From Deseret News archives:
Tigers' Shelton proffers tips in Utah clinic
The former Cottonwood High, Salt Lake Community College and University of Utah star was on a hitting binge seen only a few times in the history of the sport. His name was flashed on ESPN countless times, and he was mentioned with the likes of Willie Mays because of his astounding batting numbers.
"Everything was so easy," Shelton said of his amazing first two months of the 2006 season. "It didn't matter where it was pitched, I was hitting the ball."
Shelton was in Salt Lake City last weekend for a baseball skills clinic at West High. The Detroit Tigers first baseman spoke with several dozen young baseball players who came to learn from a big leaguer. Not only was Shelton there to share hitting tips, several other local professionals were on hand to instruct the youngsters.
Jentry Beckstead, a member of the Colorado Rockies organization and a former star pitcher at Alta High and SLCC, joined Shelton as did former Oakland A's prospect and Fremont High star Kory Wayment.
Along with other local baseball experts such as former SLCC and current West High coach Bill Groves and Chicago White Sox scout Howard Nakagama, the clinic was designed to help young baseball players as they refine their talent during the offseason.
Shelton, clearly, was the headliner.
"Hitting can be pretty simple and pretty tough," he told the assembled players. "The key is to don't try and do to much with it."
That, he said, was one of the reasons his hot season lasted only a couple of months.
After setting all sorts of team and league records, Shelton said he stopped letting the game come naturally and started trying to make every at-bat one where he forced the issue.
"The biggest thing I learned from this season was to not try to do more than you're capable of," Shelton said. "You need to let the game come to you."
The big redhead also shared a few life lessons with the youngsters. He advised them to not take the game too seriously and to enjoy other facets of life.
It was a message echoed by Beckstead.
"When I went to SLCC, I just wanted to play baseball and that's all. I didn't go to class and I ended up not being able to play baseball," Becsktead said. "You need to go to class and take care of your grades. If you do that, baseball will fall into place."
Shelton will be heading to another round of spring training in the coming weeks. After being sent to the minor leagues to try and fix his hitting slump, he was left off the Tigers' active roster when they went to the World Series.
"I still don't know if I'll have a job with Detroit," Shelton said. "I still have to work hard in camp like everyone else."
E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com
