BASEBALL STAR BACK IN SWING : EX-RAIDER FINDS FORM IN JUMP TO SINGLE A.Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer Gabe Kapler A former Moorpark College Moorpark College is a California-state funded community college located on a 134 acre (542,000 m²) property reclining on a hill in Moorpark, a town in Ventura County, California. baseball star, Kapler is currently one of the brightest young prospects in the Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Tigers have played in Comerica Park. organization. A right fielder right fielder n. Baseball The player who defends right field. Noun 1. right fielder - the person who plays right field outfielder - (baseball) a person who plays in the outfield with the Tigers Single A team in Fayetteville, N.C., Kapler is leading the South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, or "Sally League," is a minor league baseball league which operates mostly in the southeastern United States, although it now has teams in New Jersey and Ohio. in doubles (37), extra base hits (53) and hits (120). Through 107 games he's hit 16 home runs, and driven in 71 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in while batting .296. Those numbers have piqued the interest of the Detroit front office, which considers Kapler a surprise considering he was picked in the 57th round in last year's amateur draft. Kapler's success would seem like a natural progression considering he was a standout coming out of Taft High School four years ago. In fact, he was so highly regarded that he was awarded a baseball scholarship to powerful California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton, commonly known as CSUF, CSU Fullerton, or Cal State Fullerton, is a part of the California State University system. The University is located in the city of Fullerton, California, in northern Orange County. . But it's been anything but a smooth ride. What was expected to be a mere stepping stone from Orange County to the pros went sour in a hurry. Kapler admits that when he reported to Fullerton, he good-timed himself right out of college during his freshman year. In two short months Kapler went from major-league prospect to major-league question mark. But the blown chance taught him. ``My life turned around right there,'' Kapler said. ``I came home, enrolled at Moorpark College and from that point on I started going in the right direction.'' His renewed focus was evident on the baseball field and in the classroom. And in two years with the Raiders he regained his good standing with pro baseball scouts. Maybe not enough to earn him a high spot in the amateur draft and a huge signing bonus, but the Tigers were at least willing to invest a 57th-round pick and for Kapler, that was just fine. Two years later Detroit has itself a player that seems ticketed for a big-league job in the near future. ``So far the season has gone real well,'' Kapler said from North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. . ``I'm hoping to finish strong and have a good month of August.'' Kapler started out the season on a hot streak and despite cooling off a bit of late, his numbers have impressive. He'll likely stay the remainder of the year in Fayetteville - the team is currently in a pennant race and the Detroit brass wants this core of players to get a taste of winning together - and then move up a notch next year. No one has told him anything about his future, so Kapler just focuses on today. ``Things happen and change fast in this profession so I just want to take things one day at a time One Day at a Time is a long-running American situation comedy that portrayed a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters (Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli) and their building superintendent (Pat Harrington, Jr.). and see what happens,'' Kapler said. ``The thing I don't want to do is get caught looking ahead because that's when things happen that aren't positive.'' |
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