On a Tuesday in late January, Paula Flanary and her son, Chray, took a stroll through Kona Scenic Park. For mother and son, the walk is more or less a daily routine, but what they ran across on this particular day was anything but.
On a Tuesday in late January, Paula Flanary and her son, Chray, took a stroll through Kona Scenic Park. For mother and son, the walk is more or less a daily routine, but what they ran across on this particular day was anything but.
As Paula parked her car near the baseball diamond in the park, Chray watched from the window as a pair of unfamiliar men took batting practice. One man in particular was exceptionally talented, bombing ball after ball over the outfield fence.
“Wow, Mom,” said the 12-year-old Chray. “He’s got to be a professional player.”
“No way,” she replied.
Chray made his way over to the field, and before he’d even approached the men, they asked him if he wanted to hit a few balls. Paula waved him on, saying it was OK. A little while later, Chray ran back over to her excitedly.
The man he’d seen crushing home run after home run was Michael Miller, a utility infielder drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2012 who remains a member of the organization.
Paula dialed her husband, Michael, who called up Chray’s baseball coach, Kimo Kapela. Kapela runs the Lanakila Baseball Club out of Kealakekua, where he helps coach children between the ages of 4 and 16. The league still has several open positions for anyone who wants to participate.
Soon Kapela arrived and strolled out onto the field. Within minutes he’d set a practice for his players — one to be instructed by a special guest.
Later that day at Greenwell Park, some 30 to 40 members of the Lanakila Baseball Club showed up to practice infield and outfield drills with a real major leaguer, as well as take batting practice.
At afternoon’s end, the kids huddled up for a brief talk with Miller, a man who recently achieved what many of Kapela’s players hope to one day accomplish themselves — logging his first game as professional player in Major League Baseball.
“He wasn’t a very big guy, just normal stature. He’s not 7 feet tall. He’s not full of muscles. He’s just a normal guy who said it’s hard work that gets you there,” Kapela said of Miller, who actually stands at 5 feet, 9 inches and weighs in at 170 pounds, according to baseballreference.com. “He just said to them, ‘Look at me. You wouldn’t think I’m a professional player.’ And the kids really looked up to that. The next day, they wanted to practice early in the morning, before and after school.”
Miller, 27, who has spent the vast majority of his four seasons with the Red Sox in the team’s minor league system, isn’t a household name. In fact, he’s only been listed on a major league roster for a grand total of four days, appearing in only one game — a contest against the Rays in Tampa on June 27, 2016 — during which he only logged one at-bat.
After eight years of college and minor league ball, however, that one day was a benchmark in Miller’s life — one he hopes to repeat several times, and part of the reason he was in Hawaii in the first place.
“I wanted to be in the major leagues since I was 4 years old, since I was in kindergarten writing what my goals and dreams were for my life,” Miller said. “It was exciting to see all the hard work pay off and have my family out there to help and enjoy the experience with me.”
Miller accompanied Marshall Murray, CEO and founder of More Than A Game a nonprofit based out of Concord, California, that builds and renovates baseball fields in developing countries and underserved communities throughout the United States.
Murray and Miller came to Hawaii Island to meet with the Boys &Girls Club of the Big Island in Hilo, where MTAG is planning a renovation of a baseball field this November.
“The talent is really good for a small population,” said Miller, adding the kids’ skills were comparable to those of similar ages playing in much larger areas in California. “There will be some talent to come out of the Big Island if they get the opportunities.
“We’re just trying to share that passion and those opportunities with kids in areas that may not have the same advantages I grew up with. Maybe one kid sprouts up through the system, and he can get his college paid for. Maybe he gets drafted, or becomes a doctor or a lawyer. That’s huge. If we can help change that one kid’s life … that’s more important than any personal success I have career-wise.”
That perspective is why Chray didn’t have to ask to play with Miller and Murray, but was asked.
It’s why the two men, before heading to Hilo for the express purpose of their visit, spent one of their relaxation days in Kona knocking a few baseballs around with some wide-eyed, aspiring big leaguers who couldn’t have been more thrilled.
“It was a great experience for me,” said James Kapela, 13, adding Miller, in only one session, taught him things he’d never even heard of before. “It was cool to see that you don’t have to be tall to achieve your goals. I have the same goal as (Miller). I want to go to the MLB like him, so it was just inspiring to me.”
Miller said it was he and Murray who had cause to be inspired after getting their first taste of Hawaii Island baseball in Kona.
“It was a blast. The kids were great. They were respectful, engaging, and they were good baseball players, too. We joked with them and they joked back,” he said. “It was really fun to see the energy around baseball in Kona. Lots of family and coach support. The family atmosphere … this is what you want to see from a community.”
Before Miller headed back to Texas and ultimately Florida for spring training to keep plugging away at his own dream, briefly realized but as of yet incomplete, he had one more personal session with Chray.
Afterward, he gave the youngster an autographed baseball and snapped a photo with him, which now hangs in the family’s home.
The two have since become friends on Instagram.
“(Chray) was super excited,” Paula explained. “He said that was the best day ever.”
Email Max Dible at mdible@westhawaiitoday.com.