JESSICA MENDOZA wants to be a role model, but she also wants to be one of the best baseball analysts in the business.
Jessica Mendoza, 36, is the first woman to serve as a regular analyst on a national baseball broadcast, on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. The native of Camarillo, Calif., was a four time All-American outfielder for Stanford’s softball team and a two-time Olympian, winning the gold medal in 2004. She broke ground in the Sunday Night Baseball booth in August 2015 before taking a regular seat there in 2016. Mendoza discussed her path to the booth and her role as a pioneer for women in baseball with CARROLL ROGERS WALTON.
Q Did you have any dreams of broadcasting early on?
A I grew up with Vin Scully; that was the voice of our home, with the Dodgers. But my brain never went to TV. It was definitely sports-focused. I wanted to play . . . I remember telling everyone, “I’m going to be Brett Butler; I’m going to be this leadoff, quick contact guy, in pro baseball.” Finally someone like a teacher said, “Oh no, men play Major League Baseball, not women.” And I was crushed because that’s really what my dream was. I literally could picture myself in the batter’s box in Dodger Stadium someday.
Q How did broadcasting eventually enter the picture?
Denne historien er fra September 01 2017-utgaven av Baseball America.
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Denne historien er fra September 01 2017-utgaven av Baseball America.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Wood Has Towering Upside- Nationals rookie James Wood also stands 6-foot-7 and also has game-changing power.
Aaron Judge and Oneil Cruz are 6-foot7 sluggers who stand out for their power in this year’s MLB Best Tools voting. Wood spent half of this season with Triple-A Rochester before making his MLB debut on July 1. While he was in the International League, he captured managers’ attention. Wood unanimously won Best Power Prospect and also claimed Most Exciting Player in a survey of league skippers. Wood hit .353/.463/.595 with 10 home runs in 52 games for Rochester. His .242 isolated slugging was the best for a player 21 or younger at Triple-A this season.
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