ONE STEP CLOSER: Zack Granite
Minnesota Twins / Fort Meyers Miracle (Class A – Advanced)
Mequon, WI – As a member of the inaugural 2012 Lakeshore Chinooks, Zack Granite, a speedy outfielder from Seton Hall University, was a disruptive force against Northwoods League pitchers and defenders as he swiped 16 bases and scored 23 runs in his 25 games with the club. Anyone who saw Granite play that summer knew he would have a chance at a professional career.
In his three seasons in the Twins’ organization (410th overall pick in the 14th Round of the 2013 MLB Draft), the State Island, NY native has overcome injuries and made steady improvement with hopes of taking another step in 2016. After earning Appalachian League All-Star recognition for the Elizabethton Twins rookie team in 2013, Granite suffered through an injury-plagued 2014 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernals in which he played a total of 21 games. With his career on the line, Granite worked diligently over the offseason to put the injuries behind and posted solid numbers. Granite hit the ground running in 2015 as he returned to Cedar Rapids and hit .358 in his first 19 games and was quickly promoted to the Twin’s Class A-Advanced team, the Fort Meyers Miracle, where he matured through the grind of 105 games as the team’s regular centerfielder. For the year, Granite hit .266 and stole 28 bases
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As Granite looks to the future, he had these thoughts about his career thus far:
1. The next step for me would be double A. I am hoping to break camp with the Chattanooga Lookouts (Double A). The main thing I have to do is play well, plain and simple. I have to keep playing my game and keep getting on base and stealing bases.
2. My best minor league moment for me would be when I hit my first home run. This may not be a special moment for a lot of people but it was my first home run in 7 years! For people who know my game, I like to hit the ball the other way and with my body frame it’s tough to get the ball over the fence. I was like a little kid running around the bases with a huge smile on my face.
3. I love a good prank. Playing in the Florida State League it would rain a lot, which means we would have a lot of rain delays with players coming in and out of the locker room with nothing to do but stare at their phones. I would wait until people would leave their locker and I would hide in their locker waiting for them to come back. It was amazing how many people I scared silly. This made the time pass by for me, even if my teammates weren't thrilled by it.
4. The most difficult part of the minors for me is the bus rides. Traveling multiple hours of the day and having to get off the bus and play a 9 inning game sometimes can be tough on the body, especially late in the season. My team led the minor leagues in extra-inning games so sometimes it didn't end until after 9pm. It’s not the most comfortable ride either but I would not want to be doing anything else!
Check out Granite’s career thus far at:
http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=643335#/career/R/hitting/2014/ALL
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 22-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 140 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (KC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com.
