Against Odds, Shields an Ace

Scot Shields bided his time, not knowing what to expect after the Angels drafted him in the 38th round in 1997.

He had been a standout at Lincoln Memorial College in Tennessee, where he excelled as a starter and a closer. But that didn’t impress many scouts. The Angels were the only team that gave him a long look.

“I was hoping to be a starter, but being where I was drafted, I just wanted the chance to pitch,” Shields said.

He hasn’t wasted the opportunity and thus far, things have worked out better than he could have dreamed. Necessity has made him a starter at Class-A Lake Elsinore and he has become the Storms’ ace.

In his first eight starts since being moved from the bullpen, Shields is 3-1 with two complete games and a 1.91 earned-run average. He has struck out 73, walked 18 and has not allowed a home run. Shields also found a moment in that time to make one relief appearance, striking out the side in one inning against High Desert for a save on June 24.

He is 9-3 with a 2.45 ERA in 23 games. He has 109 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings.

“When I came out of college, I figured I would be a relief pitcher,” Shields said.

That he was drafted at all was because of a chance encounter.

Tom Kotchman, an Angel scout, went to see a West Florida University player in 1997. It happened that Lincoln Memorial was West Florida’s opponent.

Shields came on in the ninth and got the save. Kotchman was back the next day, when Shields started and won.

“My cousin was sitting next to him the first day and was rooting for me,” said Shields, who was 12-2 as a junior and 8-4 as a senior. “He started asking my cousin questions about me. I got lucky.”

Shields pitched for Kotchman at Class-A Boise that summer, going 7-2 with two saves in 30 relief appearances. He was 6-5 with seven saves in 58 relief appearances at Class A Cedar Rapids last season.