Chris Betts is grounded.
The Wilson junior catcher doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about all that is ahead of him, which is considerable.
He’s the best baseball prospect in greater Long Beach.
He’s arguably the best catching prospect in the nation.
He’s likely a first-round pick in the 2015 amateur draft, should he decide to turn down what would likely be multiple Division I scholarship offers.
Imagine how easy it would be for a young man in a high-profile field to lose himself in the rush of expectations. Justin Bieber was once a nice young pop star before suffering a bloated ego. Matt Bush, once the first pick in the 2004 baseball draft, flunked both baseball and life.
Betts is a good bet because he’s a mature 16-year-old who comes from grounded baseball families.
His dad, Harold, was a catcher at Lakewood High and then in college at Oklahoma and UNLV. His coach, Andy Hall, has worked with high-profile prospects before and kept their heads level as they reach those tender points when scouts and college coaches are filling their heads with future projections.
“Chris has a killer desire to be successful,” Hall said on the eve of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs that begin Friday for Wilson, “and he uses that desire to edify his teammates to be better players.
“You don’t always get leadership qualities like that from a junior. As phenomenal as he is as a player, a kid with great tool, the think I like most about him is the way he continues to grow and mature. He’s already mature; it’s just that you can see him developing so much more.”
Over the years, Wilson has sent Aaron Hicks to the majors and others like Ryan Dent, Zach Williams and Elliot Glynn to the pros and college.
“Chris is right there with Aaron and the others in terms of having the tools to be successful,” Hall said. “But his ceiling is much higher. His work ethic, at practice and after practice, working with his dad in the summer and fall, is probably unrivaled by any player that’s come along since I started coaching.”
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Betts loves catching.
His dad was a catcher, but dad never pushed his son behind the plate any more than he did push him into baseball. His son started playing the game at the age of most kids, and by the time he was 10, he was already feeling comfortable catching.
“I think there was some destiny involved,” the 6-foot, 220-pound Betts said. “My dad was a catcher, and I think I was predetermined to catch because of the way he always talked about it. But I really love it.
“It’s the one position where every play of the game is in front of you. You can see where the other eight guys are positioned. You have a sense of control because you’re involved in pitch selection.
“There’s so much you see that you can then talk about with your teammates and coaches – where players are positioned, what pitches you’ll throw.
“That’s the best part of catching – being part of the process of calling pitches and working hitters.”
Betts says his dad never pushed him to catch, that it was always his decision. His dad actually tried to talk him out of catching at an early age in fear of burnout. It was only when Chris asked that Harold started relaying all of the experiences and information he had.
Spud O’Neil said Harold was one of the best high school catchers he ever had and jokingly laments that the Betts family chose to live in Long Beach instead of Lakewood.
Harold loved catching, too. He played his youth ball in Lakewood and was on Lakewood varsity as a freshman. He was part of two league champions with the Lancers and was drafted by Toronto in 1996 but chose college instead.
He played two years at Oklahoma and finished at UNLV, a good defensive catcher with some power. A knee injury short-circuited any thought of a pro career.
“I didn’t want him to catch until he was in high school,” Harold said. “I wanted him to wait until he knew it was what he wanted to do, until he knew what he was doing. I don’t think there’s much value in having a kid specialize until he’s older.
“Plus, whatever you try and teach your kid when he’s, say, 10, usually has no bearing on the future. I’ve seen a lot of talented kids get to 13 and 14 and just get tired of playing.
“Baseball is a hard sport because you have to love it. I wanted to wait until I could see that in him. Once he showed that, everything I needed him to do was easy – the hours he would put into practice and the things he would have to learn.”
By the time he turned 13, Chris was all in on baseball. “That’s when he got my full attention (coaching-wise).”
As much time was spent on his defense as his hitting. In the latter regard, Chris transitioned from right-handed to switch hitter to being a left-handed hitter.
A major league scout said that Betts is the best defensive catching prospect in Southern California since Jason Kendall, and that his power hitting ability will ensure a first-round pick in the 2015 draft.
“It’s a combination you just don’t see very often,” the scout said. “He’s probably the best high school catching prospect since Joe Mauer (the first overall pick in 2001 by Minnesota) although they’re different kind of hitters.”
“The one goal I have is to compete at the highest possible caliber,” Betts said. “But really, all I’m concerned about now is having as much fun as I can in high school and getting the chance to play as much as I can.”
After missing most of his sophomore season because of a foot injury, Betts was given the rare opportunity to play in the Area Code Games last summer, an event usually reserved for high school juniors.
This summer, he will be all over the map. Besides a return to the Area Code Games at Blair Field, he will play in the Under Armour All-Star event at Wrigley Field; several Perfect Game showcase events, including a week-long event in Florida and an annual all-star game in San Diego; and has been invited to the USA Baseball Under 18 national team camp, which could lead to being part of the summer national team.
Sounds a bit like a pop star’s summer concert tour. Only Betts will make his music with a bat and with the kind of maturity to handle all the fuss of future potential without losing sight of staying in the moment.
“You get a sense of what he’s about when you watch him stretching with his teammates,” Hall said, “and he’s showing leadership just by having fun with his friends and playing a game that he truly loves.”
Contact the writer: bkeisser@lbreigster.com
