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Pros, from bottom up

Estero's Tolisano, Riverdale's Greenwell learn trade in Gulf Coast League

By Glenn Miller
Fort Myers News Press

Amanda Inscore/news-press.com Bo Greenwell of the Winter Haven Indians bats during Monday's Gulf Coast League game against the Dunedin Blue Jays at the Mattick Training Center in Dunedin. Below, the Blue Jays' John Tolisano tries to steal second base.

DUNEDIN — This is where they are now, only weeks removed from high school. No longer always the best baseball players. No longer almost assured of getting at least one hit in every game.

John Tolisano, a two-time The News-Press All-Area Baseball Player of the Year while at Estero High School, sat at a table in a conference room Monday morning at the Toronto Blue Jays' training facility tucked into a secluded corner of this Pinellas County community.

On the walls were photos of former Blue Jays, Hall-of-Famers such as Dave Winfield and Paul Molitor, and future Hall-of-Famers such as Roger Clemens.

Meanwhile, a bus wheezed into the facility's parking lot after a drive from Winter Haven. On the bus was Bo Greenwell, a Riverdale High graduate and a first-team All-Area selection this year.

"It's definitely what I want to do with my life," Tolisano said.

"God gave me the ability to do this. I'm definitely very thankful for it."

On the day before the baseball draft last month, the two young men went fishing with Bo's father, former Boston Red Sox left fielder Mike Greenwell. Tolisano was selected in the second round by the Blue Jays. Greenwell was picked in the sixth round by the Cleveland Indians.

Their job is baseball. No school. No office or blue-collar work. They don't live with their mothers and fathers. They share apartments with teammates. They report to ballparks early, work out, hit the weight rooms, do drills and play nine-inning games. They're not complaining.

"It's a job now," Greenwell said. "You're up by 7. You're at the field until 5. It's a normal job. I'm just blessed with enough talent to come out and play a game instead of having an actual job."

At noon Monday, on a practice field at the Blue Jays' complex, Tolisano and Greenwell played against each other in a Gulf Coast League game. Greenwell played center field and batted second for the Indians. Tolisano batted third and played second for the Blue Jays.

This was pro baseball a long, long way from the major leagues. Six fans sat in the bleachers at game time. No scoreboard. No public-address announcer, programs or concessions. Just a relentless sun and suffocating heat and humidity.

Greenwell, starting only his second pro game, was 0-for-5 in his team's 7-4 victory. He's now 2-for-11 (.182) as a pro. Tolisano was 1-for-5, with a double and a run scored. He raised his batting average to .175.

Each player hit more than .500 in high school. This isn't high school. Or Little League. Tolisano was first profiled in The News-Press in 2001 when he was 12 and hitting .816 in the South Fort Myers Little League.

Tolisano said he started his pro career 0-for-11. Every pitcher he now faces was once a star in high school or college, or in amateur ball.

"It's an adjustment to make," Tolisano said. "You have to realize that you're playing every day, You're going to get your at-bats. You're going to be doing this day-in, day-out. You're going to have ups and downs, and the way you have to look at at it is you have to stay on an even plane."

That's a message that Gulf Coast Blue Jays manager Clayton McCullough emphasizes. He knows that young players often take time to adjust.

"Everybody who gets into professional baseball, they hit third on their team, they were the best player on their team, in their county, their state, whatever the case may be," McCullough said. "So dealing with failure is the biggest hurdle for most young guys because they never had to do it before. This is just part of it. You don't accept failure. You don't accept that, but you have to learn to deal with it."

Tolisano and Greenwell are new pros, mere weeks removed from high school. They're starting new lives, living away from home and dealing with competition every day. This is where they want to be.

But ...

"I need mama's cooking," Greenwell said with a smile after Monday's game.