Athlete Of The Week: Michael Shea

PLEASANT LAKE – Throwing left-handed and batting right-handed is a rare breed in baseball. Switch-hitters notwithstanding, the majority hit and throw from the same side, while a sizable group of right-handers opt to bat left-handed, on account of the advantages that brings. 

So to be a natural left-hander — the few but proud — yet hit righty is, while not entirely nonexistent, certainly uncommon.

But Cape Cod Tech sophomore Michael Shea is one of those players.

On the mound, Shea is a strike-throwing, pitch-to-contact oriented southpaw. He’s also legally blind in his right eye, which is the lead eye for a left-handed batter. Because of that, when Shea’s turn to hit — slotted at the three-spot in the Crusaders’ lineup — comes around, he steps into the right-side batter’s box.

“It's a setback, but you can't always make excuses,” Shea said. “Just play ball.”

On Monday against South Shore Tech, Shea allowed two runs (one earned) over six innings, striking out three and walking none in a 7-2 win for Cape Tech. Shea helped his own cause at the plate with three singles and two runs batted in, and he scored twice and stole a base.

It was Shea’s best performance of the year so far in what was an important win for the team overall as they begin league play.

“It meant a lot to us today, definitely,” he said.

Shea actually isn’t alone on the Crusaders in his bats left/throws right archetype. His head coach, Frank Zaino, is the same way. Zaino has worked hard with Shea on his lefty pick-off move, and already he’s caught three runners at first base.

“He's been doing real well as a sophomore this year and as a freshman last year,” Zaino said.

Shea said he’s struggled with hitting on days he’s pitching, but that clearly wasn’t the case Monday. He clearly has the same philosophy whether on the mound or in the box. As a pitcher, it’s pitch to contact and trust the guys around him to make plays. As a hitter, that idea flips into just putting the bat on the ball and forcing the defense to make plays (and, frequently, errors).

“It's been a struggle sometimes hitting, definitely not being able to read the pitches out of the hand, but honestly, just first pitch swinging — first pitch is usually a strike, so I've been just swinging first pitch.”

Shea has also been able to draw upon a wealth of knowledge from the several Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox baseball players his family has hosted during summers. He’d talk every day with a player like Carson Ballard, a pitcher at Georgia Tech, about his strategy and what he’s thinking when he pitches. Or he’d hear from Will Baker, also of Georgia Tech, about keeping your head still and staying calm when hitting the ball (Shea also casually rattled off that Baker had hit three home runs the previous week).

He even picked up a bit of inspiration for a new glove from Ballard, who he saw had a symbol of a cross resembling a sword emblazoned on his mitt’s webbing. Shea got one for Christmas with the same emblem on red leather, plus “Philippians 4:13” laced on the ring finger.

“‘I can do all things through the power of the Lord with me,’ so just something I think about every time I step to the mound,” Shea said.