Large thinks like an umpire
CANADIANS: Blue Jays infield prospect spent seven summers calling balls and strikes
An extended conversation between Vancouver Canadians second baseman Cullen Large and an umpire could see them discussing a decision on the field, or simply swapping war stories.
Large, a 21-year-old from Chesterfield, Va., called balls and strikes every summer for seven years while growing up.
He says he enjoyed umpiring, to a point where he could see himself going back to it as a hobby one day. That would be tied to dates opening up on his summer calendar, however, and he hopes it’s going to be a long time before he has free time in baseball season.
The Toronto Blue Jays picked him in the fifth round at last month’s amateur draft.
“I guess it does help, understanding the game a little bit better,” said Large, who wrapped up his junior season in May with the College of William & Mary Tribe, the Williamsburg, Va. NCAA program where he was a teammate of former C’s catcher Ryan Hissey in 2015.
“(As an umpire) you see the game from a different perspective.”
Because of his time in the traditional blue garb of umpires, he admits he tries to take a friendly approach on the field with the game officials.
“I know that, if anyone was hostile toward me as an umpire, nothing would get resolved.”
He isn’t sure if it’s given him a better feel for the strike zone than most players, explaining how “at every level, it changes. (The strike zone) gets a little smaller, a little tighter.”
It’s his skill with the bat that got him drafted. A switch hitter listed at 6-feet and 175 pounds, Large recorded a .323 average in 169 games over three seasons at William & Mary. He also showed some pop (16 homers) and a knack for driving in runs (113 RBI).
Large also displayed a keen idea of how to work pitchers. He drew 76 walks in his three years, compared to 113 strikeouts.
Large was ranked No. 285 by Baseball America in its pre-draft Top 500 list. The Blue Jays took him with the 159th overall selection and gave with a $302,100 signing bonus.
Baseball America, in its pre-draft series, had this take on Cullen: “Some scouts give him above average raw power, and he has a chance to get to it because of his feel for hitting. He’s comfortable working deep in counts, isn’t afraid to draw a walk, and can drive balls to both gaps.”
A natural right-handed batter, Large toyed around with switch hitting in the back yard and picked it up seriously with his high school team in Grade 11, after his coach there suggested it.
Large admits a couple of universities shy away from him because they were worried he couldn’t be effective as a switch hitter at the NCAA level.
“It took awhile to get really comfortable,” said Large, who was a fan growing up of Chipper Jones, one of the game’s all-time great switch hitters. “All of high school, I was still figuring it out. Once I got to college, I was pretty comfortable.
“I try to get my approaches as similar as possible, but left-handed I’m probably a little bit more natural now. Two thirds of my at-bats now do come left-handed.”
Baseball America’s scouting report on Large also included this note: “He’s an above-average runner in workouts, and while it doesn’t always play on the bases, it could allow him to play the outfield and become a utility option.”
It will be interesting to see if he moves around the diamond defensively with Vancouver, Toronto’s short-season, Single-A Northwest League affiliate based out of Nat Bailey Stadium. As you might expect, he said all the right things when the premise was brought up. “Whatever it takes,” he said. His 56 starts this past season at William & Mary included 54 at second base and two as designated hitter.