Dragicevich makes most of second chance
Westlake grad, released by Blue Jays, finds success in Golden Baseball League
By Steve Ames Special to the Acorn

Scott Dragicevich

As he prepared for his sixth year in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, Scott Dragicevich of Westlake Village didn't expect to be released on March 30 as spring training was winding down.

Following his release, the infielder signed to play this season for the independent Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League, a league comprised of the Long Beach Armada, St. George (Utah) Roadrunners, Orange County Flyers, Reno (Nev.) Silver Sox, Yuma (Ariz.) Scorpions and San Diego Surf Dawgs.

"I went to spring training all ready to go," Dragicevich said as he prepared for a game at Blair Field against the Armada. "The thing is that you are never quite sure exactly what's in the cards. I think I played pretty well, performed pretty well. In putting myself in the shoes of the organization, it's tough.

"They've got a lot of kids and they have to figure out where everyone goes. In the baseball world I am getting a little older. So it kind of just worked out that they felt they wanted to give some younger guys a chance to play," he said.

Dragicevich, who graduated from Westlake High in 1998, is 6-foot-3 and weighs 210 pounds. He turned 27 in June.

Dragicevich bats and throws right-handed. He's the son of Chuck and Shirley Dragicevich. His brother, Jeff, is an infielder for the Tulsa Drillers, and his sister, Julie, is a junior at USC.

Playing 144 games for the Stanford University Cardinal from 1999 through 2002, Dragicevich hit .315 with 32 doubles, 10 homers and 69 RBI. He graduated in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in economics.

The Toronto Blue Jays took him in the 36th round (1,076 overall) during the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. During his first five seasons of pro baseball, 2002 through 2006 with the Medicine Hat Blue Jays, Auburn Doubledays, Charleston Alley Cats, Syracuse SkyChiefs and the Dunedin Blue Jays, Dragicevich hit a combined .254 with 75 doubles, 16 homers and 148 RBI.

Playing for the Outlaws in 74 regular-season games this season, he hit .291 with 16 doubles, four home runs and 40 RBI. The Outlaws beat Long Beach last week to win the GBL Championship Series three games to one, and Dragicevich topped off the season by being named the series' Most Valuable Player.

During the championship series he pounded out eight hits, including two doubles and two home runs, got on base 16 times and scored seven runs.

Dragicevich said 2007 was the first time in his life where he didn't know what he was going to do next. Still, things worked out well.

"It was fine," he said. "I have very fond memories of the Blue Jays organization, and the people are very good. It was one of those things that's just the nature of the game."

As April began he came home to Westlake Village and did a little evaluating and tried to figure out what he wanted to do next. Dragicevich contacted Jason Van Meetren, his Stanford roommate who's in his third season playing for the Outlaws.

"He mentioned that Chico was a fun town and that Mark Parent, the manager, was a great manager," Dragicevich said. "He said that I should think about that. He said that independent ball is a little different feel than organized (affiliated) ball."

Dragicevich talked with Parent, who played 13 years of major league baseball, and hitting coach Jon Macalutas, who spent five and a half seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league organization. Both coaches were delighted to have Dragicevich on this year's Chico team.

"Scott's a professional," Macalutas said. "Scott seems to be having fun. It's a pleasure to have him around as a player and just being in the clubhouse."

Dragicevich said the difference for him this season is his approach, mental outlook and consistency.

"It's tough," he said. "In the individual ups and downs in the baseball year- and I'm sure in real life as well- the trick is to kind of have a consistent approach."

At the beginning of the year Dragicevich played first base because that's where he was needed at the time.

"We knew he played third," Macalutas said. "When he made the transition to third he got rid of some balls in a hurry. Ordinarily the balls that were hit you thought there wasn't a chance to get the runner. Sometimes he'll get a routine ball and throw it real quick. He's a consummate professional.

"I don't know that Scott is anyone who is flashy. He does a lot of things well, but I think what he brings to the table is his consistency as he goes about it every day."

Dragicevich is leaving his pro baseball options open for 2008.

"I've had such a great career and such a fun time playing baseball that I just go out there and try to do my best every day," he said. "If it works out that I do have the opportunity to play somewhere else, great. Although it's a cliché, it's the love of the game. You have to go out and play your best."

Dragicevich said he realizes there's going to be a career after baseball. He pictures himself getting into business, potentially going back to school or maybe doing some business school at some point.

In early August he said this might be his final summer of professional baseball.

"It's kind of a bittersweet feeling because baseball's been great to me, and it's been a big part of my life," Dragicevich said. "I've had so much fun, and I've developed so much as a person.

"I really want to appreciate it and have a lot of fun this last month and take advantage of being out here."

Dragicevich seems to have done more than that with the way his season ended.