Lugnuts outfielder Michael Crouse is hitting .272 with six homers, 19 stolen bases and 38 RBIs. A 16th-round pick in the 2008 draft by the Blue Jays, he is the starting DH for tonight's Midwest League All-Star game. (Michael Caterina/Lansing State Journal)
Brian Calloway
bcalloway@lsj.com
When the Toronto Blue Jays drafted Michael Crouse out of high school in 2008, they knew they were getting a gifted athlete with a great deal of raw talent.
They realized the outfielder had a high ceiling and knew it would take time and patience for his skills to translate on the playing field.
In his fourth season in Toronto’s minor league system, the 20-year old Crouse is rewarding their patience.
After spending a majority of the past two seasons in rookie ball, Crouse has put together an all-star year and has helped the Lansing Lugnuts qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2008. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound outfielder has picked things up offensively and was voted by Midwest League managers as a starter for today’s all-star game in Davenport, Iowa.
“There is no question we’re very pleased with the progress that Michael has made,” Toronto Blue Jays minor league field coordinator Doug Davis said. “When you sign young players out of Canada, they are already a little bit behind because of where they played and the experience they’ve had. He’s worked as hard as anyone can.
“We just have kind of stayed the course, and this year we’re finally starting to see the results we expected to see. He’s a specimen of a player as far as his size, strength and speed. The hitting part is the last part to come along, and we’ve seen very good progress.”
A 16th-round draft pick, Crouse’s potential has been evident to the Blue Jays. A native of Port Moody, British Columbia, Crouse played for Team Canada in the Junior World Championships in 2008 and was named to the all-star team along with current Blue Jays prospect Brett Lawrie.
Crouse, who will join fellow Lugnuts outfielders Marcus Knecht and Jake Marisnick as starters for the East in today’s all-star game, ranks second in the Midwest League with five triples and fifth with 19 stolen bases this season. He also is hitting .272 with 13 doubles, six home runs and 38 RBIs.
“It’s a great accomplishment for me, coming up here and having a good first half of the season and becoming an all-star. I’ve worked hard for it, and I’m going to go to that game and enjoy it,” said Crouse, who is batting .311 with runners in scoring position this season. “It’s a great achievement because it’s coaches around the league that have noticed some of the things that I’ve done in the first half of the season and they liked it enough that they selected me to take part in the all-star game.”
Having a father that was a professional athlete has been beneficial to Crouse’s development. His father, Ray, was a running back in the NFL for the Green Bay PackersKansas City Chiefs and also in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders and B.C. Lions.
“It benefited me growing up and playing sports, because I just didn’t go through the motions when I was a kid,” Crouse said. “(My dad) was always telling me to win and be at the top of my game whenever I go out, no matter what level I play in. It definitely helped me to be the person I am today because when I go out there, I want to win, I want to get better and I want to strive to be the best.”
That desire to improve has been evident offensively, where he has shown progress after hitting .218 in rookie ball in 2009 and .216 during a 28-game stint in Lansing last season. This season Crouse’s average has been on a rise since hitting .234 in April. He hit .295 in May and is hitting .278 this month. He closed the first half of the season on a seven-game hitting streak and homered in Sunday’s 8-2 win over Dayton that allowed the Lugnuts to clinch the Eastern first half wild card.
Crouse wants to build on his strong first half and continue to make improvements.
“I want to keep working on all aspects of the game, but (spend) a majority (of effort) on being a little bit more patient at the plate and working on my approach at the plate,” Crouse said. “I think everything will fall in place.”
