AUBURN - Scott Campbell hails from New Zealand, which is not exactly a baseball hotbed.
“I have to give him a lot of credit,” Doubledays manager Dennis Holmberg said. “That's where 13 million sheep live. I think that the sheep population is 10 to one over people there, so they're not really known for their baseball players so much.“
Campbell comes from Auckland, by far the country's largest city with over 1.3 million residents.
Despite not having much in the way of organized baseball in his hometown, the Doubledays second baseman has literally come a long way to become Major League Baseball's first ever draft pick out of New Zealand.
At the age of 10, Campbell saw an ad for youth baseball in the local newspaper and decided to give the sport a shot. After a year, he traveled to Japan to take part in the World Children's Baseball Fair.
“Playing there, I got to see what baseball was like,” Campbell said. “I knew then it was what I wanted to do.”
After struggling to play in New Zealand, Campbell traveled to Australia often to get more experience. His goal all along was to play baseball in the United States and when it was time for him to go to college, that is exactly what he did.
After spending a year as the lead off hitter for Central Arizona Community College, Campbell earned first team NJCAA All-American honors.
“That first year was pretty steady,” Campbell said. “I just tried to learn the ropes. I'm not a real big base-stealer, but I can get on and hit well, so I found my way and it was my most successful year.“
He then transferred to the University of Gonzaga, where all he did was earn first team All West Coast Conference as a sophomore.
As a junior, Campbell had a .389 batting average and a .488 on base percentage, which landed him on the honorable mention roster.
Like most talented college athletes, the broadcast journalism major had a tough choice to make after the season whether to stay and finish college or enter the MLB draft.
He went back home for two weeks to mull over his future and returned the United States to take his chances with the MLB.
In early June, Campbell was the 300th pick out of over 1,500 college and high school athletes when the Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the 10th round.
“It was a lot of fun playing for Gonzaga and it was a very hard decision between deciding to stay or come here, but I'm happy with my choice,” Campbell said. “I just felt like it was time to throw my dice on the table.”
His decision process caused him to be slightly later in joining the Doubledays than the rest of the team, but it was worth it and not just because he got his green card.
After not playing in the first three games, Campbell moved from the bottom of the batting order to the lead off spot as of late. And with an injury to Brian Hall, Campbell has been seeing much more time at second base, or at third if needed.
“I know I can play a lot better, but I feel good about my role on this team. Getting my time in at third and second is very exciting for me,” Campbell said. “And I love hitting lead-off, I've done it my whole life. I'm just happy because they think that I'm someone who can take pitches and do what a regular lead-off is supposed to do. But I'm fine with wherever they want to put me. I know that I have a long way to go, but I feel better every day. At this point, I would just love to get better and see what role I can step into with this organization and I'd love to see us win the division. “
Campbell comes from Auckland, by far the country's largest city with over 1.3 million residents.
Despite not having much in the way of organized baseball in his hometown, the Doubledays second baseman has literally come a long way to become Major League Baseball's first ever draft pick out of New Zealand.
At the age of 10, Campbell saw an ad for youth baseball in the local newspaper and decided to give the sport a shot. After a year, he traveled to Japan to take part in the World Children's Baseball Fair.
“Playing there, I got to see what baseball was like,” Campbell said. “I knew then it was what I wanted to do.”
After struggling to play in New Zealand, Campbell traveled to Australia often to get more experience. His goal all along was to play baseball in the United States and when it was time for him to go to college, that is exactly what he did.
After spending a year as the lead off hitter for Central Arizona Community College, Campbell earned first team NJCAA All-American honors.
“That first year was pretty steady,” Campbell said. “I just tried to learn the ropes. I'm not a real big base-stealer, but I can get on and hit well, so I found my way and it was my most successful year.“
He then transferred to the University of Gonzaga, where all he did was earn first team All West Coast Conference as a sophomore.
As a junior, Campbell had a .389 batting average and a .488 on base percentage, which landed him on the honorable mention roster.
Like most talented college athletes, the broadcast journalism major had a tough choice to make after the season whether to stay and finish college or enter the MLB draft.
He went back home for two weeks to mull over his future and returned the United States to take his chances with the MLB.
In early June, Campbell was the 300th pick out of over 1,500 college and high school athletes when the Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the 10th round.
“It was a lot of fun playing for Gonzaga and it was a very hard decision between deciding to stay or come here, but I'm happy with my choice,” Campbell said. “I just felt like it was time to throw my dice on the table.”
His decision process caused him to be slightly later in joining the Doubledays than the rest of the team, but it was worth it and not just because he got his green card.
After not playing in the first three games, Campbell moved from the bottom of the batting order to the lead off spot as of late. And with an injury to Brian Hall, Campbell has been seeing much more time at second base, or at third if needed.
“I know I can play a lot better, but I feel good about my role on this team. Getting my time in at third and second is very exciting for me,” Campbell said. “And I love hitting lead-off, I've done it my whole life. I'm just happy because they think that I'm someone who can take pitches and do what a regular lead-off is supposed to do. But I'm fine with wherever they want to put me. I know that I have a long way to go, but I feel better every day. At this point, I would just love to get better and see what role I can step into with this organization and I'd love to see us win the division. “