Peyton Graham knew he needed to go above and beyond to catch the eyes of his varsity coach.
His quiet demeanor and being one of the smaller players in the Waxahachie High School baseball program were the only things that stuck out about Graham at first glance. These disadvantageous features led him to go unnoticed by coach Tracy Wood and placed on the ninth grade team.
That was until Wood made a few appearances at his ninth grade team's games and became pleasantly surprised with the scrawny third baseman.
“Every time I come (to one of these games) this kid hits one off the walls,” Wood said to his junior varsity coach Brad Davis. “Is it always that way?”
Graham continues to dominate in silence, delivering a calm presence that drove the underdog Sooners to the College World Series final and will likely set him up for an early-round draft selection Sunday during the 2022 MLB draft. MLB.com lists him as the No. 28 prospect in the draft while CBS Sports has him being taken by the Houston Astros with the No. 28 overall pick in the first round.
The underdog work-in-silence mentality has been a staple of his personality since he was young. When he first joined a select baseball team, an uphill battle immediately presented itself. The then-13-year-old faced the task of winning the starting shortstop job from former Texas Rangers legend Rusty Greer’s son.
“(Competing) against an ex-big league player’s son didn’t bother Peyton,” Graham’s select baseball coach Jack Sharp said. “He went right in there and thought he was the best shortstop.”
Sharp found himself in awe of the quiet confidence and determination shown by what had marked him off as just an undersized kid.
“He was one of the smallest guys on the team … and he was just a quiet kid,” Sharp said. “(He) played hard, but just didn’t say a whole lot.”
Graham won the starting job within one season, giving himself more playing time and a fearless mentality he still carries with him into the MLB Draft process.
‘Give me the ball’
Doing whatever it takes to help his team win has always been the mantra of Graham’s game, even if it means stepping out of his comfort zone.
After playing shortstop for most of his high school career, he transitioned to third base as a freshman for the Sooners. As tough as the switch was, Graham still managed to produce a .923 fielding percentage and 44 putouts in his first two seasons at third.
Graham was known to have a knack for pitching in high school, which he seldom liked to display. But when it came down to crucial situations, including a playoff game Waxahachie competed in, Wood had no choice but to throw out the best competitor on his team.
“He didn’t want to pitch, it wasn’t his thing,” Wood said. “He just competed so hard that we had to put him out there because we knew he’d give us a chance. ‘Give me the ball’ was his attitude.Watching him compete in that situation may be one of the best things I’ve seen him do.”
In addition to answering the call on the mound, the then-senior blasted a home run in his final high school game. Unfortunately, his Shohei Ohtani-esque performance was not enough to stop Waxachie’s season from ending.
“As he failed, because you’re gonna fail in baseball, he never beat himself up. He was able to keep a pretty even-keel about himself,” Davis said. “Having that confidence to do that … helped himself be successful.”
When put in high-pressure situations, Graham delivers.
The redshirt sophom*ore knocked in seven runs in the Sooners' four Big 12 tournament games, including a grand slam in a 6-4 victory over West Virginia and a solo home run in OU’s 4-3 win over Kansas State. The stunning conference tournament run led to disappointment after the Sooners failed to host an NCAA Regional. Graham stayed quiet, but his impact on the field could lead many to think he took the news personally.
The Sooners’ star was spectacular, going 6-for-18 with eight RBIs and three home runs in the Gainesville Regional. Perhaps what stood out most about the performance was the high pressure situations in which they occurred. His On-base plus slugging in late-inning scenarios stood at an unprecedented 1.745, setting him apart from the crowd during the 2022 College World Series.
