Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Damon Tarver
For Palomaki, Grittiness and Talent are One in the Same
April 12, 2018 | Baseball, #ForBoston Files
Baseball's captain is the cross-section of old school and new school.
The modern baseball player is a cross-section of old school and new school. A seasoned scout's eye and intuition contrasts with analytics and statistics, forming a place where statistics are backed up by how a player looks. Desire produces results, creating diamonds in the rough just waiting to be found.
Boston College baseball has one of those diamonds in senior captain Jake Palomaki. He's the gritty type of player with measurable tools and a hunger satisfying old school scouts, all while producing the kind of prolific stats that could fill up a SABRmetrics hard drive.
"This is who I thought we were going to get in the recruiting process," head coach Mike Gambino said. "That's not to take credit, but I've always believed so much in this kid. I always felt he could be the table-setter in the ACC. His on-base percentage is through the roof, so we always knew that about him. But he's stealing bases and playing defense. He should be right with (NC State outfielder) Brett Kinnemann for the ACC Mid-Season Player of the Year."
Palomaki's development might not be surprising, which can make it all the more shocking that he was overlooked as a recruit. The Kennesaw, Ga., native went to high school at the Mount Paran Christian School in Cobb County's greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Right in the heart of both ACC and SEC country, it's also right in the thick of one of most fertile recruiting grounds.
"I was probably 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds and small (in high school)," Palomaki said. "So I was just trying to play hard and get any look that I could get. I wasn't highly recruited. A lot of military schools looked at me from the start because my grades were pretty good and I didn't have many Division I offers. Luckily enough, though, my high school coach had a connection who knew Coach Gambino and they came down and liked what they saw."
"The first time I saw Jake play was in Atlanta and his team had a doubleheader," Gambino said. "(Former assistant coach) Scott Friedholm watched him in the first game and loved him. Then I watched him in the second game. It was every bit of 105 degrees - that sweltering, Atlanta heat - and it was absolutely brutal. Everyone on the field was dragging except for Mak. He was making plays, getting hits, stealing bases. I called Scott and asked if he played like that in the first game and he said yes. I fell in love with him at that moment."
Though he spent his formative years in the South, the coaching staff was able to convince Palomaki to matriculate north to what everyone felt was a perfect fit.
"I was born in Michigan, so I lived there for 10 or 11 years," Palomaki said. "I was kind of used to the snow and then I got used to the warm weather before coming up north. (For college) I didn't want to stay close to home and I wasn't recruited in Georgia.
"BC was the first team that bought in on me and I wanted to go there because I wanted somewhere where they wanted me as bad as I wanted to play there," Palomaki continued. "I've loved every second of BC. It's been great (for me)."
It wound up being the fit they hoped. There was the obligatory adjustment in the fall, when the freshman had to adjust to the speed of the game and life in a tough academic institution. But Palomaki just kept plugging away with fundamentals instilled in him as a teenager - running hard into second on a pop fly, hitting someone in the chest with a hard throw - with the intention of adjusting to a new team.
So he was ready to go when spring rolled around. Palomaki started 47 games during that first year in 2015, including 35 at a foreign position at third base. He hit .289 with 37 hits while drawing 46 walks and stealing 15 bases. He hit .300 in conference play and finished the year by reaching base in 37 straight games, the last 11 of which included a base hit.
"He can change a game with at bats even if he's not getting hits," Gambino said. "He's the type of guy who can come up in the third inning after a couple of long innings for the pitching staff and take a team at bat. He can keep a pitcher off the field as long as possible. Some guys will roll over the first pitch and then your pitcher is right back on the mound. But Mak can take two pitches, foul off a bunch more and pop up, which gives our pitcher a chance to catch his breath and settle in. That helps us win a game."
It didn't take long before he started breaking records. In 2016, he switched to second base and became one of two Eagles to start all 57 games at the same position. He led the team in runs, walks, hit by pitches and stolen bases. He drove in four runs during the Oxford Regional in the NCAA Tournament, all against Tulane with one coming in the game that sent BC to the Super Regionals. It earned him Oxford All-Regional Team honors, after which he joined the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he won the Ed Lyons Coaches Award as the team's resident "grinder."
"There's so many things that he does that don't end up in the box score," Gambino said. "When he's on base, you wonder how many extra fastballs other guys got how many times someone missed a spot because he was working to steal a base or drew attention away."
Two years later, Palomaki is in his senior year as one of the all-time prolific Eagles. He broke the all-time walks record last season (currently at 139 and counting) and is the only Eagle with 40 in a season, which he's done twice. His on-base percentage is just outside the top five, and his 18 sacrifice hits are tied for ninth since 1990.
