Slugger Giles loses a home run record

06-06-2007

By Tom Shanahan, San Diego Hall of Champions

When news was relayed to Marcus Giles that his career home run record at Granite Hills High was broken this year, the Padres leadoff batter looked up from his locker with a big grin. He enjoyed taking on the role of a surpassed slugger.

“I think it’s great,” Marcus said. “I don’t want to say it was a great record to break, but I think it’s cool he broke it. Records are made to be broken.”

Of the two All-Star Giles brothers from Granite Hills playing for the Padres, second baseman Marcus and right-fielder Brian, most baseball fans would have guessed that the school record that Eagles senior catcher Travis Taijeron broke this year had belonged to Brian.

Brian is bigger as a 5-foot-10, 205-pounder and four time put together 30-plus home run seasons in his career while with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marcus (5-8, 175) has a career high of 21 in 2003 with the Atlanta Braves.

But it was Marcus that held the school record with 24 before he graduated in 1996. Taijeron, who has hit 11 homers this year, has 33 for his career entering tonight’s CIF San Diego Section Division I championship game against Torrey Pines tonight at San Diego State’s Tony Gwynn Stadium.

“He’s a Major League Baseball player, so it’s pretty cool to break his record,” Taijeron said. “Brian and Marcus Giles are pretty big names around here.”

Big enough names that Travis, who hopes to be taken in the amateur draft Thursday and Friday, would have good reason to puff out his chest if he talked with the two Granite Hills alums. But he says he wouldn’t.

“I’ve never met Marcus or Brian, but if I did I don’t think I’d talk about the record,” he said “I'd want to ask them about playing in the minor leagues and making it to the Major Leagues.”

Taijeron (6-2, 200), who hit 15 home runs as a junior, isn’t expected to be taken early in the draft. But that didn’t stop Brian and Marcus, who were both late-round draft picks, from making it to the big leagues.

Marcus recommends attending college -- "although that makes me sound like a hypocrite since I only went to Grossmont Collegee for one year," he said -- but offered advice on how to survive the minors.

“What he realizes is once you get your foot in the door, it’s up to you,” Marcus said. “There are no excuses. If you put up the numbers, you’re going to the big leagues. The bottom line is you can’t feel sorry for yourself. You get your foot in the door and prove to everyone you can make it at this level.”

Then Marcus dispelled the general perception among fans that the minor leagues is a monotonous time riding buses to bush league towns. It's a learning experience for baseball and life, he said.

“It’s a great experience,” he said. “I had heard it coming up from my brother, Charles Nagy and Jim Thome (Brian’s teammates with the Cleveland Indians) that the minor leagues is your best time in baseball.”

He explained some more:

“You think, ‘How can that be? You’re making peanuts and riding buses.’ But some of my best memories are from the minor leagues. It’s a great road. It’s a learning experience that humbles you. It gives you respect for the dollar when you do get here. You learn you’re not better than anyone else and you don’t take things for granted.”

But as for the baseball question Marcus hears on how he generates power despite his short stature, he doesn't have a good answer.

“All I can say is God blessed me,” he said. “People ask me what techniques I use. There’s nothing I do in particular. I’m just blessed. It’s a gift.”

A gift that allowed him to take a stance as Granite Hills’ career slugger for 11 years until Travis Taijeron played Henry Aaron to Marcus Giles' Babe Ruth.

Tom Shanahan can be contacted at 619-699-2334 or toms@sdhoc.com.