Like father, like sons for Ka'aihues

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Iolani's Micah Ka'aihue, left, and his brother Kala Jr., right, want to be professional baseball players like their father, Kala, who played briefly with the Hawai'i Islanders. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

The two were fixtures in the Aloha Stadium clubhouse when their father, Kala Ka'aihue, was a bullpen coach with the now defunct Hawai'i Islanders in 1987, the final year of the triple-A club of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"I think that's why I like baseball so much," Micah said. "I've been around (the game) since I was born. I was born into it."

Now, Micah is living the dream. The Iolani School senior first baseman/relief pitcher is considered one of the state's top high school pro prospects for the June first-year player draft. He has already signed a letter of intent to play at nationally ranked Nebraska. But that could change if the price is right.

"My parents, they want me to go to college, but they understand that I want to go pro, and they'd really like that, too," Micah said. "That's my childhood dream.

"I don't know what it will take. I don't think it will be that much, but it will have to be a little bit more than a scholarship (value) to Nebraska."

The two-time Advertiser all-state selection has the tools to turn pro out of high school. He is 6 feet 4 and 210 pounds. He has the bloodlines; his father played in the Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals organizations, as well as with the Hawai'i Islanders from 1975-1977.

"He's probably as good a high school hitter that's come around in a long time," Kansas City Royals scout Eric Tokunaga said. "He can hit for average and power, uses the whole field, doesn't swing at bad pitches. He can hit a 90 mile-an-hour fastball, hit the curveball, hit a change. There's nothing he can't handle at the plate."

Tokunaga added that Micah has another important trait that scouts look for: attitude.

"Above all, he's just a great kid," Tokunaga said. "He comes from an outstanding family. His personal habits are good and he has a respect for elders you hardly see nowadays."

Some of the pro teams showing interest in Micah — the name he said he prefers, even though rosters list him as Kila — are the Royals, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins.

Of course, the colleges were hot after him, too. He said Hawai'i, Stanford, Brigham Young and Wichita State also were interested. Actually, Stanford was his favorite. But he said the coaches did not feel his grades were good enough, even though the director of admissions thought otherwise. (He has a 3.3 grade point average and scored 1,290 on his SAT.)

Micah and Kala, a junior catcher for the Raiders, both said they wouldn't be as good if it weren't for their father.

"Dad taught me everything I know and pretty much got me and my brother to where we're at talent-wise," Kala said. "We love this game. I just try to copy Dad."

Their father was a high-school talent himself out of Punahou School. He played for the 1968 Buffanblu team that is considered one of the best all-time Hawai'i prep teams.

After high school, the elder Ka'aihue was headed to Willamette (Ore.) to play football and baseball. But just 10 minutes before school was to begin, he signed a free agent contract with the Pirates. He had to return his football gear.

"Nowadays, you can play professional baseball and play football (in college)," he said. "Times have changed, which is good."

Because of his passion for the game, Ka'aihue understands what Micah is expected to experience come June. There will be anticipation of the draft, awaiting what team, which round.

"It will be a family decision," Ka'aihue said. "It's business. Baseball is business nowadays."

Ka'aihue, 52, said his role models were the Islanders. Growing up in Kapahulu, he recalled attending a lot of their games at Honolulu Stadium. He always hung around the bullpen to watch the catchers warming up pitchers. Little did he know that one day he would be one of them. In two of the three seasons he played, the Islanders won the Pacific Coast League titles.

"I was very blessed to have that opportunity to play for them because I was almost out of baseball," Ka'aihue said. "Two of their catchers were hurt and they called me up one night to catch the bullpen. The next night I signed a contract. Everything is timing."

Notes: Kala Jr. broke his foot during Saturday's game at the Mililani tournament. He will be out for an undetermined amount of time ... The brothers also played football for the Raiders. Kala, an ILH first-team all-star linebacker, said Colorado, Washington and Oregon are showing interest. Nebraska is showing interest for baseball. He said he wants to play both in college ... The ILH baseball season opens Saturday. Iolani will play Punahou at 6 p.m. at Ala Wai Field, the last game of a tripleheader.