January making mark at JUCO World Series

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Ryan January has been the star of the JUCO World Series, and if his San Jacinto (Texas) Gators go on to win their sixth title, he has a warranted case to be named tournament MVP, even if his contributions have been solely limited as the designated hitter.

This week, the freshman phenom who is expected to be taken in the first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft is hitting .375 and has belted a tournament-best four homers. He hit six total over the first 53 games of the season.

“It was just a matter of time,” teammate Caden Williams said. “I know he likes the big stage. I know he’s going to thrive in it. Mark my words right now, you’ll see him in the big leagues one day.”

The consensus among anyone with baseball pedigree this week is that January is surely headed to the pro level, but at what position remains a query. He’s played catcher his entire life and is athletically capable enough to do so at the next level, but that will largely depend on personnel needs as he rises the ranks.

He broke his right thumb while catching a bullpen session two months ago, but has made it difficult on coaches to remove him from the lineup, knowing his bat was too valuable a commodity to rest on the bench. He’s remained in the heart of the order, but as the DH.

“He continued to hit, which shows a lot of that grit that it takes and desire to continue playing even when he might not feel his best,” San Jacinto head coach Tom Arrington said. “We all enjoy having him. Obviously he’s a special player and a good friend to these guys, and he’s good to coach. He’s fun to coach.”

His thumb is fully healed, but with the season all but over — just the championship game against Yavapai (Ariz.) on Saturday — Arrington has been cautious in …

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