John VanderWal is certainly one of the best players to ever come out of West Michigan. After a 14 year Major League career, John is back in Grand Rapids, training hitters and preparing for his second year as a Minor League scout for the San Diego Padres.
After his great career at Hudsonville High School ended with graduation in 1984, John’s baseball options were many as he was heavily recruited by schools from around the country including big names like Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Even though John had been saying he would be going to college, MLB teams showed strong interest in him. The New York Yankees offered to make him their first round pick in the ’84 draft if he would commit to signing. Even though he again proclaimed his intention to go to college, the Houston Astros still took a chance and drafted him in the 8th round.
John turned down the Astros too and instead headed to Western Michigan University, where he had three very good seasons (ultimately being elected to the WMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003).
John was picked in the 3rd round of the 1987 draft by the Montreal Expos. He signed and began a professional career that lasted 17 years including 14 seasons in the Majors. John made his MLB debut with the Expos in September of 1991 and played two more seasons with Montreal.
Playing primarily in the National League, VanderWal became one of the games all-time great pinch hitters. He set the modern Major League record for pinch hits in a season with 28 for the Colorado Rockies in 1995. His 129 career pinch hits places him 7th on the all-time list.
In 2000, he showed his ability to produce when given the opportunity to play every day. That year, John had his best season ever, appearing in 134 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He hit .299, belted 24 home runs and knocked in 94 runs.
During his career, John appeared in 5 post-season series, including the 1998 World Series with the San Diego Padres. Though the Yankees (winners of 125 games that season) swept the Padres in 4 games, John went 2 for 5 with a double during the series.
Retiring after the 2004 season, John settled in West Michigan with his wife and twins (Jake & Courtney – now 13 years old).
With the desire to stay active in baseball, John started training youth and high school players a couple years ago. He is also coaching his son’s travel baseball team and working for the Padres.
John agreed to sit down with West Michigan High School Baseball and answer our…
Drafted in the 8th round out of high school and a chance to be the Yankees #1 pick. These are the things of most high school ballplayers’ dreams! Why did you choose college instead of signing?
Well, I simply didn’t feel I was ready. I needed to mature and get used to being on my own. The money wasn’t near as big as it is today, but it was still good. But, I really felt I would be most successful by going to college.
How did you end up choosing Western Michigan University over some of the bigger southern schools?
WMU was close to home and I really wanted to stay in the area. It was nice being recruited by those schools but I felt WMU would be a good place for me. And, they wanted me. I really never even heard from Michigan or Michigan State.
John VanderWal talks hitting with Kyle Vander Ark, a senior at Forest Hills Central
Definitely New York! There’s lots of pressure playing for the Yankees and playing in Yankee Stadium. But, I just loved the city.
You obviously spent a lot of your career as a pinch hitter. Did you ever wish you were in the American League for more than that one season in New York, so you could be a Designated Hitter?
No, not at all. I came up in the National League and really loved the cities and the teams. I was never a fan of playing DH anyway. It makes you feel like you aren’t really part of the game. While I liked playing in the field, I enjoyed the pinch hitting role – you can really get pumped up for those at bats!
Barry Bonds hits #71
No question, Barry Bonds is the greatest player I ever played with. He could do things at the plate that nobody else could do. Watching him hit balls into the bay at Pac Bell Park (now AT&T Park) was a treat. That’s a very tough place to hit with the weather, the wind, etc and Barry made it look so easy. In his prime, he was a terrific fielder, too.
[ note - VanderWal was the everyday right fielder for the San Francisco Giants in 2001, after being traded from the Pirates in July. He was in the lineup on October 5th when Barry Bonds broke Mark McGwire's home run record by hitting #71 and #72 ]
You still had opportunities to play beyond your final season. What led you to finally retire after the 2004 campaign?
Injuries. I was battling some nagging injuries and I just felt like it was time to go. I was getting a little burned out and my kids were getting older, so I wanted to spend time with my family.
You started coaching your son Jake soon after your retirment. How is it coaching your son and what advice do you have for other youth coaches?
I love coaching youth players, my son included! It’s great to instill some love of the game in the younger kids. Coaching your son is not always easy, but it’s very rewarding. My daughter just started playing travel softball, so I am helping her with that, too.
With young players, it’s all about reps! They need to be taught the proper way to catch, throw and field. Then it’s reps, reps, reps. You need to get them learning the proper mechanics early and then constantly reinforce the mechanics with good reps.
John VanderWal works in the cage at Diamonds
I’m really enjoying working with the players. I started by training the players on my travel team and have expanded to training older players. I’m working with high school and college guys now and that’s been great.
Last year, you accepted a scouting position with the San Diego Padres. What made you decide to get back into professional baseball and what are your duties as a Minor League scout?
As I looked to the future, I knew I wanted to get involved with professional baseball again. I’d been out of it for about 5 years and the way baseball works, I knew I needed to accept this job if I wanted more opportunities in the future.
As a Minor League scout, I scout Minor League teams for the Padres. I’ll be in Florida all of March scouting the Minor League affiliates of three different big league clubs. I watch a lot of games and write up reports on the players for the Padres. This is part of the system the Major League teams have for knowing what other clubs have in the minors.
In April, I’ll start scouting a few teams in three different leagues. This year, I’m assigned to teams in the Southern League, the Carolina League and the Midwest League. It’s a great gig – I go to the games of the teams I am assigned to and keep the Padres informed on all the players.
What’s your plan for the future in baseball?
I’ll keep coaching travel ball and training players. I love working with players that have a passion for the game! I’m really happy working for the Padres. As my kids grow up, I’d like to expand my work in professional baseball to working with Minor League players or more, who knows?
John is available for training at Diamonds Training in Grand Rapids in the fall and winter. Contact Diamonds for more information.
You can see John’s MLB stats at Baseball-Reference.
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