Mike Olt and Jurickson Profar definitely have a lot in common. Not only is this pair of Frisco infielders regarded as two of the top prospects in the Rangers organization, but they are also currently teammates with the Double-A Roughriders.
However, the similarities don’t end there for this dynamic duo of Texas farmhands. They also became good friends after being teammates with Spokane in 2010, a relationship that continues today.
"I make Profar call me Big Daddy," Olt joked. "He's a little brother to me. We just joke around with it. He’s young. He’s only 19 but he acts like he's 25. He's real mature for his age and he's fun to be around because he's always happy. You don't know if he's 0-for-5. He's started off the season slow and you can't even tell. You need someone like that during the season to be around. Obviously he’s one of the best shortstops in the game. He's a lot of fun to be around because he’s always happy, you kind of build off that. There are a lot of balls hit to him and you don’t know how he makes a play but he makes a play and helps the team out in a lot of ways."
And it's clear the respect goes both ways between these two up-and-comers.
"I've known him since we played in Spokane. We have a good relationship," Profar said. "We’re like brothers. That’s my big brother."
With him being Frisco's starting shortstop and Olt starting at third base, it's a combination he’s honored to be part of.
"It's a very good combination. I have Mike there always. On ground balls to the right side, I don’t have to worry about it," Profar said. "Every time there is a ground ball to the hole and Mike goes in front of me, I ask him what he’s doing. That’s my ball."
Someone else who is pretty honored to have Olt and Profar playing for the 'Riders is third-year Frisco skipper and ex-Rangers player Steve Buechele, who offered heady praise of both prospects.
"You hear players sometimes get the accolades and the hype and sometimes players don’t match up to that. But he [Olt] does," Buechele said. "I look at him I see a big-league player. He's going to hit and he’s a good fielder. He's got the whole package to be a big-league player. I think his future is real bright."
He offered a similar assessment of Profar. "Same thing, 19 years old and what he does, the way he carries himself for a 19-year-old kid is very impressive. Neither one of those kids is afraid to fail, and I think more importantly, neither one of them is afraid to be great too and that's a rare trait to find," Buechele said. "They love to work and they want to be good and that’s nice to see."
Olt, who comes off an injury-shortened 2011 at High Single-A Myrtle Beach, is currently ranked as the Rangers’ No. 4 prospect. Even though he only played 69 games in the Carolina League last year due to a broken collarbone that sidelined him for more than two months, he was still able to play in the Arizona Fall League and earned a spot on the AFL’s All-Prospect team after leading the league in both home runs and RBI while hitting .349.
But he took something else away from his time in the Grand Canyon State, a quality every prospect has to have if he’s eventually going to deliver on his potential. "Definitely some confidence, those were some of the best players in the minor leagues," he said. "To go over there, work on a few things and pick up some things from TMAs and do well was a confidence booster and it helps me go into this season."
Profar is currently the No. 2 prospect in the organization and the reigning Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year after a season at Low-A Hickory where he hit .286 with 12 HR, 65 RBI and stole 23 bases to earn MVP honors in the South Atlantic League.
However, the native of Curacao knows making the jump to Double-A will be a big adjustment, so he’s keeping his mentality simple to ensure that acclimation is as seamless as it can possibly be.
"Just slow the game down a little bit, first couple of weeks the game was a little fast for me. Can’t complain right now," Profar said. "Slowing the game down and it’s helping me."
Something else that is helping the young shortstop was the opportunity to get to work with current Ranger shortstop Elvis Andrus as well as with Tony Fernandez, an ex-big league shortstop who won four Gold Gloves during his playing days and who now works as a special assistant to Texas GM Jon Daniels.
"In spring training, we worked with him and Tony Fernandez once a week. A lot of advice [from those guys]," Profar said. "Two big guys, so it was good for me. It’s good experience to learn from them and try to get better."
Olt, who spent time in big-league camp this spring, where he saw some time at first base, also absorbed all he could from Ranger veterans like starting third baseman Adrian Beltre.
"I learned a lot from everybody. The way they go about their business, it’s fun to watch. Day in and day out, every practice all they do is have fun and that’s the atmosphere I like to be around. To watch Adrian [Beltre], Michael Young and all the infielders do their drills, you just pick up little things by the way they do things," he said. "It’s helped me a lot in the way I go about my business here."
A former University of Connecticut standout, he is also making a similar jump and even though the 2012 season is only a few weeks old, he’s already noticed one pretty major difference between the Carolina League and the Texas League.
"The biggest [difference] is the hitting. Obviously the pitchers are able to throw any pitch anytime. You have to understand the game a little bit more, understand what pitchers are trying to do in certain situations," Olt said. "I think a lot of that comes with a little bit of practice and slowly you’re starting to pick up on how it works."
He admits there is something pretty special about not only playing in Double-A, but also in being so close to reaching his ultimate goal of playing in the majors. "To be in Double-A, it’s an honor. You can feel just the way things are run here. It’s almost like a big-league kind of atmosphere with the clubhouses and the extra perks that we get," he said. "It’s a huge thing. It gets you motivated to keep going."
Should his fellow prospect and good friend reach his goal as well, it would make him the latest player from Curacao to reach the show, joining such players as ex-Ranger Andrew Jones and current Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens.
"Curacao has some players in the minor leagues and right now we have [Jair] Jurrjens with the Braves, Roger Bernardina with Nationals and a lot in the minor leagues. It’s good for me. I played with all those guys when I was young," Profar said. "They were good baseball players and now they’re here like me. It’s good for me."
Olt made news with Ranger fans when he saw some time at first base during spring training, possibly a glimpse into his bright future. "I had never played over there before. I thought it was going to be a lot easier than it was," he said. "It’s a totally different feel over at first base. I just need more reps and have to get used to it a little more."
Buechele’s plan is to start him almost exclusively at third but he should also see some games on the other side of the infield. "I think the plan is I’m going to play a little first just to kind of stay fresh over there but I think the main focus is I’m going to be at third base for most of the season," Olt said.
Some might think being a top prospect could be enough to give many young players a big head but that’s clearly not the case with either member of this talented tandem.
"I guess it doesn’t really faze me. I don’t think about it too much," Olt said. "I guess it’s an honor that people look at you like that but I just try to go about my business, keep playing and whatever happens happens."
