First Baseman Ori: Taste of the Midwest

by Matt Rogers

Hooks first baseman Mark Ori has a strong sense of where he’s been, who he is and where he’s headed.

Ori was born nine days before Christmas, 1983, in Chicago. He graduated from Maine South High School in nearby Niles, Illinois. He studied History at Northwestern and earned All-Big 10 honors in baseball, even though the football Wildcats wanted him as a linebacker. He is all about the Cubs, Bears and Blackhawks. Crowd noise from Red Wing-Blackhawk tilts at Old Chicago Stadium, where his father had season tickets, still rings in his ears.

Chicagoans are intensely loyal to their city, and Ori is no exception. He loves the traditions, the culture.

“Summer is the best time in Chicago,” Ori stated. “There’s always something going on. You have the concerts, the Taste of Chicago, opportunities to go out on Lake Michigan, the family barbecues.

“It’s a place where I’d love to live for the rest of my life.”

Seventeen friends and family members – plus girlfriend Shea – brought Chicago to Ori during a July homestand. Peppler shipped a package of famous Portillo’s Italian Beef & Gravy for sandwich making by Ori’s guests, who enjoyed tailgating in the Whataburger Field parking lot.

“You just put it on some bread and add peppers,” Ori explained. “The gravy really flavors the beef.”

Ori is a friendly, loyal man. He remains tight with seven buddies from elementary school. Granted, he’s only 25, but still… how many close friends did you have from the primary grades at age 25?

Family, friends and Chicago are important to Ori. But this summer, he belongs to another windy city: Corpus Christi.

“This is the greatest fan base I’ve ever played in front of,” Ori said. “At Northwestern, we had maybe 150 people and they were mostly family and friends. It’s exciting to have a consistent, energetic crowd to follow the game. Very exciting.”

Jhon Florentino, Wladimir Sutil and Drew Meyer have wowed fans with their range and arm strength all season, but at times Ori’s bailed them out with a nice dig or sweep tag.

And, for the uninitiated, digging a short-hop throw traveling 80 MPH is akin to collecting a strand of hair from the side of a wet bath tub.

“Defense is what I’ve worked hardest at,” Ori said. “I only played first base for one year before I was drafted. I’ve tried to soften up my hands, gain a step from side-to-side.

“I’ve worked with some of the field coordinators. The more you’re over there, the more comfortable you are. I was always taught to field with two hands, but now taught to use the big glove to my advantage. It’s allowed me to be freer with my glove.”

A three-sport letterman for the Hawks (baseball/football/hockey), Ori went to Northwestern as a pitcher who could also play third base and the outfield. Football coaches envisioned the all-state safety with 16 HS career interceptions at linebacker, a notion Ori smiles at today.

“I couldn’t see myself as a pitcher/linebacker.”

Tendonitis ultimately chased the 6-foot-3, 200-pound hometown boy from the mound and hot corner to first base. Today he’s 6-4 and 225, dimensions admired by football coaches near and far.

Ori chose Northwestern for baseball over Boston College – where he would’ve been a teammate of Drew Locke – because BC wanted him to strictly pitch. Creighton was the other finalist. Ori started in 154 of 155 games during his career as a Wildcat. He hit .325 with 86 runs, 26 doubles, four triples, three homers and 71 RBIs. The Astros selected him in the 14th round of the 2005 draft.

He chose History as a field of study because of fascination with World Wars I and II, which captured his imagination as a youngster.

But you study history and other academic pursuits indoors. How do you practice and play baseball in such cold weather?

Ori’s answer: “I played other sports. I never thought about playing baseball in the winter. During the off-season now, I give lessons and do camps indoors. I still help my coach at Northwestern, he’ll have 100 kids in the indoor facility.

“When I’m home that time of year I’m indoors taking ground balls and practicing with a college team, like I did as a college player. I take live BP in the cages.”

But as spring training nears, he heads for the Sunshine State a week early.

“I go to Florida and hit outside, see the ball fly off the bat.

“I do remember opening my sophomore year at Florida. It was our first game and they were 8-3.”

College baseball now has a universal start date, so the gulf between Sun Belt schools and their cold-weather counterparts has lessened.

As a professional, he must relish the fact every club begins 0-0 at the same time. But no matter the time of year or where his baseball dream takes him – Mark Ori’s friends, family and Chicago roots are never far from his thoughts.