The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Former Prep star Lockery plucked by Pirates
Charlie Hickey says there’s something compelling about Dean Lockery, and it’s not just the numbers that appear on the back of the infielder’s baseball card.
“To appreciate Dean and the way he plays the game sometimes takes time,” said Hickey, who, as the head baseball coach at Central Connecticut State, has gotten to know Lockery quite well. “Some guys you can go out and watch once and you see the arm strength or you see somebody hit the ball 450 feet or you see somebody run. What he does, he obviously plays the game with some passion.
“Sometimes, that takes a long time for a scout to really evaluate.”
That attribute caught the eye of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who first considered drafting Lockery after his junior year of college. While that never materialized, the Pirates — heeding the recommendation of Northeast Area Supervisor Eddie Charles — circled back and selected the star second baseman in the 32nd round (pick No. 954) of the Major League Baseball Draft earlier this month.
“Eddie came out to probably seven games this year and saw me more than any other scout did,” Lockery said Thursday by phone. “He obviously liked me. A week before the Draft, he called me and said, ‘Dean, obviously you know this because I’ve been talking with you for over a year. But we’re going to try to get you.’”
The Pirates watched Lockery bat .331 this year with 44 runs scored and a .443 on-base percentage. The New Haven and Fairfield Prep product finished his collegiate career tied for fifth in program history with 248 hits.
“What’s always a great compliment for a coach is when an opposing coach comes up to you and says, ‘You know, I really respect the way that kid Lockery plays the game.’ I’ve heard that on more than a few occasions this year,” Hickey said.
Lockery, 22, signed with the Pirates on Wednesday for $2,000. He toured PNC Park and met with the team’s scouting directors, who gave him a snappy nickname. The next day, he boarded a flight to Virginia to begin his career with the Bristol Pirates, Pittsburgh’s rookie-ball affiliate in the Appalachian League.
“I was in the conference room (at PNC Park) signing and one of the head scouting directors called me, ‘Dean, Dean the on-base machine,’” Lockery said with a laugh.
Lockery, a three-time All-Northeast Conference selection, was a consistent threat atop CCSU’s lineup. He started all 209 games over four seasons, hitting .323 with 140 runs scored. And there’s a lot more to like than just those on-base skills, as Hickey is quick to point out.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Lockery made his mark as a toolsy infielder capable of filling in at multiple positions and bunting. Yes, don’t overlook his bunting skills.
“He was probably one of the kids who had the best command of the strike zone that I’ve ever coached,” Hickey said. “He’s definitely the best bunter that I’ve ever coached. He really believed in that part.”
Rudy Mauritz, who coached Lockery at Fairfield Prep, raved about the infielder’s soft hands, footwork and “boundless” motor. Lockery started for the school’s baseball team for three seasons (2012-14) and also played three years of hockey, winning two state championships with the latter.
“Central, that’s a program where they still value being able to do the little things in the game and doing them well. I know that’s something that Coach Hickey emphasized quite a bit,” said Mauritz, who played for Hickey at Providence College in the late 1990s. “Dean’s greatest gift as an athlete is his motor. He’s got this energy, this boundless energy that just goes and goes and goes and goes. With that, he also has this willingness to learn and a willingness to do whatever it takes to find success.”
Other Connecticut products drafted by the Pirates include Waterford pitcher Michael Burrows (11th round, pick No. 324) and UConn catcher Zach Susi of Southington (12th round, pick No. 354). Burrows has yet to announce whether he will sign or honor his commitment to UConn.