ROY HESS | The Brownsville Herald
Even though he now lives outside of Texas, Jaime Landin is a proud baseball product of Brownsville and says he always will be.
The 2001 Pace graduate, now a 34-year-old Border Patrol supervisor in New Mexico, grew up playing baseball in West Brownsville Little League, a place where many of Brownsville’s greats got their start, including former major leaguer Charlie Vaughan. That’s where he began learning to play the game the way it is intended to be played, Landin said.
From those early years in WBLL and continuing on into his time in high school and beyond, Landin, an infielder, has carried with him a dedicated, all-out approach to playing baseball.
After signing with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2001, he became the first four-year player in Islanders baseball history (2001-05) before enjoying a minor-league career with the Independent League Coastal Bend Aviators (2006) and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Quad Cities Swing (2007). A shoulder injury cut short his pro career.
Landin gave a lot to the game and it gave a lot to him in return. A top student, his athletic scholar-ship allowed him to attain undergraduate and master’s degrees in business administration at A&M-CC in 2005 and 2008.
What is learned in baseball carries over to life, Landin said.
“People don’t realize that you don’t just show up to play baseball,” he said. “It’s all about the preparation and the early (pre-game) work. You learn from baseball the dedication it takes to be prepared in life. That’s what has gotten me to where I’m at now.”
A milestone achievement in Landin’s life came Feb. 9 when he was inducted into A&M-CC’s Hall of Honor.
“It’s definitely very humbling,” he said. “It was never my goal to get there (and be inducted). For me, baseball has always been a game to play. It’s an honor that is a reflection of the hard work and preparation it took (to do well).”
Landin left his mark as a standout player in the Islanders’ program. He still holds several school records. Among them is his .427 batting average during his senior season of 2005. He also holds school records for his 297 career hits, 116 extra-base hits and 221 runs scored. Landin continues to hold top three marks in 12 offensive categories at A&M-CC.
As a player for the Islanders he received ESPN’s NCAA Division I All-America honors and was the NCAA Division I All Independent Team Player of the Year in 2005. Landin twice was chosen South Texas Collegiate Player of the Year. He also carried a 3.71 grade-point average at A&M-CC and earned NCAA Division I Academic All-America recognition.
“Now it’s time for the next generation (to step up and shine in baseball),” Landin said.
There are those who readily recall Landin’s exploits on the diamond at WBLL and at Pace.
One of them is Raymond Bohn, who coached Landin in high school.
“I have hundreds of positive stories I could tell about Jaime,” said Bohn, who coached the Vikings in baseball from 1998 to 2013 and now is an assistant tennis coach at Pace. “Jaime had an unbelievable drive and a commitment to be the best. He always wanted to win.
“He had it all — the fielding (ability), the bat, the speed and the desire.” Bohn added. “Sometimes as a coach you get lucky. I coached three all-staters and Jaime was one of them (along with infielder Hector Garanzuay and pitcher Jason Parker). Jaime was a heads-up player and he did the types of things you can’t even coach. If given any opportunity (to make a play), he’d take it.
“He could play at the highest level. I think he would have had more of a pro career if not for his shoulder injury. He had all the tools and he was relentless.”
Bohn said there is one thing that stands out about Landin in regard to his hometown.
“Jaime is a Brownsville product born and bred,’ Bohn said. “That sets him apart.”
Landin gladly embraces that distinction.
“I’ve been gone 16 years, but my family is still there in Brownsville and it will always be my city,” he said.