Prep Baseball Report

Ex-Columbus North Ace Danny Ayers Hopes for Future in Orioles Nest





By Pete Cava

PBR Indiana Correspondent

The day before flying to Sarasota, Fla., for his first spring training camp, Danny Ayers reflected on his pro baseball debut last summer.  

“It was hard at the beginning,” said the Columbus North graduate.  “Pitching professionally about four months after you finish your high school career is a big transition.” 

As a senior, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound left-hander had a 4-1 record with a 1.24 earned run average and 88 strikeouts in 45 innings.  In 2012, his junior year, Ayers had gone 6-0 with a 1.33 ERA to help Columbus North to a 24-3 record and a Conference Indiana title.  He’d fanned 120 in 58 innings.  

After the Baltimore Orioles took Ayers in the June draft, he joined Baltimore’s rookie-level Gulf Coast League club in Sarasota.  Over four games and four innings, he went 0-2 and gave up five hits and nine walks. 

“I struggled in my first couple of starts,” said Ayers.  “The pace of the game is a lot faster.  All the guys are much quicker.  Balls are hit a lot harder.  The strike zone shrinks.”  

Back in Sarasota for the Orioles fall instructional league, Ayers began putting things together.  “I got a lot of one-on-one instruction and bettered myself,” he said.  “I came out every day and gave a hundred percent.  I had three really good outings that I was pretty proud of.  I came back home and I felt really good about my first four months of professional baseball.”   

Ayers didn’t always see himself as a pro ballplayer, however.  “I thought basketball was going to be my sport,” said the Columbus native, who’ll turn 19 at the end of March.  “When I got to high school, I started working really hard on baseball.  I realized I had a talent for it.  I realized my pitching could take me places.”   

Scouts began to notice Ayers prior to his senior season, during the February 2013 Super 60 showcase in the Chicago suburb of McCook, Ill.  “I threw in the Prep Baseball Report Super 60,” he said.  “I had a really good performance, and after that all the questionnaires started rolling in, all the calls, all the area scouts getting a hold of me.” 

Ayers’ fastball, consistently in the 90-92 mph range, touched 94 mph.  But it was his curve ball that raised eyebrows.  “I like to think I have the confidence to throw it anywhere in the count,” he said.  “If I’m struggling and I need a pitch to go to, I can rely on my curve.” 

College programs like Western Michigan, Coastal Carolina and Kentucky contacted Ayers.  So did 26 of 30 big league clubs.  Baseball America projected him as a fifth-round pick in the annual June draft.  

During the winter of 2013 Ayers committed to Western Michigan.  In an interview with the Columbus Republic, WMU’s Billy Gernon called Danny “one of the most unassuming, humble, confident, down-to-earth young men I’ve met in 20 years of coaching.” 

Like all college coaches, Gernon understood the risk. “I’ll be shocked if he’s not drafted,” he told the Republic. 

Ayers went in the draft, but later than expected.  After two days and the first ten rounds, his name had yet to be called.  There were feelers from several clubs, but none with the right offer.  

On June 8, the final day, Baltimore took Ayers in the 25th round with the 759th pick.  “During the latter half of my high school season, I kind of fell off a little bit,” he said.  “I think that had something to do with why I didn't go (earlier).  When the third day came around and the Orioles called my name, it was still one of the biggest honors of my life.” 

Faced with a choice between a college scholarship and a baseball contract, Ayers mulled over his choices while pitching for the Indiana Redbirds, his summer travel team.  “There’s nothing like it,” he said of his time with the Redbirds.  “You travel around and you play some of the best teams in the country.  It’s a big reason I’m where I am today.”   

As the July 12 signing deadline approached, Ayers and the Orioles continued negotiations.  “Two days before the deadline, Baltimore came back with the offer that I ended up taking,” he said.  “I've always wanted to be a professional baseball player.  I had the opportunity, so I pretty much had to take it.” 

Ayers said he’s happy to be part of the Orioles organization, and the future should hold opportunities.  Baltimore’s top starter last year, right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, won eleven games.  The club’s top southpaw in 2013, Wei-Yin Chen, had just seven wins.  

“I think that the program I came into in Baltimore fits me really well,” he said.  “We just got a new big league pitching coach in Dave Wallace (who helped develop Orel Hershiser, Pedro Martinez and Hideo Nomo, among others). They take real interest in their pitchers.  They want to keep me in a starting role – plenty of instruction to get me where I need to be.” 

Ayers, who reported for spring training on February 26, isn't sure where he’ll start the season.   “They’re not going to rush anything, since I just came in last year,” he said.  “After playing in the Gulf Coast League last year, I’d really love to be playing (class) A ball this year.”   

He’s also hoping his dad will get a chance to see him pitch as a pro.  “My mom made it down this past summer for my first professional start,” Ayers said.  ‘That was really cool.  My dad hasn't yet.  He’s planning on coming down this summer.” 

Danny said Mike and Jackie Ayers have always been his biggest boosters.  “They've been the ones taking me to all my sporting events, all my practices, all my showcase events,” he said.  “They've been there when I've had a bad game, when I won a championship, when I needed to make big decisions, when I committed to college, when I got drafted.  

“They've been through all that.  I can’t thank them enough.”

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