"I'm just trying to see a lot of pitches," Palomaki said. "I want to hammer fastballs so if there's a mistake, I can hit it. If it's not my pitch, I just want to live to see another one. I will do literally anything to get on base. This year's been a little different because I haven't walked as much and have hammered a few early pitches because pitchers are laying it in there earlier (in the count)."
"People talk about him being undersized because of his height," Gambino said. "If you look at his strength and speed, though, his tools match up with anyone in the conference. I think of undersized guys as small or weak. He's not undersized because he's strong and fast and explosive. He's such a good two-strike hitter that it factors in no matter what's going on."
He combines a skill set with the mentality and versatility of someone with something to prove. It's a lesson learned because he was overlooked as a recruit - something that's often the case with BC baseball. The Eagles very much remain in the thick of the conference tournament race, even as doubters are quick to write them off.
"Toughness is a team identity," Palomaki said. "We always get ranked down the bottom of the ACC no matter what we have or how we did the year before. It's always how we have to play and it helps us play harder, faster and appreciate everything a little bit more. Nothing is ever handed to us and this is the first year we've had such a nice, new facility. That's our culture, so that when we do get nice things, we can appreciate it more than anyone else."
As the season winds down, Palomaki's name will begin to dot potential draft boards. He likely won't show up among the early rounds but he's still an intriguing name that will require a good, long look from Major League Baseball franchises.
"As a prospect, he has an above-average arm and has two-plus tools," Gambino said. "He's a future average to above-average infielder and because of his speed, all three outfield positions will be options for him. He has an elite on-base percentage too. Scouts will like his tools, the way he plays and his character and the analytics guys in the office are going to love his on-base percentage and pitches per plate appearance. All of those metrics line up.
"He's going to play in Double-A and when he gets there, a premium defender and can play infield or outfield, a switch hitter who can run - that's the type of guy that has value, especially on a National League roster," Gambino said. "There's a lot of value (in Jake)."
But Palomaki remains singularly focused on helping the Eagles. The MLB Draft looms, as does the end of his senior season but he remains ensconced in the moment.
"I'm really trying to appreciate my senior year," he said. "I had a look into the draft a little bit last year before I (had a hamstring injury), but I really wanted to come back for my senior year any way. I didn't want to go - and I still don't want to leave. I'm just trying to soak this in and get our team rolling. We want to fight for one more day."
Winners of three in a row, the Eagles will host Wake Forest this weekend as they dedicate the Brighton Athletic Village. Friday's game is at 6 p.m. with Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games are available on the ACC Network Extra and the WatchESPN app or can be heard on the WZBC Sports online stream.
Boston College baseball has one of those diamonds in senior captain Jake Palomaki. He's the gritty type of player with measurable tools and a hunger satisfying old school scouts, all while producing the kind of prolific stats that could fill up a SABRmetrics hard drive.
"This is who I thought we were going to get in the recruiting process," head coach Mike Gambino said. "That's not to take credit, but I've always believed so much in this kid. I always felt he could be the table-setter in the ACC. His on-base percentage is through the roof, so we always knew that about him. But he's stealing bases and playing defense. He should be right with (NC State outfielder) Brett Kinnemann for the ACC Mid-Season Player of the Year."
Palomaki's development might not be surprising, which can make it all the more shocking that he was overlooked as a recruit. The Kennesaw, Ga., native went to high school at the Mount Paran Christian School in Cobb County's greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Right in the heart of both ACC and SEC country, it's also right in the thick of one of most fertile recruiting grounds.
"I was probably 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds and small (in high school)," Palomaki said. "So I was just trying to play hard and get any look that I could get. I wasn't highly recruited. A lot of military schools looked at me from the start because my grades were pretty good and I didn't have many Division I offers. Luckily enough, though, my high school coach had a connection who knew Coach Gambino and they came down and liked what they saw."
"The first time I saw Jake play was in Atlanta and his team had a doubleheader," Gambino said. "(Former assistant coach) Scott Friedholm watched him in the first game and loved him. Then I watched him in the second game. It was every bit of 105 degrees - that sweltering, Atlanta heat - and it was absolutely brutal. Everyone on the field was dragging except for Mak. He was making plays, getting hits, stealing bases. I called Scott and asked if he played like that in the first game and he said yes. I fell in love with him at that moment."
Though he spent his formative years in the South, the coaching staff was able to convince Palomaki to matriculate north to what everyone felt was a perfect fit.
"I was born in Michigan, so I lived there for 10 or 11 years," Palomaki said. "I was kind of used to the snow and then I got used to the warm weather before coming up north. (For college) I didn't want to stay close to home and I wasn't recruited in Georgia.
