Lugnuts Player Spotlight: Nick Podkul

LANSING, Mich. via TORONTO, Ont. - In an era when positional versatility seems to rule the decisions of major league front offices, it becomes more and more important by the season for young players to develop and learn to play different positions.
Lansing Lugnuts infielder Nick Podkul is already learning this, even at the young age of 22.

A confident first baseman, second baseman, third baseman and shortstop, Podkul, a native of Schererville, Indiana, even pitched a bit earlier in his amateur career.
"I've played every position at least once in my life," he noted. "I like making the routine plays, I don't like making errors!"
A product of Notre Dame University's excellent baseball program - the very same program that produced major-leaguers Jeff Samardzija, A.J. Pollock, Trey Mancini, and Baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski - Podkul relished in the history and tradition the school carried.
Having grown up about an hour away from Notre Dame's campus, Podkul remembered that, in his youth, there were two types of people: those who hated the Fighting Irish and those who adored them to no end. Somewhat surprisingly, he was always somewhere in the middle.
"I never hated [them], but I was never a golden domer, per se," he recalled. "But once I took my first step on campus, I said 'now I understand why people love this place so much.' "
It was a no-brainer for Podkul, who was first contacted by Notre Dame during his junior year at Andrean High School. While Notre Dame was the first school that reached out to him, Podkul knew instantly that he didn't need to see any other schools to make his decision.
In three seasons with the Fighting Irish, Podkul, who was majoring in American Studies, slashed .296/.410/.451 with 13 home runs, 71 RBI, 34 doubles, and six triples in 548 at-bats.
Despite his strong junior year in 2018 (.312/.433/.525, 9 SB, 8 HR, 40 RBI), Podkul wasn't expecting much in the 2018 MLB Draft. He always wanted to play professional baseball, so being selected at any point would've been amazing.
"If I were to go last pick in the last round, I would've been happy," he said. "The [Blue Jays] called my agent and at first I didn't believe it."
Still, he was picked relatively early, in the 7th round, to be exact. After a quick celebration with his family, he was assigned to Short Season-A Vancouver, where he debuted with the Canadians just three weeks later.
Enamored with the incredible atmosphere at Nat Bailey Stadium, Podkul hit just .222 in 50 games with the Canadians, but went 17-for-57 in his last 18 games (.298), earning himself a promotion to the Midwest League for the 2019 season.
This offseason, he tried to adjust his swing, mainly focusing on being more efficient to the ball and taking a more precise approach to the mechanical elements of his offense.
"I felt really, really good," Podkul said of his offseason. "I wanted to try and get bigger, faster, and stronger, which is something that you can always improve, no matter where you're at."
A versatile defender with a fun and light attitude at the park, Podkul has been solid for the Lugs so far this season, posting an OPS of .781 in 24 games, including an 18-game on-base streak starting April 15th, the second longest for a Lugnuts hitter this season.
In the offseason, Podkul (a Chicago Cubs fan growing up) enjoys hanging out with his brother (a Chicago White Sox fan) while engaging in far-too-competitive games of pool, basketball, and golf.