O.C. Insider: Cypress' David Nick

The Scoop on: Cypress’ David Nick

The basics: Shortstop, righty, 6-foot-2, 176 pounds, Senior

Stat line: Through the first 14 games, he had a .426 average, 5 HR, 16 RBIs, 15 runs, 3 doubles, 7 walks, 1 strikeout, .491 on-base percentage, .809 slugging percentage.

Monday against Tesoro, in the Anaheim Lions Tournament, Nick grounded into his first double play of the season. He followed that up by drilling a fifth-inning double to right-center field, which scored the tying run from first base. Nick then scored the go-ahead run in a 7-4 victory.

Tools: He’s a solid fielder, whom many scouts project as a second baseman. But the reason he’s ranked 47th among 2009 high school prospects by Baseball America, and 18th by Rivals.com: “He can hit,” Cypress coach John Weber said.

Baseball America’s Dave Perkin compares Nick’s batting stance, approach and swing to Joe DiMaggio’s in this blog post: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=587.

Less-seen tools: After practice, the day before each game, Nick steps into the batter’s box. There’s a bat in his hand, but there’s no ball coming his way. There’s no pitcher. He’s the only one on the field.

Sports psychology “is a big part of what we do,” Weber said. “But he’s taken it to the next level.”

Nick explains: “I get into the box, stare out to the mound, and I’ll have an at-bat. (The count) is 0-0; I’m looking for a fastball.”

He envisions the next day’s starting pitcher, the windup, how the ball will look coming out of this pitcher’s hand.

“Every time, I visualize squaring up to the ball, hitting it with backspin,” Nick said.

Why does he do this? It’s a recent development, from the past few years, after Weber passed out the book Heads-Up Baseball, by Tom Hanson and Ken Ravizza.

“It gets me in the right mind-set,” Nick said of his batters box routine. “It builds my confidence up. Along with visualization, I’ll think of recent successes I’ve had.”

What’s next?: Nick has accepted a scholarship to play at UCLA, but “It’s always been my goal to play Major League Baseball, so my goal is to sign (with a pro club out of high school),” Nick said. “There’s no set aside money amount I have right now. If it’s fair, and it’s a good situation, I’m ready to go.”

Bloodlines: Tom Nick, David’s father, played first base and pitched for Long Beach State in the ‘80s. He’s 6-3 and weighs more than 200 pounds, which encourages scouts who might otherwise be concerned about David’s lean frame.

“I think they see him and think I’ll be bigger down the road,” David said.

As Weber said, “There’s a lot of ‘projectability’ with where his body might end up.”

For the past three years, Nick has worked out with a trainer twice a week, improving his strength and speed, alongside Marina pitcher and fellow prospect Paul Strong.

More on the bloodlines: Nick has had a bat in his hand since age 4 and has played travel ball since age 9. His father coached him through Little League, Pony League and travel leagues, their Orange County Stallions teams winning two AAU national championships.

“He taught me everything I know,” Nick said.

Mind games: A major component of scouting high school players is determining whether they’ll be mature enough to handle leaving home, traveling around the small-city minor-league circuit and dealing with the failures that inevitably arise.

“I think with David, there’s not going to be any question with that at all,” Weber said. “He’s a kid who does laundry and cooks. He can handle life on the road.”

Nick, who’s an old senior at 19, is “such a great leader by example,” Weber said. “He does things the right way.”

What accounts for this approach?

“I believe 100 percent that these are the talents God has given me to utilize,” Nick said. “I go out everyday with the goal of making the Major Leagues. Everything I do is with a purpose.”

Contact the writer: preps@ocregister.com