Winning in Omaha requires delivering under pressure, so here's the 10 best OPS hitters in late-inning pressure situations in the 2022 @d1baseball #MCWS.@OU_Baseball's @PeytonGraham6 is more than 300 points better than anyone else!Check out the full definition for LIPS 👇 pic.twitter.com/1BjEF1dvGP
— 6–4–3 Charts (@643charts) June 16, 2022
His late game-magic was especially prevalent during the Sooners’ nail-biting elimination game against Florida in the Gainesville Regional. During the game, OU endured a five-hour, 33-minute weather delay while trailing 2-1 and down to its final seven outs.The way Graham acted during the delay led many to believe it was a preseason game.
“I took a nap for about an hour and a half and then I watched our guys do some WWE wrestling. So it was pretty entertaining,” Graham said of his antics during the delay. “It just kind of took our minds off everything and helped us relax and go enjoy the game we play.”
The distractions proved effective as Graham blasted a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth. The big fly marked the start of a four-run rally that put the Sooners ahead and clinched them a spot in the Super Regional.
“He doesn’t say much,” Wood said. “No matter how big or small the situation is … he hits one out, he goes back to the dugout, takes his helmet off, puts his hat on (and) gets ready to go play defense. He doesn’t make things too big. He was that way in high school, nothing was too big for him.”
'He’s never made anything about him'
Graham’s eye-catching 2022 campaign has drawn an influx of MLB comparisons, most notably Milwaukee Brewers star outfielder Christian Yelich, who shares his long and thin frame.
Yelich stood 6 feet 4 inches tall when he entered the MLB, the exact height Graham is listed at. Yelich also weighed 190 pounds, while Graham sits at just 171 pounds. Neither player has the prototypical ballplayer physique.
“If you look at him right now, he doesn’t look like a big league baseball player. He looks like just a rail,” Davis said. “He was even smaller back (in high school), but he’s finding ways to, as small as he is, just flat out barrel balls up.”
Before exclusively being an outfielder in the MLB, Yelich spent a fair amount of time playing the corners in high school. While Graham has spent his college career only playing shortstop and third base, history has shown the willingness of the OU prospect to switch positions to help his team.
“Yelich is probably the best (comparison). He’s tall, he’s lean, he’s a freak athlete who can flat out hit … and he’s got the arm to top it off,” Davis said. “You can compare him to a lot because he’s gonna project to a bunch of different positions at the next level.”
Graham even sparked a comparison to MLB Hall of Famer Barry Bonds when he tallied four hits and two steals in the Sooners College World Series matchup against Notre Dame.
Yesterday, Peyton Graham did something not done since Bonds in 1984...He had a 4 hit, 2 steal day! 💪#MCWS x @OU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/IceAcRSTo4
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 20, 2022
It would be an honor to most but likely went unnoticed by OU’s shortstop.
“I can tell you for a fact he doesn’t give a rip about all that. He never has,” Wood said of Graham’s reaction to the comparison. “He’s never made anything about him. He’s just pretty even-keeled all the way through. I promise you he never thought twice about that comparison.”
'He’s a lead by example guy'
The comparisons are just a fraction of honors the redshirt sophom*ore claimed in his last season with the Sooners.
The season began with Graham being named a preseason All-American by Baseball America. His .335 batting average and 20 home runs helped him secure that honor and give him a high chance of hearing his name called early Sunday.
“I was amazed at how much he’s grown in just a few years,” Sharp said. “I had no idea he would turn out to be as good a player as he turned out to be.”
With a childhood dream just days away, Graham remains calm and collected despite the stress brought by the draft process.
“Knowing him, he’s probably not thinking a whole lot about (the draft),” Davis said. “He’s just going about his daily business just like he does (when) he gets ready for a game. I don’t think he’s gonna make it too big of a deal.”
While it would be easy to bask in the hall of fame comparisons, hardware and high rankings, Peyton Graham continues to ignore it all as he looks towards the next step in his journey: Major League Baseball.
“He’s a lead by example guy. (Players) follow him naturally just because he’s worked so hard and he’s such a competitor.” Wood said. “You can’t coach the competitiveness part of it, it’s gotta be in your soul. That’s how he’s a leader.”
