On Friday evening while watching Clayton Kershaw in his rehab outing with the Oklahoma City Dodgers, I switched over to the Great Lakes Loons game when the OKC Dodgers were at bat. I found out the promotion at Dow Diamond on this particular evening was Storybook Princess Night and that Belle, Elsa and friends were in attendance.

While the theme for the evening didn’t really capture my attention, the attendance at Dow Diamond suggested it did catch the attention of Midland area Loons fans. The sellout crowd of 6,365 was the largest attendance in Loons franchise history, which dates back to 2007. Also, the Loons broadcast team of Chris Vosters and Brad Tunney seemed to be having some fun with the theme.

As the evening progressed I got to savor five innings of Clayton at work, which made the evening complete in itself, but there was also some magic in the air back in Midland with Belle and Elsa. Oh yes, and with catcher Connor Wong and a Loons comeback win.

Dodger minor league enthusiasts will recall that Wong was selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft.

Born in Houston, Texas, Wong attended high school in Pearland, which is located just south of Houston. Upon graduation from high school, he embarked on a three-year college career at the University of Houston. In his three years with the Oilers he posted a slash line of .280/.372/.439 along with 23 home runs and 103 runs batted in. He struck out 133 times and walked 98 times. In his junior year, he stole 26 bases in 30 attempts.

Dodgers 2017 third round draft pick is tearing it up with the franchise’e Low Single-A Great Lakes Loons in his first full season of professional baseball. (Photo credit – Katy Kildee)

Two aspects of his time at the University of Houston really stand out. First, he played in every game in which his team took the field over three years. That is, he played in all 184 games, and played hard, demonstrating his will to contribute and his physical stamina. Secondly, he played multiple positions, making him an easy target for the Dodgers.

Oiler head baseball coach, Anthony Scalise, was sorry not to have Wong return for his senior year but not surprised he went as high as the third round in the draft.

“I’ll tell you what … when Connor played here, we said he was going to play in the big leagues one day,” Scalise said. “We knew he would have a great college career, and we knew he could play multiple positions. Who wouldn’t want a guy that can catch, play short, pitch and play the outfield?”

Coach Scalise let it all hang out in his acknowledgement of Connor Wong as a player, a teammate and a young man.

“The kid is tough as nails,” Scalise said. “I think one thing scouts might be worried about is his size, but if you can play, you can play. He doesn’t back down from any challenge. If you tell Connor he can’t do something, he’ll say ‘watch me’, and then show you he can.”

One more Wong characteristic that would be very high on the list of the Dodgers front office is his mental baseball acumen.

“He’s a great leader, but what I think makes him great is his understanding of the game,” Scalise said. “His stepdad (Matt Maysey) pitched in the majors, and Connor has grown up with an unbelievable baseball IQ.”

The 21-year-old Wong began his professional career with the Great Lakes Loons of the Class-A Midwest League on July 17. He initially found the going a bit tough as he had not played ball in six weeks when he suited up with the Loons for the first time. In his first 16 games he had seven hits, only two of them for doubles.

However, coach Scalise was indeed correct, as in game 17 Connor Wong broke out recording 16 hits in his next eight games along with 13 runs batted in. Nine of those hits went for extra bases including five home runs and four doubles. Nine extra bases hits among 16 hits might not be seen as unusual unless the hitter is a catcher weighing in at a charitable 5’11”/180- pounds.

MLBPipeline.com‘s assessment is that Wong’s above-average speed may be his best pure tool, which is rare for a catcher, and he has the instincts to steal some bases. The report concludes that although he is not very physical, he provides some sneaky power from the right side of the plate.

That sneaky power was on full display as part of the magic at Dow Diamond on Saturday evening. Wong propelled his team to a 5-4 comeback win, after trailing throughout the game until the seventh inning. Among his three hits were two home runs, the first to the opposite field for the right-handed hitting catcher and the other pulled down the left field line. He now has five home runs in his last seven games.

Wong’s offensive outburst helped bail out left-hander Leo Crawford who had given up all four Dayton Dragon runs in his five innings of work and it helped support the four scoreless innings tossed by right-handed relievers Jeremiah (Jay) Muhammad and Dan Jagiello. Muhammad picked up the win with three innings of one-hit ball and eight strikeouts while Jagiello collected a save with a perfect ninth inning.

In watching Wong play it is impossible not to draw a comparison with the parent Dodgers versatile Austin Barnes. Both became college catchers after playing shortstop in high school. They have a remarkably close body type and have base stealing speed as a value added. Additionally, they have that high baseball IQ that so intrigues the Dodgers front office.

The obvious comparison between the two was not missed on draft day by Dodgers Director of Amateur Scouting, Billy Gasparino.

“That’s exactly how we’ve seen him internally,” said Gasparino. “They are both smaller, agile, athletic catchers, and Connor really has a plus throwing arm. We hope we can refine him behind the plate so he’s as good as Barnes. He’s an intelligent player and we’re really excited to get him.”

Loons fans in Midland are also excited to get him even when it is not magic night at Dow Diamond.