When former Bradford High slugger Ben Copeland returns to
Scottsdale, Ariz., on March 5 for the opening day of the San
Francisco Giants Triple-A spring training, he hopes to use
experience gained in a solid 2009-10 winter league effort as a
confidence boost to make his major league debut.

The current Fresno Grizzly was rule-fived by the Oakland
Athletics from the Giants at the end of the 2008 campaign in the
Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft. The Rule 5 draft held in
December of each year is designed to keep teams from signing young
players to their minor league affiliates when they are deemed ready
for the majors by another team.

“The Rule 5 draft is setup to keep guys from being drowned out,”
said Copeland. “The Giants had to make a decision to keep me on the
40-man roster or not, they chose not to and Oakland was able to
pick me up.”

Unfortunately for Copeland, on March 17, 2009, the center
fielder had to come out of the spring training game against the
Dodgers with a sore right shoulder after making a leaping catch
against the center field fence. A doctor’s evaluation showed that
Copeland sustained a bruised sternum.

The bruised sternum sent Copeland to 15-day disabled list April
5. He returned to action May 5 when he was activated from the
disabled list and placed on the Athletics 40-man roster.

“On the first day (of being on the 40-man roster) I was nervous,
but not overwhelmed,” explained Copeland. “On the second, third and
fourth days, I just wanted to play and I was frustrated I wasn’t.
It was bittersweet I was there, but couldn’t play.”

After spending only four days on the 40-man roster, Copeland was
designated for assignment by Oakland, a move that forced the
Athletics to return Copeland to the Giants.

On May 15, Copeland was returned to the Giants organization and
made his way to Fresno through San Jose (AA).

During the 2009 season with the Grizzlies, Copeland hit for an
average of .278 in 97 games and saw 338 at-bats. He scored 46 runs,
had 96 hits (18 doubles, 3 triples, 8 HRs, 34 RBIs, 24 walks) and
stole 15 bases.

Despite the injury early in the season, Copeland had a decent
season for anyone in triple-A but was not satisfied.

“When I see my friends getting called up and I am still here, I
use that as motivation,” said Copeland.

This motivation led Copeland to the decision that he wanted to
play baseball during the winter, a time when most of the world’s
baseball players are using the off-season to recover and rest for
the upcoming season.

After being approached by former Giants Manager Felipe Alou
about joining the Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter
league, Copeland agreed to the opportunity. After all, Leones del
Escogido (Lions of the Chosen One) was being managed by Felipe’s
son, Moises, who is a six-time MLB All-Star and World Series
champion (1997).

“He (Moises) is going to be a Hall of Famer. It was great
playing with him and getting to know him personally,” Copeland
said.

The Dominican Winter League consists of six teams. Each team
plays a 50-game regular season schedule that begins at the end of
October and runs to the end of December. The top four teams play an
18-game round-robin playoff the first three weeks of January. At
the end of that, the top two teams in those standings then play a
best-of-nine series for the national title. The league’s champion
advances to the Caribbean Series to play against the champions of
Mexico, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.

Copeland and his Escogido teammates clinched their division with
a 30-19 record and defeated Gigantes del Cibao in a nine-game
series, 5-4, to win the Dominican Winter league title for the
Leones. The last time Escogido won the Dominican crown was in 1990,
when Moises played in the outfield for his father, who was the GM
at the time.

The amazing run continued for Escogido in February of this year
as the team put together a 5-1 record in the Caribbean Series to
win another title for the club. Escogido produced a 7-4 victory
over Venezuela’s Leones del Caracas in the finale to seal the 2010
title.

“It was probably my favorite baseball experience I have ever
had,” noted Copeland. “It was a real eye-opener. When we won the
Dominican title, we had a major league lineup and were getting
major league coverage, with big crowds as well.

“It (winning the DWL title) was bigtime for us. It was actually
a much bigger deal than winning the Caribbean series.”

Copeland wants to continue similar success with the Grizzlies as
he prepares himself to begin his first-full season with Fresno and
sixth overall.

“I have been toying around in the minors for five years. I am
now a little older and a little wiser,” said Copeland. “I am 26,
but I feel 23. I feel minor league baseball is schooling and that I
won’t start to age until I am in the majors.”

He attributes the way he feels to, “eating right, rest and
keeping in shape. With winter ball, you’re staying sharp. You can’t
play at a high level and expect to be able to take five months
off.”

Already guaranteed a starting spot in the Fresno outfield,
Copeland would like take over in center field permanently.

“I am working on my center field game. It is my favorite
position,” added Copeland.

“This is the year I am going to work harder than I have ever
worked. More attention to detail. I won’t stop until I am happy
with what I have done and I know I am capable of more.”

It is not the first time the left-handed hitter has prepped
himself for the upcoming season by participating with another club
during the off-season.

Copeland began the 2008 season with Double-A Connecticut (103
games) and was promoted to Triple-A Fresno (22 games). In those 125
games he batted a combined .276 with five homers, 46 RBIs and a
.350 on-base percentage. He had 13 triples that tied him for fourth
in the minors and added 24 steals on 31 attempts, 70 runs, 21
doubles and five home runs.

In the fall of 2008, Copeland represented the Giants in the AFL
(Arizona Fall League) where he played for the Scottsdale Scorpions
and hit .275 with a .367 on-base percentage.

Fresno opens the season and an eight-game road trip in Reno,
Nev., on April 8 (6:05 p.m.) in a Pacific Coast League South
division showdown.