Scott Van Slyke keeps things loose, like his old man Andy

Great Lakes Loons manager Lance Parrish sits in the front of the bus on road trips, but even the length of the vehicle can’t keep him from hearing his rightfielder, Scott Van Slyke, in the back.

“Sometimes he can be a handful because he’s like one of those bratty kids that are in the neighborhood,” Parrish said with a laugh. “But he’s just out there having fun, and I appreciate that.”

Parrish doesn’t even like to go in the clubhouse because he doesn’t want to get involved in the practical jokes like the one Van Slyke pulled last Fourth of July when he was with short-season Class-A Ogden.

The 14th-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2005 MLB First-Year Player Draft got his teammates in the holiday mood with firecrackers as they were heading out for batting practice before the game.

“I definitely would like to be that guy who lightens things up in the dugout when things are down,” Van Slyke said. “There’s no need to have that kind of negativity in the clubhouse, it just brings other people down.”  

Even though Van Slyke likes to keep things lighthearted on and off the field, he knows where he eventually wants to end up — the big leagues.

The same place his father, Andy Van Slyke, played for 12 years.

“I get to go to the big-league clubhouse and see how they’re treated in the big leagues,” Scott said. “There’s a big pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you just have to go through the minor league experience to get there.”

Van Slyke will only reach that big pot of gold if he can find some consistency at the plate. Parrish said Van Slyke, like most hitters, has a tendency to chase bad pitches, but it’s his determination and attention to detail that’s helping him improve.

“It’s a difficult thing just to hit strikes,” Parrish said. “When you compound that and swing at balls, you make it even more difficult to hit. The objective for these guys is to learn the strike zone and make the pitcher throw you good pitches.”

The 6-5 right-handed hitter has been working on keeping his weight on his back foot using a shorter and lighter step with his front foot, Parrish said.

Van Slyke knows just how important it is to focus every time he steps to the plate. This season, he has concentrated on maintaining a balanced stance at the plate and being patient.

The work has paid dividends for Van Slyke. He raised his batting average to .258 after starting the season hovering around .200.

And Parrish, who played on the 1984 World Series Championship Detroit Tigers team, knows just how important offense will be for Van Slyke to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“You could be the greatest outfielder in the world and if you can’t hit, you’re not going to make it unless you run like a deer,” Parrish said with a laugh. “Even though Scott runs pretty well, I wouldn’t put him in that category.”

And Van Slyke knows he has experience on his side when it comes to adjusting to the ups and downs of a full professional season with the Loons, the Dodgers’ (low) Class-A affiliate.

The Ladue, Miss., native knows he’s only a phone call away from sound advice from a three-time major-league all star — his father.

“He knows what he’s talking about when it comes to hitting, base running, playing defense and having mentality to go through long season,” Scott said of his father, who currently is the first base coach for the Detroit Tigers.

It’s on the outfield grass that Van Slyke shines. Parrish said he hasn’t seen the 20-year-old goof many plays in rightfield, and his arm and anticipation find him in the right place to make a play.

But Parrish sees the closest similarity between father and son in their demeanor.

“[Scott’s] a pretty carefree guy,” Parrish said. “There’s nothing that really seems to faze him. His dad was a practical joker, and Scott’s taken it on as kind of his personality as well, which is actually a good approach to take.”

Scott — who gave up a chance to play for Ole Miss because he wanted to take advantage of minor-league instruction while he’s still young — knows he can’t take this game too seriously because in the end, it’s just too much fun.

He’s enjoying the minor league life, even though he laments over the long bus rides and the food the road.

“It’s fun,” said Van Slyke, who is rooming with teammates Josh Wall and David Sutherland. “You get to live with two buddies in an apartment. You get to have your own life five to six months of the year. That’s not too bad.”

Try telling that to Parrish, who just wants some peace and quiet in the front of the bus.