Schmidt focused on diamond dream

If you look into 13-year-old Rod Schmidt’s eyes and ask him if he likes the alternative rock/punk band Fall Out Boy, his answer might surprise you.

“Um,” Rod Schmidt of Costa Mesa said with a blank stare, “No!”

If he doesn’t dig on top-40 music, then surely he must play video games.

But, then again.

“I don’t have any video games,” Schmidt said. “I think it’s personally a waste of time. I’d rather be doing something healthy in life. With video games, you get obsessed and then you can’t focus on baseball and school.”

And so the truth is revealed. Schmidt — who fancies playing a lick or two on the guitar or drawing when he is off the baseball diamond — is already heading to Cooperstown because of his superior work ethic.

Of course it’s not to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but Schmidt is still a rare teen.

As a member of the Irvine Blue Wave Baseball 12-and-under club team, Schmidt is traveling to Cooperstown, N.Y., to compete in the National Assn. of Tournament Champions that begins Friday and ends Aug. 31.

And none of this success would exist without the support of his family or the tutelage of a special baseball coach.

Rod attributes much of his success to training coach Rick Stokes, who coaches hitting, pitching and conditioning at ProBall in Santa Ana.

Schmidt hooked up with Stokes when he was 9, specifically seeking help with pitching mechanics.

Stokes has noticed the young baseball player’s improvement and sees greatness ahead.

“[Rod’s] a great kid,” Stokes said. “He’s hard working, doesn’t quit, is focused and he’s a great listener. I see him getting a scholarship to [an NCCA Division I] school and then maybe getting drafted [in Major League Baseball]. He is growing each year.”

Rod never hesitates to give Stokes credit when talking about his recent progress.

“Rick Stokes is a great motivational guy,” Schmidt said. “He always gets the best out of you. He makes you want to do good and want to come back and do it right. He taught me how to have fun and be competitive and it makes it a much greater game.”

For Schmidt, the love for the game is traced back to a fateful day at the “Big A” in Anaheim with his father, Gregg.

“I went to my first Angels game when I was 6 years old,” said Schmidt, an Angels fan who pitches, plays outfield and third base. “That was great; it was so much fun. I just wanted to play. I’ve had some of the greatest times out there playing [baseball].”

Schmidt started tossing a tennis ball outdoors with his father which led to signing up to play baseball at the age of 7.

He worked his way through the Costa Mesa Little League and then moved over to the Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. in 2005.

Schmidt joined the Blue Wave in 2006, and played full-time this season to prepare for Cooperstown.

At the NATC, athletes can compete in a skills competition that features challenges such as throwing for accuracy, hitting for power and hitting for distance. Schmidt can hardly contain his excitement.

“Oh man, I’m going to be in the hitting for distance thing so that will be really cool,” Schmidt said. “The best teams in the country are going out there to compete and that will just be amazing.”

In addition to simply competing in the baseball capital of America, Schmidt might have a surprise or two for the opposition.

Schmidt primarily plays right field for the Blue Wave. But he closes games for the squad, just as Frankie Rodriguez does for the Angels.

“My coach taught me a slider which is kind of like his and I’m still developing that, but it’s so much fun because it breaks right off. It’s real nice,” Schmidt said. “I can’t even try to do any of the leg lift stuff he does. That’s just crazy.”

Whenever Rod plays, his father is close by. Gregg said he played basketball at Newport Harbor High and one year at Long Beach State.

He has instilled specific values in Rod and he stresses a priority on academics. This is especially important for Rod at Brethren Christian Junior High in Huntington Beach. It’s not easy to earn good grades there.

“That’s how we treat it here,” Gregg Schmidt said. “I was raised that way. You can’t just waltz through life. Sports are fun, but sports are a privilege.”

Gregg is also responsible for his son’s name. He named Rod after his best friend, Rod Piazza. Rod Piazza is a blues and jazz player which explains why Rod Schmidt loves playing blues guitar.

There is also an explanation as to why Rod’s favorite musicians are Jimmy Hendrix and Bob Dylan, not Fall Out Boy.

“He grew up hearing Rod Piazza, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and all that good stuff,” Gregg Schmidt said. “When I was growing up, it was Jimmy Hendrix ... [Rod’s] musical influence has been jaded by me.”

For Schmidt, there is no greater influence or support than family.

His mother, Lori, and older sister, Hannah, attend as many games as they can. Gregg is at every game to support his son. Rod notices, too.

“My dad is always behind me,” he said. “He is always behind me and telling me that he is my greatest fan and it’s just awesome to have that there.”

Though Rod is focusing on getting into high school, he would like to play professionally someday.

His favorite MLB player isn’t home run king Barry Bonds, New York All-Star Alex Rodriguez, National League MVP Ryan Howard, or even World Series champion Albert Pujols.

It’s David Eckstein, the scrappy former Angel who won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals last season. Eckstein is famous for overachieving as an undersized shortstop with a super-sized heart.

“He wasn’t the most gifted player, but he still tried as hard as he could and did everything he possibly could to get on the team,” Schmidt said. “When he is out there, he hustles everywhere and is a good role model. It would be nice to be like him.”

Schmidt, who is 5-foot-7, 150 pounds, probably won’t be undersized when he prepares for college ball, but he’ll do his best to emulate the work ethic Eckstein displays.

“It’s like why else be out there?” Schmidt said. “If you don’t want to be out there and are dogging it, why even come out? If you’re not going to give it 100%, it’s not worth it.”

JASON KORNFELD may be reached at (714) 966-4616