Travel Baseball Teams in Nevada

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MLB Players from Nevada

The first pick of the 2010 draft was a Nevada-born player, Bryce Harper. He's the one that many fans will know best, but he's hardly the only Nevada player to have made it to the majors. There are 13 who are currently active in the pros (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/birthplace.php?order=FinalYear&loc=Nevada). Among them are Efren Navarro, Brandon Kintzler, Barry Zito, and Joe Wieland.

Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper was born on October 16, 1992 in Las Vegas. Like so many future pros, he loved baseball from the time he was small. When his father got home from work, he'd coax him to pitch balls to him (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/sports/bryce-harper-swing-of-beauty). He started competing early. At the age of seven, he was in a tournament for 10 and under.

The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) celebrates him as their most accomplished alumni. Harper joined the So Cal Redwings the spring of 2004 (http://usssatoday.com/2013/05/03/usssa-baseball-bryce-harper-from-usssa-to-major-league-baseball-mvp-candidate/). In 2006, he would make it to the Elite World Series, playing in the 13U Division.

Harper attended Las Vegas High School. He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a high schooler. He opted to begin his college career early at his local school, the College of Southern Nevada Junior College (http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/harper-ready-give-college-try). He has a GED, but only attended two years of high school classes. He wanted to play college level ball and prepare for the majors.

Harper was only 17 the following spring when selected by the Washington Nationals. He played in the Arizona Fall League before heading off to the A Hagerstown Suns. Later he moved up to the AA Harrisburg Senators.

Harper made his MLB debut on April 27, 2012. He was 19. In 2012, he made it to the All-Star game -- the youngest player to have done so.

Barry Zito

Barry Zito has been in the baseball world a long time, having been born May 13, 1978 in Las Vegas, NV. A plastic bat that he received as a three-year-old is credited with having set off his lifelong passion for baseball (http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Zito/Zito_bio.html). Zito was not from a sports family. His father's passion was music, but believing that his son had talent to match his enthusiasm, he scraped together money for private lessons. Zito attended San Diego’s University High School. As a teen, he played in the Colt World Series and Palomino World Series.

Zito turned down a 59th round draft pick out of high school. With a couple years of college under his belt, he did something arguably riskier: He turned down a 3rd round pick. It was back to school! Zito had enrolled at three different colleges, the University of California-Santa Barbara, Pierce College, and the University of Southern California before he eventually signed -- this time as a first round pick. It was 1999. He had been selected by the Oakland Athletics.

Zito’s MLB debut came in 2000. He was 22.

Zito is known for more than just baseball. He is active in community service. He was a Roberto Clemente finalist and has been nominated for a number of other awards (http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=217096#gameType='R'). Like his dad, he loves music. Alas, he is not as good with the guitar as the baseball bat.

Tomorrow's Ball Players in Nevada

Nevada ball players have taken different paths to the majors. What can one learn from their stories -- besides that you don't (quite) have to be Bryce Harper to make the pros?

It's important to work hard at one's passions. For a sports-obsessed youth, this generally includes team play.

Zito notes, “I'm definitely driven. I've wanted to do this my whole life, and that desire has never wavered (http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Zito/Zito_my-say.html).”

Zito is 6'4". That's an asset for an athlete, but isn't always critical. Zito has said, "We're all physical bodies, but basically everything we do is determined by what goes on in our heads."

Travel Baseball Teams in Nevada

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