Trading Places on the Diamond Takes Root at Segra Park By John Kocsis Jr.
All Isaiah Henry has ever known is baseball. The 23-year-old was drafted in the 14th round of the 2017 draft out of North Shore High School in Houston, Texas, but his journey began long before that. Growing up in Texas, baseball is a year-round sport. Studies from ESPN showed that over 15% of kids play on a youth or travel ball team in the Lone Star State. Texas, much like baseball meccas such as Miami and Arizona are shaped that way due to their mild winters that allow children and adults to play baseball outdoors year-round.
Even though a significant amount of young kids play baseball, not many get drafted. Just
one in 200 high school baseball players will eventually get drafted by an MLB team, and Henry is one of the 0.5 percent. The Houston native will tell you that he was drafted as a pitcher, but the Royals let him hit to start his career. From 2017-19, Henry played in 134 games, earning 431 at-bats where he held a .230 average, had six homers and 43 RBI. The highest level the outfielder played at was the now-defunct Pioneer League, where he spent 2019 with the Idaho Falls Chukars. At the start of 2021, the Royals approached him again and asked him to pitch again. “At the start of Spring Training, the Royals approached me and they said, ‘we know you’ve been hitting for us the last few years, but we want you to give pitching a try.’” Henry tells. That may come as a shock to some. Not everyone is open to trying out new things—particularly after fighting for one goal in the system for so long, but Henry keeps a positive outlook. When he was on the phone with his mother later that day, he said, “My dream was to play in the big leagues. I was never specific if I was going to be a position player or a pitcher. Anyway I can do it, I’m blessed to do it.” He has impressed early. His mid-90s fastball has always been complimented by a changeup, but in camp this year, the Royals pitching coordinators taught Henry how to throw a slider. He throws his new weapon with the classic horseshoe grip, and it has generated a fair amount of strikeouts in the 2022 campaign so far.
He has impressed early. His mid-90s fastball has always been complimented by a changeup, but in camp this year, the Royals pitching coordinators
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker