A new Frontier: Meade gets his shot

From GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill., you can see the St. Louis skyline, complete with the iconic Gateway Arch.

"It's really a nice view, especially at night," said former Citadel outfielder Sonny Meade, the newest member of the Gateway Grizzlies, the Frontier League baseball team that plays at GCS Ballpark.

As close as Sauget is to the big league lights of St. Louis, independent-league teams like the Grizzlies can seem light years away from major league baseball.

But for players such as Meade — an all-Southern Conference outfielder and one of the top hitters in Citadel history, who somehow went undrafted by major league teams earlier this month — it's a chance.

And that's all Meade asks for.

"I know if I didn't give pro baseball a try, I'd be kicking myself in the future and be upset with myself," said Meade, a former Stratford High School standout. "It's something I've always dreamed of. I know this is a small chance, but it's still an opportunity."

Meade was a four-year starter at The Citadel and batted .369 for his career, including a .393 average as a junior and a .397 average with five home runs and 67 runs batted in as a senior. His total of 355 career hits is tied for second in SoCon history, and he ranks in the top 10 in games played (233), at-bats (963), doubles (70), total bases (487) and RBIs (207).

Though he was not projected as highly as first-round picks and former Stratford teammates Matt Wie-ters (now catching for Baltimore) and Justin Smoak (a rising star in the Rangers organization), it seemed certain that Meade would be taken somewhere in the 50 rounds of the MLB draft.

But after more than 1,500 players had been selected this year — including Citadel teammates Richard Jones, Chris McGuiness, Wes Wrenn and Matt Crim — Meade's name had not been called.

"I definitely did not expect that," Meade said Monday from the Grizzlies' stadium. "Everyone told me that some team would give me a shot, that the year I had was good enough for me to get drafted. So it was disappointing when I did not get drafted."

Pro scouts' concerns about Meade evidently included his relative lack of power. Despite his 6-5, 230-pound frame, Meade hit just 18 home runs in his four-year college career, compared with 43 in three seasons for Jones, a ninth-round pick of the Cubs.

But Gateway manager Phil Warren, who signed Meade late last week after watching him work out, said that Meade can develop a power stroke in the minors.

"He's got some pop in his bat," Warren said of Meade, who singled and scored in his pro debut Sunday. "What I see is a kid who hasn't reached his potential yet. He told me he wasn't drafted because his power numbers were down, and I could see why with some of his mechanics.

"We can tweak a few things so he has better backspin on the ball and can drive the ball farther, rather than top-spinning the ball over the infield. But the bottom line is he can get the bat on the ball, and that's the first step."

As an independent-league team, the Grizzlies are not affiliated with a Major League team the way, for example, the Charleston RiverDogs are with the New York Yankees. The Frontier League has 12 teams, and the Gateway team is second in the league in attendance, averaging about 3,900 per home game.

It's not impossible to go from the Frontier League to the Major Leagues. Former Frontier players in "The Show" include pitchers Clay Zavada of Arizona and Chris Jakubauskas of Seattle. Former Angels and Red Sox pitcher Brendan Donnelly is probably the best known Frontier League product to make it to the majors.

Closer to home, former Charleston Southern pitcher R.J. Swindle, currently with Class AAA Nashville in the Brewers' organization, made it to the big leagues after toiling two seasons in the Northern League, another independent league. Swindle was drafted, however, by the Red Sox in the 14th round in 2004.

Meade will move in with a host family this week, and then go about the business of making the most of his chance.

"It's a chance to be seen, to keep your name out there and try to make it to the next level," Meade said. "I'm going to do the best I can."