The biggest fear for me when I hear or read about a great outfield prospect is what happens when they called up to the Bigs. Can they make adjustments, can they overcome failure and still prosper? Case in point, is Dante Powell, a 1st round (22nd overall) pick of the Giants in the 1994 amateur draft. Dante played college ball at CS Fullerton, and immediately was moving up the ranks of the Giants farm system.
After four strong years in the minors he was called up in September of 1997 and a decent showing by batting .308 in 39 at-bats. In 1998, Dante again started the season in AAA Fresno and had another decent season before called up again in September. After the '98 campaign, the Giants were in need of some bullpen help and traded Dante to the Diamondbacks for Alan Embree. Dante's tenure with Arizona and St. Louis (traded again in 1999) would also to prove to be limiting, spending the next two years primarily in AAA. After the 2000 season, Dante was granted free agency, and ended up resigning with the Giants in 2001. In what would be his last season in pro ball, Dante spent most of the '01 campaign in AAA, and was again a September callup but the cluster of outfielders on the roster limited Dante's playing time. Dante was released by the Giants after the season.
Where is he now? After his playing career, Dante pursued a career as a personal trainer for about 6 yrs, and now he is the lead instructor at the On Deck Batting Cages/ Training facility in Signal Hill, California.
Dante Powell (SF Giants: 1997-1998, 2001)
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