Hoosier shortstop has ‘Major League’ dreams for future

At the age of 5, Keith Haas played his first tee-ball game, much like thousands of other young children across the country. But unlike many of those children, he now stands poised and ready to complete his childhood dream of becoming a professional ballplayer. He plans to enter the 2007 MLB draft.\nFor Haas, draft day is his own ritual, and June 5 and 6 will be no different as the senior shortstop will wait and see if his name is just one of about 1,500 names selected. \n“At the time I’ll probably be nervous, but I’ll just watch it on the computer or something,” Haas said. “It’s something I’ve done the last 10 years of my life.”\nYet with the draft less than two months away, Haas is trying not to focus on draft day. Instead, he is just trying to help his team win and get back in the mix for the Big Ten tournament in May. \nBut when June comes around, Haas said he will stay humble, knowing his 5-foot-9 stature could hurt his draft status.\n“The draft is something you can’t control, and I’ve always been taught not to worry about the things you can’t control, just (to) do the things you can control,” Haas said. “I mean, if you follow baseball, I’m not the prototypical 6-foot-3-inch, 225-(pound) Alex Rodriguez that they’re looking for.”\nWhat Haas does best – and what his coaches rave about – is that while he lacks size, he plays scrappy defense and is a solid hitter.\nThough he is shorter than most big-league shortstops, scouts aren’t going to have to question his work ethic or heart, said IU coach Tracy Smith.\n“I think a guy like Haas, it would tickle me to death if he got a chance to play pro ball,” Smith said. “It would because I think for the same reasons we like him – that he plays hard and he’s scrappy – a manager that’s coaching pro would like the same thing.”\nAfter spending two years at Lakeland Community College, Haas transferred to IU and hit .353 in his first season as a Hoosier, committing only 11 errors.\nThough he has been in a slump this year – he’s batted only .224 in his last 14 games – he is fifth on the team in hitting with a .298 average, 20 RBIs and 21 runs scored. Still, his coaches believe he’s a clutch player who comes through in late-game situations.\n“He’s the type of kid (that) when the situation is on the line, he wants the ball hit to him,” said IU hitting coach Bryan Prince. “He wants the ball. He’s not afraid to make mistakes. He goes out there and lays it all out there on the line.”\nHaas admitted he needs to step up his play before season’s end, but he said transferring to IU has vastly improved his game. Haas said that, thanks to the advice of IU coaches Smith and Prince, he has learned aspects of baseball that his Lakeland coaches completely ignored.\n“In junior college they just tell you to go up and hit the ball,” Haas said. “You don’t really think about the little stuff, (and) small ball really isn’t played. Here, it really enforces small ball, bunting, moving runners, the little stuff.”\nAt this point it’s hard to say whether or not Haas will be drafted, his coaches said, but Smith and Prince both believe there is a place for him in baseball after college.\n“The draft is a funny thing, and I think Keith deserves a shot to play professional baseball,” Prince said. “I do not know how the draft is going to go this year. And it’s hard to predict the draft. I think if he’s taken, he’ll be taken late, but I think he’s more of a guy that’s going to get a shot to play.”