There’s nothing quite like stepping out onto the freshly-cut baseball field, digging in and hitting the first meatball to cross the plate.
Many of Plant City’s finest young boys and girls will get to do this soon, if they haven’t already, as Plant City Little League All-Star events and other Florida tournaments draw near. Some are going to hit those balls clear out of the park, perhaps even into the road.
And there are some local players, like Chase Mobley, who will do this often.
Mobley, 9, is one of several local ballplayers making a name for himself at the plate. His business is hitting dingers, and business has been good over the last two seasons: his home run ball collection sits at 30 right now, and each one is marked with the day, park and event when it was sent over a fence.
Most recently, he went to Lakeland Highlands for the Bulldogs All-Star Tournament and hit four — three in one semifinal game. His approach at the plate is what many might expect.
“I’m looking for a home run,” Mobley says. “Not every single time, but I’m looking for home runs.”
Mobley says his favorite pitch to hit is a fastball up the middle, but also enjoys going for anything belt-high to the inside.
An Anaheim Angels fan, Mobley says Mike Trout and Albert Pujols are two of his favorite players and that he learned a lot from watching them. Especially Trout, whom Mobley considers to be the best player in Major League Baseball.
But the biggest influence on his game didn’t come from a pro player. He credits his cousin, Plant City High outfielder Peyton Collins, for teaching him much of what he knows about baseball.
“He really taught me everything,” Mobley says. “He didn’t teach me how to pitch a curveball, or anything like that, but he taught me how to hit, how to step into the ball. And, when someone pitches it to you, you step into them. He taught me how to throw a changeup.”
Collins, a solid hitter who batted .308 for the Raiders in 2015, must have done something right. Freddy Baxter, Mobley’s coach with the Plant City Raiders 8U machine pitch team, says the boy’s average is much better than that of most power hitters.
“I’ve been coaching him and my son since he was about four years old,” Baxter says. “I think I may have seen him strike out twice the whole time I’ve coached him.”
Mobley prefers playing at first base, but has played most positions on the field at some point. That, he says, also came with a lot of help from Collins.
“I normally just ran to first base every single time when I was a little kid,” Mobley says. “Then, as I got older, I started playing other positions. He (Collins) taught me how to field. He actually taught me how to throw from long range.”
Although Mobley enjoys playing basketball in the offseason, baseball is number one in his life. In addition to Plant City Little League play, he’s spent time with the Raiders, Plant City Bulldogs, Plant City Warriors, Plant City Wildcats and the Riverview Smashers. He’s a PCLL All-Star this season and is anxious to be able to get out on the field and play again.
As proficient as Mobley is at the plate, he’s quick to point out that he’s not the best hitter in the area right now. His choice is Kelein “K.J.” Johnson, a recent Plant City Times & Observer Athlete of the Week whose bat also draws raves from coaches.
“He is probably the best hitter out here,” Mobley says. “It’s no joke. Every single fastball that goes down the middle, he hits it out.”
Players like Mobley and Johnson are living, breathing proof that the Plant City area is a baseball hotbed that, because of the attention drawn to nearby Tampa, Brandon and Lakeland, may be hiding in plain sight. But if they’re going to keep hitting dingers at this rate, they could put the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World on the map.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
REMEMBER THOSE RUNS?
Each of Chase Mobley’s home run balls tell the story of when and where they were hit. His first came at age 6, when he played in an All-Star tournament with the Plant City Warriors. But his favorite dinger came more recently, at a tournament in April in Sarasota. With the opposing team in control of the game, Mobley knocked a pitch over the fence — and accidentally added a little insult to the team’s injury.
“I hit the Rockets’ truck,” Mobley says. “This truck was pretty jacked up, and I hit it.”
The best part? It was a grand slam, and it helped make sure the Rockets went home with a loss.