Woodbury Native, Mets Minor Leaguer Coaches Up Area Youngsters

New York Mets minor leaguer Joe Bonfe—a former Woodbury resident and 2006 Cretin-Derham Hall graduate—is spending his off season working out and using his Major League Baseball background to instruct area student-athletes at the  facility. 

Bonfe recently sat down with Woodbury Patch to talk about his experiences and how he's now helping young athletes get to the next level.

Woodbury Patch: At Cretin-Derham Hall, you played three sports. How did you know that baseball was your calling?

Joe Bonfe: During my senior year, I focused only on hockey and baseball. I guess you could say baseball was always my first love, but hockey was a very close second.

Patch: Can you give us a snapshot of your baseball timeline?

Bonfe:  My first year, I played freshman ball. The next year, I played B squad (sophomore team) and played VFW ball in the summer. I guess you could say I had a really great season that year and it set me up for a good tryout for my junior year as I made varsity ball.

During that summer, I played Legion ball and did some out-of-state baseball tournaments with a team called the Minnesota Starz. With the Starz I played in a national tournament called East Cobb in Atlanta and started getting the attention of some scouts. It’s important that athletes get into some large, out-of-state tournaments to get exposure to scouts.

Patch: What positions were you playing at that point?

Bonfe: I was a pitcher and played third base. I always saw myself as a two-way player. However, since I was a big, (he stands 6-foot-4), projectable, right-hander and could throw mid to upper 80s, college and pro scouts were always looking at me as a pitcher.

Patch: At what point were you offered a college scholarship?

Bonfe: I committed early, in November of my senior year. I felt it would be best to know where I was headed and not have to worry about where I was going to play ball.

Patch: Your first college turned out not to be a good fit for you.

Bonfe: Yeah, I had a couple of shaky outings as a pitcher. My coach never really gave me much of a chance to play after that and let me show off my skills as a hitter and at third base. I believed I was a two-way player, so you could say that we had a difference of opinions. Once I realized it wasn’t a good fit for me there, I put a call into a former contact who is an MLB scout. 

That scout helped me find a program that was a better fit for my baseball goals and skills. I ended up at Sierra Junior College in Sacramento, California. At Sierra, I stopped pitching and focused on hitting and third base. I played in the fall all-star game and that’s where the Mets spotted me. I was drafted the following summer in the 21st round in 2009.

Patch: It seems like there’s a lesson there to share with student athletes. What would it be?

Bonfe: If the college you choose ends up not being the best fit for you, then find another one. Keep fighting for your goals and dreams. 

Make sure to take your “official” college visits. Talk to the coaches, but also speak with your future teammates, too. Talk to them about what’s it like to go to college there, what’s a typical practice like, what’s the coach like, what are his philosophies. Does the team seem to work well together? Can you see yourself being a part of that team?

Patch: You started out as a highly recruited pitcher and now you’re not even pitching?

Bonfe: No. During the last year in the New York Mets minor league system, I have played outfield, third base, first base and designated hitter. I have become more valuable now as a utility player and if I have another great season, my hopes are I will get promoted up to the next levels.

Patch: What are you doing at Skills Sports Training this off season?

Bonfe: From now until the first part of March, I’m offering hitting, pitching, infield and some hockey training. 

Patch: High school baseball players will have to use the BBCOR bats this next spring, a new regulation that starts in 2012. How do you think this will affect the game?

Bonfe:  Numbers will go down and you’ll definitely see less power and home runs. Since the BBCOR is a new kind of bat, I recommend all ball players should be hitting at least a couple times of week in the off season and ideally with a wood bat. The sweet spot is much smaller on the wood bat and it forces the hitter to develop a more pure swing. Wood bats are also a little heavier so when they go back to their BBCOR metal bats in the spring, the bat will feel lighter.

Patch: It sounds like ball players can learn a lot from your experiences and your abilities as utility player.

Bonfe: Yes, I feel I have a lot to offer them. Student-athletes don’t realize how huge the mental part, body language and attitude is in the game. That’s something I have lot of experience in. If they want to be successful as a hitter at the next level, they’ll need to adapt to a proper “big league” swing to hit faster and better pitching. I’m here to help them achieve that and to share my expertise with them.

Skills Sports Training is located at 9242 Hudson Blvd., in Lake Elmo, MN. For information regarding scheduling with Bonfe or other trainers, call 651-621-2487. Visit the website at www.skillssportstraining.com.