Without a Doubt, McClure Now a Baseball Player

As 9-year old D'Vone McClure finished up practice for the only sport he'd ever played at that point in his early youth - football - he was approached by a man from the baseball diamond next to this particular Jacksonville, AR football field. 

"A guy came over and asked me if I played baseball," McClure remembered. "I didn't, but my mom sent me over there and I've loved it ever since."

At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, McClure - now a Mahoning Valley Scrappers outfielder - was a football player first. 

He earned all-state honors as a senior wide receiver for Jacksonville High School in Arkansas, drawing interest from the likes of Auburn, Arkansas, Missouri State, Arkansas State and Louisiana Tech to catch passes during the fall.

Unfortunately for those universities, he preferred hitting and catching baseballs during the spring and summer. 

McClure hit .412 with 12 doubles and 26 steals his senior season at JHS, signing a letter-of-intent to play baseball at the University of Arkansas. However, when the Cleveland Indians made him their fourth-round pick in the 2012 MLB draft, he opted for the pros.

"Football definitely was the sport I loved," McClure said. "I still watch it on TV and miss it sometimes, but my heart is definitely on the diamond."

When he initially joined the Indians system two years ago, the 20-year old admits he was more of an athlete than a baseball player. But after spending the past two seasons with the Tribe's Arizona League rookie team, McClure feels he made a transition.

"I definitely feel like I'm more of a baseball player now," he said. "I worked on my game day-in and day-out. I had to learn how to grind every day, but I was already used to that lifestyle from playing football and baseball where I didn't really get many off-days."

Statistically speaking, McClure struggled a bit at the plate in his two seasons in the AZL, hitting .211 in 2012 and .218 in 2013.

Still, he knows his time in Arizona was beneficial.

"I learned about myself over anything," McClure said. "I learned how I swung the bat and how I threw the ball and worked on what I needed to improve on. I feel like I got a lot better down there. I don't regret it at all."

In the Scrappers 3-0 win against Auburn in game one of Thursday's doubleheader, McClure notched his first hit of the season with a single to right field. He's also walked five times in four games.

No doubt, the former wide receiver is unquestionably a baseball player nowadays. 

Now, it's a matter of continuing to acclimate his dynamic athletic tools - a 36-inch vertical, 240-pound bench press, blazing speed - to the diamond.

"I'm definitely a high-intensity player that looks to make the plays that aren't made very often - a speed and power guy," McClure said. "I'm trying to develop a lot more power, but right now I'm just looking to aim the ball toward right field and let it turn into whatever happens.

"I just want to improve and show I got game and have what it takes to be in the big leagues."