Springer, Series MVP, has come far since ’11 draft
LOS ANGELES — The Houston Astros selected George Springer III, a promising outfielder from UConn, in the first round of the 2011 draft. At the time, the Astros were enduring the first 100-loss season in franchise history. The general manager was Ed Wade, who would be fired at the end of the year. The manager, Brad Mills, did not make it through the next season.
Three years later, Springer appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, as the Astros’ next great hope. He was the top prospect who embodied the rebuilding Astros’ plan to contend for the 2017 World Series title under Jeff Luhnow, the general manager who had replaced Wade.
So of course when this prophecy came true — the Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7 on Wednesday night to claim the franchise’s first World Series crown — it was only appropriate that Springer, now 28, would be the one leading the way as the Series’ most valuable player.
“This has been a crazy journey,” he said after the win. “The organization has come so far in three years, and it’s awesome to be a part of. To look back on 2014 and look back on 2015 to now is incredible.”
Springer, too, has come a long way. Before Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and Lance McCullers Jr. were the Astros’ highly touted prospects, there was Springer, the kid with a stutter, a cheerful disposition and tons of physical ability.
Springer is from an athletic family. His sisters were standout softball players. His paternal grandfather moved to the United States from Panama to play baseball. His father, George Jr., played baseball in the Little League World Series and then college football at UConn. It was at school that George Jr. met his wife, Laura, a college gymnast from Puerto Rico.
George Springer III’s parents chose to raise their children in New Britain. It allowed them to grow up around their grandparents, aunts and uncles, and in a diverse community.
“Our kids, from a very early age, were connecting with kids that many of them didn’t look like them or spoke a different language,” said Springer’s father, who is a lawyer. “And if you watch George now, you see how he interacts with everybody.”
Early in high school, Springer was 5 feet 2. By his senior year, a growth spurt added nearly a foot. In college, he developed into a coveted prospect.
Yet even as he flourished on the field, he had to contend with a stutter evident at a young age. Self-conscious of it, he became withdrawn and avoided speaking in school or other public situations.
It was only when Springer was called up to the big leagues for the first time, in April 2014, that he learned to accept himself, adopted new techniques to help with his speech and later became a spokesman and fundraiser for the Stuttering Association for the Young.
“It took a lot of courage,” his father said. “This didn’t happen overnight. It was hard work, most of which, quite frankly, George did. We were there to guide, assist, coach and support, but he was the one that had to be comfortable in his own skin. He was the one that had to adopt all the techniques. I give him all the credit.”
Even now, Springer occasionally stammers during interviews, but he speaks with poise and earnestness. In his first All-Star Game, over the summer, he wore a wireless microphone in the outfield for a national television interview during the game.
“I can’t spread a message to kids and adults if I’m not willing to put myself out there,” he said then.
On the field, Springer grew, too. He hit 20 home runs in his rookie season, in 2014, but struck out 114 times in 78 games. He cut down on his strikeout rate each season after that and improved the quality of his at-bats so much the Astros made him their everyday leadoff hitter in May 2016.
“He’s dynamic,” Astros catcher Brian McCann said. “He’s a free safety playing baseball. He can hit the ball 450 feet, play Gold Glove center field, score from first every time there’s a double.”
Springer might not be a typical choice for center field because of his size (he is listed at 6 feet 3, 215 pounds) or the leadoff spot because of his power (he hit 29 home runs in 2016 and 34 in 2017). But Astros Manager A.J. Hinch has loved the spark Springer provides at the top of the order, and it showed in the playoffs, especially in the World Series.
“When he’s hot, we’re hot,” Hinch said. “He started off the game with a ton of energy in the most critical game of the year.”
With the Astros leading the Dodgers, 3-0, in the second inning of Game 7, Springer hit a 96 mph fastball from starter Yu Darvish over the center-field fence for a tworun home run. That made him the first player to hit a home run in four consecutive games in a single World Series. His five home runs tied Reggie Jackson (1977) and Chase Utley (2009) for the most in a World Series.
In all, he hit .379 (11 for 29) with seven runs batted in, eight runs scored and a World Series record eight extra-base hits. Given how he ended, it was easy to forget that he sputtered in the American League Championship Series against the Yankees after a strong showing in the first round, and that he struck out four times in Game 1 of the World Series.
“After he struck out four times in Game 1, I ran into his dad in the hotel lobby, and he said, ‘What are we gonna do?’” Luhnow said. “I said: ‘Mr. Springer, your son is incredible. He’s going to get a couple of hits tomorrow at least, and he’s going to help us win the World Series.’ And he did that.”
As happy as the Astros were to win their first title, many were thrilled to see Springer play a prominent role and be recognized for his importance to the team. Yet when Springer received the Most Valuable Player trophy, he dedicated it to his teammates.
“This is incredible,” he said later, holding the Commissioner’s Trophy, which goes to the team that wins the championship. “This is something that, no matter what happens for the rest of our lives, they can’t take it from us. To bring this home to Houston is an honor.”
Springer admitted he felt anxious in the outfield as Charlie Morton, a fellow Connecticut native, notched the final three outs Wednesday. After Morton got Corey Seager to ground out to end the game, Springer threw his arms in the air and told himself, “We did it.”
Watching from the second deck with his wife, Springer’s father was overcome with emotion. “It was just a remarkable moment,” he said. The boy who was destined to guide the Astros to the promised land finally had.