League, Sardinha want to improve game

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

When scouts evaluate players, they also look beyond physical skills. What also counts is attitude.

St. Louis pitcher Brandon League and Kamehameha infielder Bronson Sardinha are confident of their abilities, but open to suggestions.

League said scouts pointed out to him a tendency to bring his pitching arm at different angles from his usual three-quarters motion.

"Sometimes I'll start out at three-quarters and get lazy and drop down and out and feel it," League said. "You can feel it when you throw, and I have to remind myself to get it back up. Now I have to work on that, being consistent with three-quarters. That's where it works best for me."

League's strength is a fastball with movement. He has been timed at 96-plus mph, Indians scout Darren Chun said.

"His ball has a lot of movement into right-handed hitters," Chun said. "You can't teach movement."

League said he began to realize his skills his sophomore year. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder gave up football (defensive back) by his junior year to concentrate on baseball. But the football experience helped him.

"It made me more aggressive," he said.

League was 5-2 with two saves and an earned run average of 3.30. he had 75 strikeouts and 10 walks in 60 innings.

Sardinha, a 6-1, 210-pound shortstop, said his fielding skills and mental aspect of the game need improvement.

"My defense, most of all," he said. "I have to work on my foot quickness. Most scouts tell me I have to work on that and the mental part of my baseball game. I might have the talent to be a good player, but right now my mental toughness (needs improvement), so I have to work on that."

Scouts have told him he is likely to be moved to third base. He said he doesn't mind changing positions as long as he plays. But he said if he does opt for Pepperdine, which he has signed with already, he would have three years to develop his skills at shortstop.

"If they move me, I'll be happy with it," he said. "I won't argue against them. I played third and second (before). At Area Code (a summer league for high school players), I played third most of the time. It's not bad at all."

He said his strength is a strong throwing arm and his hitting.

"Most people say I have a nice swing," he said. "Right now, what's helping me stay kind of up there on the boards is my hitting. They see a lot of potential in that. They think down the road I'll become a power hitter."

Chun recalled pitchers in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu offering Sardinha mostly breaking pitches. Sardinha admittedly felt he did not have a strong season. He hit .391 with two homers and 13 RBIs.

"They were afraid to pitch to him," Chun said. "He would kill fastballs."