As Mead grad Elijah Hainline impresses in Double-A, he keeps mind on big-league dream: ‘I’m always learning and growing’

FRISCO, Texas – Elijah Hainline is only in his second full season of professional baseball, but the former Mead High standout has already reached Double-A in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.

This is just the beginning for Hainline, who starred collegiately at Washington State and later Oregon State. He knows his work is far from over if he is to become the latest Spokane product to reach the big leagues.

“Yeah (I feel like my best is yet to come), 100 percent. I’m always learning and growing,” Hainline, 23, said during a recent road trip to Frisco, where his Tulsa Drillers took on the Texas Rangers’ Double-A affiliate, the Roughriders.

“There’s always struggles, ups and downs, but it’s learning through those and understanding how you can continue to get better even when those struggles happen, how to make the most of them for the future,” he said. “The end goal isn’t to be the best Double-A or minor league player, it’s to be the best big-league player you can be.”

Hainline has gone from a seventh-round pick to the No. 25 prospect in the Dodgers organization, per MLB Pipeline. This season, he’s batting .253 in 95 at-bats with four doubles, five homers and 19 RBIs, while also playing sterling defense, yet to commit an error.

And as he continues to expand his game, Hainline keeps close his journey to get here.

After an impressive high school career at Mead capped by a senior season when he batted .444, Hainline stayed close to home to play at WSU. He started 96 of a possible 99 games in two seasons (2023-24) for the Cougars, including a sophomore campaign when he hit .337 with 12 home runs, 39 RBIs and a 1.045 OPS.

“That was always my dream school right out of high school, to go to play for a school in Washington. I felt like I really wanted to put (the state of) Washington on the map, Washington baseball,” Hainline said. “I’ve always felt like it’s been underlooked in the world, so I felt like it was a good chance for me to get into the game and learn what I could while I was there.”

He transferred to Oregon State in 2024 and hit .280 with 11 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .939 OPS in 59 games for the Beavers, a team with three College World Series titles (2006, 2007 and 2018).

“They are unbelievable,” Hainline said of OSU. “It’s a winning program and they’re going to continue to win for years on end.”

In today’s topsy-turvy world of college sports, players changing schools a time or two during their eligibility is nothing new, but Hainline says his experiences at WSU and OSU were integral steps in his growth on and off the field.

“I think it’s part of the development process,” he explained. “I needed both schools to learn who I am as a player and develop in different aspects of the game.

“Washington State let me get into the game and understand what it takes to be a winner,” he said. “Then, going to Oregon State, that helped me learn how to be part of a winning program, especially with now being part of the Dodgers organization, such a winning program. That helps me understand that I’ve already been in a winning program, so I know how to play in one, too.”

Though Hainline has primarily played shortstop, he has also handled duties at second base and third. That versatility has drawn praise from Drillers manager Eric Wedge, the former skipper of the Seattle Mariners from 2011-13.

“He’s been a pleasure to be around, Elijah,” Wedge said. “He’s a good all-around player, can play in the middle of the field, athletic, strong and comes here to play every day.”

“I’ve got nothing but good things to say about him,” he said. “I really started to get a feel for him a little bit this spring but obviously, have been able to work with him here. He has some power. I like the way he sprays the ball around with power and I like the way he moves at shortstop.”

Hainline says playing for such an experienced manager is already paying dividends in the field and at the plate.

“He’s a great baseball mind. You can see it every day,” Hainline said of Wedge. “He holds us very accountable and you don’t see too many managers that are willing to get on you even in practice – especially in pro ball where they’re willing to get on you even for little things. It keeps you accountable and he does a great job of that.”

After departing Oregon State after one season, Hainline made his pro debut in the summer of 2024 with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga of the California League. The following season, he moved to Single-A Great Lakes, and had a five-game cameo for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

That led Hainline to the Double-A Drillers this season, where he says he continues to pick up nuances to professional baseball.

“Just understanding the game a bit more and learning a professional mindset,” Hainline said. “There’s different aspects (that you notice), the way pitchers attack you is a little bit different than college.”

“Understanding you got to be ready to play every single day for 162 games a year, being able to not just go full out every single time. Obviously, you want to go and give your best every single day, but you also have to extend it over the course of a season.”

And if all goes as planned, he’ll be someday wearing Dodger blue, playing for a team coming off back-to-back World Series championships.

“It’s the top of the class and it’s something that you definitely got to be thankful for and understand that not too many people are getting the opportunity that you are,” Hainline said.

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.