ST. PETERSBURG — On June 10, 2009, the Brewers selected a Sarasota High School shortstop in the 16th round of the MLB draft. He'd assembled an impressive resume in prep ball, but as one of more than 1,500 players drafted that year, he had a tough road to the big leagues.
Scooter Gennett eventually made it to the show, and he'd make his mark, too. On June 6, 2017 — nearly eight years later to the day — the Reds utility man became the 17th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in one game.
Two weeks after the record-tying performance, after every outlet from The New York Times to NPR covered his feats, the former Sarasota Sailer said he's tried to compartmentalize the experience and focus on the rest of the year.
RELATED: After four-HR game, Sarasota HS grad Scooter Gennett comes to Trop
"You kind of put things in a black box in a sense (during the season), to where in the offseason, you kind of open it up and reflect on the season," Gennett said this week during his first return to Tampa Bay since his historic feat. "We've got a job to do, so (you're) keeping your mind on that."
The Reds wrapped up a three-game series Wednesday against the Rays. It was Gennett's second trip to Tropicana Field as a big-leaguer, after playing two games there with the Brewers in 2014.
Born in Ohio, Gennett moved with his family to Sarasota when he was 10. The warm Florida weather allowed him to play baseball year-round, which he said helped him develop as a player.
At Sarasota High School, Gennett got experience against tough competition. He highlighted Lakeland Senior High School left-hander Chris Sale, now a starter for the Red Sox, and William R. Boone High School right-hander Cody Allen, now a reliever for the Indians, as some of the better pitchers he faced.
And Gennett credited Sarasota baseball coach Clyde Metcalf for helping him on and off the field.
"Coach Metcalf, he was always there for me," Gennett said. "Baseball, off-the-field stuff, he was always a guy that looked out for me. He was definitely a big piece of me maturing as a person and as a player."
While Metcalf noted Gennett was more of an average hitter in high school — he hit .470 with four home runs in 27 games his senior year — he said the natural power was always there.
"When he was in high school, he surprised a lot of people with his power," Metcalf said. "In (batting practice), he would put on displays that were unbelievable. He had tremendous bat speed, got great leverage, had a really advanced swing for a high school player."
Still, neither Metcalf nor Gennett himself said they saw the former Sailor hitting four home runs in one major league game, joining the likes of Lou Gehrig and Willie Mays in the record books. Gennett attributed the career night to his faith in God.
Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene
Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter
You’re all signed up!
Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.
Explore all your options"I just think that God was definitely showing himself that night," Gennett said. "Everything happens for a reason, and if that maybe brought someone closer to God that night … that's why things like that happen."
RELATED: Rays overcome baserunning mistakes to beat Reds, 8-3, win series
In the three-game interleague series against the Rays, Gennett went 3-for-12 with a double, a home run and three walks in 15 plate appearances. When he hit a two-run homer off Rays right-hander Jake Odorizzi on Monday, cheers echoed throughout Tropicana Field.
For the year, he's hitting .284, with a .327 on-base percentage and a career-best .542 slugging percentage. While he faced long odds to make it to the big leagues, Gennett's success doesn't come as a surprise to Metcalf.
"The percentages are very low, of the numbers of players that make it," Metcalf said. "Scooter was the kind of kid that we knew was going to go out, work hard at his craft, do the things he needed to do to improve."