"BC was the first team that bought in on me and I wanted to go there because I wanted somewhere where they wanted me as bad as I wanted to play there," Palomaki continued. "I've loved every second of BC. It's been great (for me)."
It wound up being the fit they hoped. There was the obligatory adjustment in the fall, when the freshman had to adjust to the speed of the game and life in a tough academic institution. But Palomaki just kept plugging away with fundamentals instilled in him as a teenager - running hard into second on a pop fly, hitting someone in the chest with a hard throw - with the intention of adjusting to a new team.
So he was ready to go when spring rolled around. Palomaki started 47 games during that first year in 2015, including 35 at a foreign position at third base. He hit .289 with 37 hits while drawing 46 walks and stealing 15 bases. He hit .300 in conference play and finished the year by reaching base in 37 straight games, the last 11 of which included a base hit.
"He can change a game with at bats even if he's not getting hits," Gambino said. "He's the type of guy who can come up in the third inning after a couple of long innings for the pitching staff and take a team at bat. He can keep a pitcher off the field as long as possible. Some guys will roll over the first pitch and then your pitcher is right back on the mound. But Mak can take two pitches, foul off a bunch more and pop up, which gives our pitcher a chance to catch his breath and settle in. That helps us win a game."
It didn't take long before he started breaking records. In 2016, he switched to second base and became one of two Eagles to start all 57 games at the same position. He led the team in runs, walks, hit by pitches and stolen bases. He drove in four runs during the Oxford Regional in the NCAA Tournament, all against Tulane with one coming in the game that sent BC to the Super Regionals. It earned him Oxford All-Regional Team honors, after which he joined the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he won the Ed Lyons Coaches Award as the team's resident "grinder."
"There's so many things that he does that don't end up in the box score," Gambino said. "When he's on base, you wonder how many extra fastballs other guys got how many times someone missed a spot because he was working to steal a base or drew attention away."
Two years later, Palomaki is in his senior year as one of the all-time prolific Eagles. He broke the all-time walks record last season (currently at 139 and counting) and is the only Eagle with 40 in a season, which he's done twice. His on-base percentage is just outside the top five, and his 18 sacrifice hits are tied for ninth since 1990.
"I'm just trying to see a lot of pitches," Palomaki said. "I want to hammer fastballs so if there's a mistake, I can hit it. If it's not my pitch, I just want to live to see another one. I will do literally anything to get on base. This year's been a little different because I haven't walked as much and have hammered a few early pitches because pitchers are laying it in there earlier (in the count)."
"People talk about him being undersized because of his height," Gambino said. "If you look at his strength and speed, though, his tools match up with anyone in the conference. I think of undersized guys as small or weak. He's not undersized because he's strong and fast and explosive. He's such a good two-strike hitter that it factors in no matter what's going on."
He combines a skill set with the mentality and versatility of someone with something to prove. It's a lesson learned because he was overlooked as a recruit - something that's often the case with BC baseball. The Eagles very much remain in the thick of the conference tournament race, even as doubters are quick to write them off.
"Toughness is a team identity," Palomaki said. "We always get ranked down the bottom of the ACC no matter what we have or how we did the year before. It's always how we have to play and it helps us play harder, faster and appreciate everything a little bit more. Nothing is ever handed to us and this is the first year we've had such a nice, new facility. That's our culture, so that when we do get nice things, we can appreciate it more than anyone else."
As the season winds down, Palomaki's name will begin to dot potential draft boards. He likely won't show up among the early rounds but he's still an intriguing name that will require a good, long look from Major League Baseball franchises.
"As a prospect, he has an above-average arm and has two-plus tools," Gambino said. "He's a future average to above-average infielder and because of his speed, all three outfield positions will be options for him. He has an elite on-base percentage too. Scouts will like his tools, the way he plays and his character and the analytics guys in the office are going to love his on-base percentage and pitches per plate appearance. All of those metrics line up.
"He's going to play in Double-A and when he gets there, a premium defender and can play infield or outfield, a switch hitter who can run - that's the type of guy that has value, especially on a National League roster," Gambino said. "There's a lot of value (in Jake)."
But Palomaki remains singularly focused on helping the Eagles. The MLB Draft looms, as does the end of his senior season but he remains ensconced in the moment.
"I'm really trying to appreciate my senior year," he said. "I had a look into the draft a little bit last year before I (had a hamstring injury), but I really wanted to come back for my senior year any way. I didn't want to go - and I still don't want to leave. I'm just trying to soak this in and get our team rolling. We want to fight for one more day."
Winners of three in a row, the Eagles will host Wake Forest this weekend as they dedicate the Brighton Athletic Village. Friday's game is at 6 p.m. with Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games are available on the ACC Network Extra and the WatchESPN app or can be heard on the WZBC Sports online stream.
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