I was thinking on what was the quickest way to get where I need to go. If I could go the professional route and if I know I’m good enough I thought it was best because in my contract I know I can still negotiate my college fund. At first I wanted to take - I don’t want to say an easy way out - but I thought I could work hard by myself in an environment I knew so I was leaning toward Florida, but my dad said he was feeling the Dominican (Republic) so he talked me into it. I went down there and met the people and I was sold.”

Deveaux said he drew inspiration from the Bahamian baseball players who competed for Great Britain in last summer’s World Baseball Classic Qualifier. 

“[To play for Team Bahamas] That would be a crazy experience and I’m waiting for it and we could do it pretty soon, we just need some pitching. Everyone in the Bahamas has that athletic ability to run and jump so we have position players but only a few are working toward pitching,” he said.

“I support everyone and what they’re doing and I talk to a lot of those guys about their experiences. We all have our plans and our visions but we rarely get together in the same place at the same time. We all want to eventually help and expand baseball in the Bahamas through the two organisations, building more fields, better fields, and promoting the sport better. We just got a good field at the prison but we can’t access that on a regular basis.”

The 6’2” outfielder said his decision on a club could come as soon as next month but, until then, preparation continues.

“I have to get back in the full swing of things. There is only so much I can do here in Nassau, I need my hitting coach and I need that competition.”

As for where he sees himself signing when the MLB calls: “Any place with good weather.”