When the Minor League Baseball season gets underway in the spring, Devin Mann will be one step closer to achieving his dream of reaching the major leagues.
The 2015 Columbus North graduate is ticketed for Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers picked Mann in the fifth round out of Louisville in the June 2018 draft.
“It’s just another step,” Mann said. “Once you get to Double-A, you can go straight to the majors from there. It’s really cool. It’s where you want to be at, and I’m grateful to be there.”
Mann, 22, spent the past year at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. He batted .268 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs. Mann also had 19 doubles, two triples and 63 runs scored.
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June was a big month for the former Bull Dog. He was a starter in the California League All-Star game and was named Uncle Ray’s Minor League Player of the Month for the California League.
“I put myself in a really good position for this year to start at Double-A,” Mann said. “It’s a good opportunity to go have another good season and do better than last year.”
After playing mostly shortstop at North and second base at Louisville and in his rookie year with the Great Lakes Loons, Mann played second, third and even some first base this year.
“I feel pretty comfortable at all of them,” Mann said. “I’m just trying to be as versatile as possible and play wherever they need me.”
The Dodgers invited Mann to play in the Arizona Fall League following the regular season. He thought he held his own against some of the best pitching he has seen to this point.
“You’re seeing a lot of guys that were in Double-A, Triple-A,” Mann said. “I got some extra at bats to get ready for next year. I was coming off of a knee injury, so I was trying to get back into things. It went really well. I had a lot of good experiences there. I felt really comfortable that I can hit the ground running in Double-A.”
After the Fall League, Mann returned home to Columbus and spent some time working out with Nathan Frasier at MVP. Mann went to Los Angeles for two weeks in December to do some hitting and strength training.
Mann will report to Spring Training in Glendale, Arizona, in February.
“I made it to Double-A pretty quick,” Mann said. “I’m going to be 23 this year, so I’m still at a young age, and you’re in a good spot that if you do well, there’s a chance you can make it up there (to the majors). I’m doing everything I can in the offseason and letting everything take care of itself.”
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Name: Devin Mann
Age: 22
High school: Columbus North
College: Louisville
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 180
Position: Infield
Key stats: batted .268 with 19 home runs, 63 RBIs, 19 doubles, two triples and 63 runs scored this season at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga.
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