WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — On Friday afternoon at Oaks Christian’s Bespalov Field, a small crowd was milling toward the parking lot. It was the group that is often depicted baseball movies: older men in faded jeans and baseball caps carrying clipboards and JUGS guns -- the unmistakable mark of a baseball scout.
Suddenly, the stadium speakers blared: “Now pitching for the Lions, number 17, Phil Bickford.”
The scouts promptly turned on their heels, clamoring for a spot behind the home plate fence. The guns were lifted and the scouts nodded in agreement, solidifying Bickford’s status as a prospect.
Except, someone forgot to tell Bickford that he is, in fact, a prospect.
“I appreciate the interest, but when I’m on the mound I just block them out,” a nonchalant Bickford said following Oaks Christian’s 1-0 win over San Marino in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs. “I just block them out and focus on winning the game.”
Bickford did not get the win Friday, he came in for final four innings after junior Spencer Vogelbach pitched a perfect three against the Titans. And while it was clear that Bickford and his mid-90s fastball were the main attraction, he wanted to make sure everyone knew that the real show was the Lions.
“He’s very team-oriented, and even though there’s a lot of pressure and a lot of hype, his team goal is really the most important thing to him,” said Oaks Christian coach Tim Penprase. “He’s just a good kid.”
Penprase repeatedly uses the term “good kid” when talking about Bickford. Scouts see other good things and some great. They see Bickford’s 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame that cuts exactly the frame of a prototypical big league starting pitcher. Bickford pitches mostly off of a mid-90s fastball, reaching as high as 94 in Friday’s game, but has been clocked as high as 97. His slider has also been an impressive out pitch. All three of his strikeouts against San Marino came with a slider for strike three.
While his fastball is relatively straight, the majority of the scouts in attendance don’t see it as an issue. At just 17 years old, he is far from a finished product but enough to make scouts drool over his stuff, his build and his demeanor on the mound.
Bickford began his rise last summer when playing for the Milwaukee Brewers’ Area Code team. Time off to build strength proved effective as he saw his velocity jump.
Suddenly, the scouts were in attendance at each of his games.
“That’s when everything started,” Bickford said. “When all of the advisors and the scouts, and all of that stuff started. That’s when it started becoming real.”
While is committed to play for Cal State Fullerton next season, it’s difficult to ignore that his stock has risen fast. Currently, Bickford is projected to go as high as the first round and as low as the third but he shows little interest in looking at the mock drafts while his team is still in the midst of a title hunt. His parents to do that for him.
“They’re more excited than me, to be honest,” Bickford said. “I’m the levelheaded one.”
No stage parents here, as Bickford describes his dad as excited as a kid on Christmas at seeing his son's name all over the internet. Although Bickford will read the projections, he doesn't seek them out himself.
“My dad gets like a little kid and I’m always the one that’s like, ‘Dad, it’s just the press,’” Bickford said. “It’s interesting, it gets you happy when it’s positive and the negative drives you more.”
Bickford’s level head is placed firmly on his broad shoulders. He has shown tremendous maturity for a prospect with such a quick rise and is more concerned with being a good teammate, son and friend than anything else. There are no signs of “draftitis” in this prospect.
“I’ve kind of always felt like staying levelheaded is a good way to look at it,” Bickford said. “And (I) know that I have Fullerton to go to, it’s a great school and a great program and I just want (Oaks Christian) to win the CIF Championship.”
