Westmoreland

BOSTON — Ryan Westmoreland officially became a member of the Boston Red Sox yesterday when he signed a five-year contract worth $2 million. The 18-year-old Portsmouth native will report to Fort Myers, Fla., tomorrow to begin his pro career with the Gulf Coast League Red Sox.

Prior to last night’s Red Sox game, manager Terry Francona spoke highly of the young man who he met recently at Fenway Park. The club selected Westmoreland with its fifth-round pick (172nd overall) in last June’s draft. When the skipper was asked what he thought Westmoreland was doing yesterday, Francona said “Probably hitting.”

Wrong.

Westmoreland was baby-sitting.

Sure, there probably was some baseball activity involved, too, but he spent his second-to-last day at home helping other people. That’s the type of person Westmoreland is.

People around Rhode Island have been keeping track of his much-anticipated baseball career. Most have heard or read that he’s a talented student-athlete who was offered a scholarship to Vanderbilt University. What people may not know is his dedication to his community.

A graduate of Portsmouth High School last spring, Westmoreland got involved with the Special Olympics for his senior project. He found the experience so rewarding he continues to work with the organization, while also helping kids with disabilities in the Challenger Division of Little League.

“I absolutely love the Special Olympics program,” he said. “Working with those kids, it just makes me happy to see those kids having a good time. That entire organization is really unbelievable and I really love working with those kids.”

Westmoreland’s parents, Ron and Robin, say they are very proud of their son’s accomplishments on the field and in the classroom, but his work in the community is what has stood out in most peoples’ minds.

“He loves to do it,” said Ron. “There’s no hesitation.”

Westmoreland enjoys country music and the song “Walking in Memphis” plays on his cell phone. There’s a line from the song that asks “Do I really feel the way I feel?”

That basically sums up what Westmoreland’s life has been like for the last few months. He went from being a highly scouted high-school player to a member of the Red Sox organization in three short months, while leaving a college scholarship on the table.

“I feel like a lot of weight is off my shoulders now,” he said. “The entire process from June 5 to Aug. 15 was pretty stressful, but it got done and that’s all that really matters.”

Ron Westmoreland will be the first to admit that the process was a long and difficult one for his 18-year-old son.

“I’m proudest of his maturity and conviction throughout the process,” he said. “He put a number out there and held his ground. He has a lot of respect for Vanderbilt University and he put a pretty high value on himself because of that, and he stuck to his guns. That’s a tough thing for an 18-year-old kid to do, but he handled it outstanding. I’m very proud of him.”

Like many boys and teens, Ryan’s dream always has been to play in the majors and when he was finally drafted by the Red Sox — his favorite team — on June 5, it made the decision to turn pro a little easier.

It’s not like he just signed on the dotted line without researching his options. He spoke with Red Sox management about its player development system and philosophy. He spoke with the baseball staff at Vanderbilt and informed them of his plans. The process was calculated and he continued to play summer ball.

“It’s starting to set in,” he said. “This is the beginning of my career and I’m starting to get really focused on the task at hand, which is to work my way up and hopefully to play at Fenway one day.

“This is my job right now,” he added. “I have to play baseball for a living. I want to focus, do the best I can and hopefully move up the ranks as fast as I can. It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe it some times, but it’s a dream come true.”

He’ll report to Fort Myers as an outfielder and play 10 games for the GCL Red Sox before reporting to Lowell where he’ll finish out the season with the Spinners.

“It’s awesome,” he said of playing close to home. “A bunch of my friends already said they’re going to come up. It’s going to be amazing, not only playing for the Red Sox organization, but to be playing so close to home is just a bonus.”

He’s already had a firsthand experience of everything Red Sox.

He’s worked out twice at Fenway Park — once during a predraft workout and once after he was drafted — and he was able to rub elbows with Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia and spent a good amount of time with Francona.

“That experience was incredible, just to be with the guys,” said Westmoreland. “It was awesome. [Francona] was awesome. He is a great guy and he gave me a lot of good information.”

It’s unusual for a big-league manager to spend so much time with a draftee. But Francona quickly took a liking to Westmoreland and the manager now knows why the scouting department thinks so highly of Westmoreland’s talents.

“I just wanted to make him feel comfortable,” said Francona. “Hopefully he had a real good experience to see what we are all about. I spent about 20 minutes with him and he’s a nice kid. He is a fun kid to talk to.”

Francona remembers telling Westmoreland that he was in a win-win situation.

“I told him ‘If you go to Vandy, it’s great. If you stay, it’ll be great, too. I hope you come here.’ That was it in a nutshell.”

Ron and Robin Westmoreland have had many proud moments with Ryan. His father recently added another one.

Ron stood in right field at Fenway Park with Red Sox GM Theo Epstein and the director of amateur scouting Jason McLeod, while Ryan took batting practice.

“I was gazing into the sky and Jason asked me what I was I thinking,” recalls Ron. “I told him ‘I’m just so proud to see my son in the batter’s box at Fenway Park. I’ve seen him in just about every playoff game in the last five years and to see my son on this field, and to know he might have a chance to play here some day is probably one of the proudest moments of my life.’ Jason, who has a young child, acknowledged how proud I must feel at that time.”

With Westmoreland’s professional career beginning tomorrow, it’s a safe bet his character and maturity won’t change. When asked if he’ll want to continue his work in the community, the answer was quick and simple.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I’ll be helping those guys out for as long as I can.”

jmcdonal@projo.com