TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Baseball Has Always Been In Pardo's Blood

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOEY JOHNSTON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 7, 2008

From the beginning, Braulio Pardo was ahead of schedule. From the very beginning. He arrived two months premature, weighing 3 pounds, 9 ounces at birth.

His father remembers cupping the extra-tiny baby in his hand and wondering aloud, "THIS is my ballplayer?"

Absolutely.

Pardo quickly grew into the family pastime.

At age 3, he was playing organized baseball (after the Wellswood league made an exception because of a shortage of players). As a teenager, he became a switch-hitter. Always, he was a catcher.

Like his father.

Like his uncle.

"Baseball is definitely in my blood," said Pardo, the former Gaither High standout who earned first-team All-Sunshine State Conference honors as a junior this season at Saint Leo University.

And baseball is definitely the foundation of his future.

Pardo was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 12th round (379th overall pick) of Friday's amateur draft. He intends to sign with local scout Tom Kotchman, who could also be his manager during short-season rookie ball in Utah.

Playing under new leadership is old hat for Pardo, who had three different coaches in his three college seasons. Pardo played one season for Eddie Cardieri at the University of South Florida, but Cardieri was replaced by Lelo Prado. With USF's roster makeover following the new coach's first year, Pardo felt it was time to move.

"There wasn't any bad blood," Pardo said. "USF was good for me, but sometimes people need to change.

"It was definitely a good change. Instead of the big Division I school, I got into a new setting at Saint Leo with Coach Ricky Ware. I felt relaxed, and I played relaxed."

Pardo batted .356 and recovered after chipping a bone in his foot at midseason. After hitting a home run against Eckerd, Pardo said he could barely walk. Initially, he prepared for the worst - a season-ender. But he returned in two weeks and ended as the SSC's premier catcher.

"All in all, it was a great season," he said.

It was the kind of season his relatives once routinely enjoyed.

His uncle, Gerardo, pitched in the Detroit Tigers' organization. Meanwhile, Pardo's father (also named Braulio) and his uncle, Al, who played in parts of four big-league seasons, once were teammates at Bluefield, W.Va., in the Baltimore Orioles' organization. They were both switch-hitting catchers.

"That's what our father taught us, switch-hitting, and that's what I taught Braulio," said Pardo's father. "You don't see it as much now switch-hitting, hardly at all on some teams, but it gives you a real advantage. Braulio is a natural right-handed hitter, but some scouts were liking him better from the left side.

"You do what you can to make yourself better and help the team."

Pardo's father laughed when asked about all the afternoons and evenings watching his son play baseball. But he wouldn't have it another way. Through youth baseball, Gaither, USF and Saint Leo, he has been a constant presence, sometimes volunteering to pitch batting practice for his son's various teams.

When Pardo signs a professional contract, it could mean a culture shock - for father and son.

"If Braulio goes away, no doubt, that would be rough for me," said Pardo's father, who has his own business installing kitchen cabinets and can easily adjust his workload to a baseball schedule. "My wife Vivian and I have been there every step of the way, just loving it. Even when Braulio was hurt and not playing, we would still go to the games. I guess you could say we're a baseball family."

Slight understatement.

"My dad has been there for me, through thick and thin," Pardo said. "I owe him a lot."

Scouts projected Pardo as a draft selection in the first 20 rounds. Initially, he planned to play golf with some friends, anything to avoid the potentially interminable wait. But that didn't materialize, so there he was at home, in front of the computer.

Then, in the 12th round, Pardo's name popped onto the screen.

"It was a feeling I can't describe," Pardo said. "You're kind of stunned. My father was probably more happy than me, hollering and screaming. It has always been a lifelong dream. At times, it seemed like a long wait. But it happened."

Ahead of schedule.

GAITHER GRAD LEADS EMORY: When Jimmy Liepkalns (Gaither) entered Emory University as a freshman oarsman in 2005, its crew team was not nationally ranked. A few things have changed. Liepkalns has been the picture of stability through three coaches and the evolution of Emory's program. Emory rose to a No. 18 national ranking following the American Collegiate Rowing national championship regatta 2K competition. Liepkalns, working on a double major (journalism and French), has twice been named Most Valuable Player of his team. That distinction has placed his name on a brass plaque in the Emory boathouse at Stone Mountain Lake.

ALL-AMERICA HONORS: Oklahoma Baptist University first baseman Josh Collazo (Jefferson) was named to the NAIA All-America baseball first team. Collazo, a junior who transferred from Ranger Junior College in Texas, had 21 home runs and 100 RBIs. "He had the best offensive season anyone has ever had at OBU," Coach Bobby Cox said. "I just can't believe there is another first baseman who had a better season."

Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353 or jjohnston@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT