Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week -- Josh Feldman: Rip city

Barry Faulkner

No matter how hot Josh Feldman gets at the plate, it’s probably not

a good idea to suggest he’s on a tear.

The T-word, you see, could conjure less-than-favorable memories for

the Costa Mesa High senior outfielder, who spent the first two-thirds of

his prep baseball career on the sidelines after twice tearing his right

ACL.

Feldman first injured the knee playing soccer his freshman year at

Mater Dei, which shelved him for the entire baseball campaign.

After returning to Costa Mesa and playing for the junior varsity as a

sophomore, he sustained the same injury just days before the first

scrimmage of what would have been his first varsity campaign.

“The first surgery wasn’t done very well and the leg just gave out,”

Feldman recalled. “I tried to tape it up and play wearing a brace, but

the doctor told me I might do permanent damage. I had really been working

hard and I was probably at the top of my game, before I lost my junior

season. Baseball has been a big part of my life since I was 5 and when I

first told (Coach Kirk Bauermeister) I couldn’t play, I was in tears.”

Feldman went to some practices to try to stay involved in the program,

but found attending games too painful.

“It was very difficult for me to just watch,” he said.

His second surgery, Aug. 1, went very well, Feldman said. He quickly

began rehabilitation, in order to play his final prep season.

“The doctor told me I wouldn’t play for six or seven months, but I

told him I was kind of sick of missing baseball. With the help of a good

therapist, I was back to practice in about four months.”

Though Bauermeister said Feldman still isn’t quite 100% physically, he

happily installed him at the top of his order and in center field.

And the results of his varsity debut were more impressive than his

Jerry Rice-like rehab.

Feldman, a left-handed hitter, served the first pitch he saw to left

field for a single Friday against Saddleback. His second time up, he

lifted an opposite-field home run over the fence in left-center, then

capped off his resounding return with another opposite-field homer in an

11-0 mercy-rule win. His 3-for-3 performance included five RBIs and

earned him Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week recognition. It also spurred

some good-natured ribbing from his teammates and coaches, and some

red-faced humility from Feldman.

“I told him he was on pace for 50 home runs,” Bauermeister quipped.

“I wanted to hit .400 and try to break the school (single-season)

record for stolen bases (24, set by Brian Montoya in 1999),” Feldman

said. “I didn’t plan on hitting many homers.”

The secret to his early success is the opposite-field approach.

“It may sound funny, but I think he was happier about hitting three

balls the other way than hitting two home runs,” said Bauermeister, who

convinced the former pull hitter that he could better utilize his speed

by hitting ground balls to the left side.

“He was famous for hitting hard grounders to the first baseman,”

Bauermeister said. “I told him all the hits were on the other side of the

infield. With his speed, he could beat a lot of ground balls out.”

Feldman said he bought into this philosophy and, with the help of

instructors including former big leaguer and Estancia High product Jeff

Gardiner, began constructing a swing that would allow him to go the other

way.

“I had to break down my swing,” Feldman said. “I’ve always been told I

have quick hands, so it was easy for me to pull the ball. Now, I try to

wait on the ball a little longer. It’s all timing. That’s all I’ve worked

on heading into this season.”

Feldman said he is dedicating this season to his late grandmother,

Laurie Iglesias. He said she was always an enthusiastic supporter of his

athletic exploits, before she died last month.