OGDEN — If Rick Taloa hadn't learned to adapt at a younger age, he wouldn't be where he is today as a member of the Ogden Raptors.
At the same time, he knows he must continue to adapt if he wants to stay where he's at.
Taloa, a heralded high school quarterback who threw for more 2,250 yards and 35 touchdowns in his senior year at Esperanza High (Yorba Linda, Calif.), set his sights on becoming a college quarterback. He played football and baseball at Santa Ana College and after two seasons had decided to go to Northern Arizona University to play football, where he had originally signed out of high school.
"My main goal was to play football and see how far it would take me," he said. "I went there (Santa Ana) just to play football and make up some credits. I played baseball just to get the units and I got drafted. So here I am."
His sophomore baseball season threw a wrench in those plans.
He hit .306 with 11 doubles, two triples and led the team with 18 homers and 58 RBIs. Those numbers caught the attention of the Los Angeles Dodgers in a pre-draft workout.
"I did real well there and I think that's what got me drafted more than anything else," said Taloa, who is of Samoan descent. "I had a great day that day."
The Dodgers selected Taloa in the 35th round of the 2005 draft, and he set aside his dream to play football and focused on baseball.
"I'd love to take this as far as I can," said the 6-foot-4, 250-pound first baseman. "I like the organization and the guys that I am around."
In his first year with the Raptors last year, Taloa played in just 22 games and had just 75 at-bats. He hit .267 with six doubles, two homers and nine RBIs. But more glaringly, he fanned 26 times and didn't walk a single time.
"I figured I was a 35th-round pick and I wanted to prove myself," he said. "I think I was in over my head, trying to do too much in just one short season. It was a good experience and I got to see how everything worked and it helped me for this season."
Now, with a season under his belt, Taloa has adapted and is putting up great numbers.
"Once I saw that stat (26 Ks, 0 walks) and I realized how bad it was, I started tracking the ball better," he said. "I went back and scrimmaged with my old college and started seeing the ball and trying to stay off pitches I couldn't drive. Last year, I was swinging at stuff that no one in the world could hit."
That patience has paid off.
In 30 games, he had 105 at-bats where he's produced five doubles, seven homers, and has driven in 24 runs while hitting .295 — third best on the team. More importantly, however, he's struck out 18 times and walked eight times.
"I'll take my walks now. Last year I was more of a free swinger and I wanted to hit the ball in every at-bat," he said. "(Now) I'll take a walk just like a hit."
In a recently completed seven-game road trip at Helena and Missoula, in which he made five starts, he went 8-for-17 with four homers and seven RBIs.
"Plate discipline is the biggest thing for me," he said. "I would like to start hitting the long ball a little more because I know that's what they drafted me for."
E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com