PROVO — There are only 10 days to go before the Provo Angels open their inaugural season, so it's a good thing their roster is finally taking shape. So far, the team that calls BYU's Miller Park home has a University of Utah flavor.
That's because former Ute centerfielder Sam Swenson will be wearing an Angels uniform this season.
Swenson, who signed with the parent club Anaheim Angels a couple of weeks ago, is happy to be ticketed to Provo's new Pioneer League team. The chance to play in his home state, near family and friends, was the main reason he chose to sign with Anaheim over other organizations.
"I have a 5-year-old son and I wanted to stay close to him," said Swenson, who prepped at Bingham High. "I wanted to stay close to my family and my girlfriend. I'm excited — more than I can explain."
Swenson is no stranger to brand-new Larry H. Miller Field, where Utah took two of three games from BYU in April. In fact, he helped spoil the park's grand opening as the Utes whipped the Cougars, 18-10.
"I don't see it as BYU's field," he said. "It's my home field now. The atmosphere there is great, and I think we'll have one of the best crowds in the Pioneer League."
The 6-foot, 188-pounder hit .351 with 51 runs batted in, 14 homers and 13 doubles last season with the Utes and earned second-team All-Mountain West Conference honors.
Fifth-year seniors like Swenson are eligible to sign with a team prior to the Major League First-Year Player Draft, which began Tuesday and runs through Thursday.
Much of the Angels' roster is expected be made up of players selected in the draft. With its first-round pick, No. 13 overall, Anaheim drafted Seminole (Florida) High School first baseman Casey Kotchman on Tuesday. He is the son of Provo manager Tom Kotchman — meaning if Casey is assigned to Provo, there will be a unique father-son reunion this summer at Miller Park. Casey Kotchman batted .456 and led Seminole High to the Florida state championship, and last week he was named the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year.
The Angels' roster will likely be set by June 11, said Anaheim Angel director of player development Darrell Miller. The season-opener is slated for June 16 against the Ogden Raptors at Miller Park.
"We'll have a mix of college and junior college players and some foreign players," Miller said. "It will be the same type of team we had at Boise (Anaheim's previous rookie league affiliate). It will be very high end. We're expecting to field a very competitive team."
Current major leaguers who started their careers in Boise include Garret Anderson, Tim Salmon and Jim Edmonds. "It's a long and distinguished list," Miller said. "You never know who the next guy (to make it big in the big leagues) is."
For most of the young players who will play in Provo, like Swenson, this will be their first shot at pro baseball. Miller, who had a 14-year baseball career, knows how they feel. "It's the beginning of a dream for them," he said. "They're excited and scared. We want to make this a positive experience for them. Short-season baseball is all about teaching guys to play professional baseball."
Playing pro ball has been Swenson's lifelong goal. But it hasn't come without a struggle. Last year, on the morning of the baseball draft, the Philadelphia Phillies contacted Swenson and told him he was going to be drafted by them. They offered him a contract over the phone and he accepted it. "But they never did draft me. They never called back," Swenson recalled. "I was bummed by that."
Since then, he has earned his degree from Utah and a number of solid, non-baseball-related job opportunities have become available. But for now, he's going to continue chasing his baseball aspirations.
"I've worked my whole life for this dream," Swenson said. "It would be too hard not to finish what I've started. This is it, my chance to live out my dream."
A dream that will begin to unfold at BYU, of all places.
E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com