Ganns forgoes senior season to join Red Sox

At the halfway point in the 2017 baseball season, Trey Ganns felt like he was playing well enough to draw the eye of some Major League teams.  

Ganns participated in a workout hosted by the Boston Red Sox in Mason, Ohio after finishing his junior year at NKU with a .348 average, 14 home runs and 57 RBI’s.

“I got to meet a couple of the scouts there and talk to them and stayed in contact with them,” Ganns said.

After a stressful few weeks, Ganns was drafted by the Red Sox in the 35th round of the MLB Amateur Draft and becoming the 13th Norse drafted under head coach Todd Asalon.

“It was one of the happiest moments of my life,” Ganns said. “It was pretty overwhelming. It’s definitely something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”

After discussing the options with his parents, Ganns decided to forego his senior season at NKU to sign a minor league deal with the Red Sox.

“We all agreed it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up on,” Ganns said. “It was something I’ve been waiting for my whole life; I figured, why not take that chance when I get it?”

Ganns also weighed his decision with Asalon and NKU pitching coach Dizzy Peyton, both of which agreed that Ganns needed to take a chance and chase his dream. 

After all, the chance was a once-in-a-career opportunity. 

Being drafted wasn’t something Ganns believed was on his horizon until the end of his freshman year. Originally a pitching prospect, Asalon gave Ganns a chance to play first-base and hit in his first season as Norse.   

He took advantage and hit .296 with four home runs, which secured him a spot in the Norse lineup.

“That’s when I thought ‘if I keep swinging the bat the way I am, [then] I feel like I could have a chance to get drafted,’” Ganns said.

However, the following year proved to be the toughest. 

“It was just up and down and my power numbers weren’t where I wanted them to be,” Ganns said.

As another obstacle. he also broke his right foot before the Horizon League tournament. 

Ganns wielded these issues for the better; he learned to ease the pressure he placed on himself, an avenue that ultimately allowed him to mature as a player. 

“I had to learn how to play the game with more fun instead of putting that stress on my shoulders, pressing at the plate and having negative energy,” Ganns said. 

That translated into his junior year, where Ganns finished in the top three in the Horizon League in almost every major statistical category.

Ganns is currently playing rookie ball in the Gulf Coast League and is hitting .263 with five hits and three runs scored after seven games.