Rising star

Consistent play earns Dinkelman promotion

By Rob Lucas
Beloit Daily News

Until his first child is born or he wins the lottery, June 6, 2006 will be about as good as it gets for recently promoted Beloit Snapper Brian Dinkelman.

Why? Because that was the day he became a professional baseball player.

The Twins selected the McKendree College standout in the eighth round (246 overall) in the 2006 First Year player draft on the heels of his National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Player of the Year award and he hasn't disappointed.

“It was the greatest day of my life so far,” he said. “I didn't expect to be drafted as high as I was and when I found out that I was drafted I was ecstatic. The called and said I was going to be a Twin so I was very excited.”

Friday he was rewarded for his accomplishments when the Twins promoted him to the Fort Myers Miracle in the High A Florida State League after hitting .283 with 10 steals and 48 runs scored for the Snappers.

Before Beloit, however, Dinkelman had quite a career at McKendree. He hit .462 with 17 homers and 65 RBIs while swiping 26 bases and scoring 82 runs as a senior, all out of the leadoff spot. He finished his career as the school's all-team leader in hits, doubles, and runs at McKendree.

“I had four good years at McKendree,” he said. “I had good coaches and it was a good program. My last year I had a good year and we had a great team. I just put a full year together where I was consistent for an entire season and I guess they honored me for.

“I was excited when I found out about it because there are a lot of good players there that people don't realize,” he added. “You can find talent in the NAIA, you just have to look for it.”

The fact that the Irvington, Ill., native played in a smaller school may have been a big reason why other teams didn't take notice of his gaudy stats, although he was never too concerned about going unnoticed.

“It worried me a little bit, but there were scouts at quite a few games,” Dinkelman said. “There are a lot of good players (in the NAIA). Schools like Lewis-Clark have a lot of players get drafted because kids who don't make it in Division 1 transfer there.

“If you look hard enough, you can find good players there. Consistently every day they may not be as good, but if you put their best ones out there, they are good players.”

Obviously, Dinkelman had the talent to move onto a bigger school, but the modest star was perfectly happy and more importantly, comfortable, at McKendree.

“It crossed my mind (to transfer) after my freshman year,” Dinkelman said. “I thought about it and decided I liked it there so I stayed.”

It all worked out for Dinkelman, or ‘Dink' to his teammates, as he started for the Western Division in the Midwest League All-Star game last Tuesday.

“It was a great experience,” said Dinkelman. “I got to meet a lot of players I had never met before and just being able to be there and play along with some guys who will somebody I'm sure be major leaguers. To say I got to play with them and the atmosphere, it was a great time.”

Even with all the accomplishments in college, Dinkelman knows that he will have to continue to work hard if he wants to play in the majors some day.

“Just because you were a player of the year, it doesn't mean anything,” Dinkelman said. “You still have to go out and produce and show what you have. All your work in college doesn't mean anything once you get here.”