Scotland Campus’ first baseman Orion Otero looked into a future Dodge City (JUCO) teammate’s eyes and received only a nonchalant nod in return.
Otero arrived at the Kansas campus without the reputation and fanfare and high-ranking of a prized recruit and wasn’t exactly expecting an ecstatic welcome.
He knew nobody was going to woo him for a commitment or roll out a red carpet for him. The young, late-blooming prospect was well cognizant that the respect had to be earned.
“These guys didn’t exactly have smiles on their faces at first, they were all business and I just jumped at the challenge to get to work and show them something,” said Otero, who is spending a post-graduate year at the first-year program after hitting a robust .425 as strictly a DH last season, thriving late following a brief May swoon.
“After our workout, I could tell I proved myself and they were receptive to that. They basically made me feel at home and were like family.”
Otero, a lefty with effective bat speed and recently notable pop to his game, committed to the NJCAA Division-I program last week.
“I could tell I would continue to get better and develop under a coach like coach (Phil) Stephenson, said Otero, who displayed a convincing blend of versatility and consistency and recently returned from a 2-3 South Carolina road swing.
“He’s a no non-sense type of guy. What you see is what you get from him. He doesn’t sugar coat anything and he was 100 percent with me from the very start. He’s a disciplinarian type of coach. That’s baseball. You have to be held to a high standard and in a structured environment. That’s what breeds success in baseball.”
Otero is the second Knight in as many months to commit. Class of 2019 outfielder Bernard Shivers, the man-child built MLB prospect out of New Jersey, recently committed to traditional national heavyweight Howard College in Big Spring, Texas.
“Otero made a decision based on what was the best fit for him and he’s got the potential to thrive with his ability to hit for average and the pop he brings,” said Scotland Campus head coach Todd Weldon, who has quickly recruited a roster rife with American and international talent since inheriting the keys to the revitalized program over the summer.
“I envision him having success there academically and athletically. It was the right fit and at the end of the day, Orion made an educated decision based on which program best appeals to his style of play and his future aspirations as a student-athlete. We’re very happy for him and excited for his next chapter.”
Otero said the meshing experiment has been one of the most memorable aspects of his experience at Scotland Campus, a program that’s forged a core of unknowns and prized recruits into a unit.
“We’re close off the field and we spend so much time together it translates to how we play together and the chemistry on the field.”
And while a laser-focused core at Dodge City may not have been as welcoming at first glance, the ability to garner their respect injected a steady dose of confidence and momentum into the Texas native.
With the season still in its embryonic stages, Scotland has a handful of other unique talent which could potentially heat up on the NJCAA, NCAA, and MLB market. One name which has registered buzz this spring is Arturo Nunez, a shortstop out of the Dominican Republic possessing blur-like speed and athleticism. Stoic and quiet off the field, Nunez plays with a fiery sense of passion and unbridled competitive energy.
After devoting a tremendous amount of his focus to hitting and situational hitting, Otero has bought into the versatility component that Weldon has engrained in him.
“He’s got a lot of upside and it starts with his work ethic,” Weldon explained. “He comes ready to play every day. There’s never an issue with him not playing hard enough.”
His soon to be Dodge City teammates learned that during his campus visit.
