Photo by Nathan Morgan/Daily News Bowling Green's Leonardo Reginatto dives in an attempt to stop a hit by South Bend (Ind.) during Monday night's game against the Silver Hawks at Bowling Green Ballpark, June 3, 2013 in Bowling Green, Ky. South Bend won 5-0.

n his early years, Bowling Green Hot Rods shortstop Leonardo Reginatto never imagined he would play professional baseball.

He grew up in Curitiba, Brazil, where kids dream more about playing soccer than baseball. But Reginatto was introduced to the game at age 7 by his Japanese neighbors when they invited him to play.

Reginatto hasn’t stopped playing since.

Signed by the Tampa Bay Rays at age 19, Reginatto, now 23, is off to a solid start in Bowling Green – tabbed as the starting shortstop for the Eastern Division in Tuesday’s Midwest League All-Star game in Dayton, Ohio. He’s also coming off an offseason in which he played for Brazil in the World Baseball Classic.

The 6-foot-2 Reginatto helped Brazil – managed by Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin – advance in a qualifying round in Panama before playing in Japan in March.

Brazil went 0-3 in pool play, although it nearly pulled off the shocker of the opening round, leading host Japan 3-2 after seven innings before falling 5-3.

Reginatto said the World Baseball Classic experience has given him a lot of confidence.

“That was the best moment, playing in front of a big crowd like that,” Reginatto said. “I didn’t know a lot of Japanese players, but I knew they would probably have a better team than us. We tried to put the pressure on them. That was a good game. I like to watch the videos on YouTube. That was a good moment in my career.”

Reginatto learned he had been selected for the Brazilian team via email at the end of last season.

He said the team practiced for about a week before heading to Panama for the WBC qualifying round, where Brazil went 3-0, including two wins against host Panama. Reginatto went 7-for-12 with two RBIs and three runs scored in the three games.

Reginatto also got the chance to play with Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes in Panama. Gomes became the first Brazilian player to make a major league roster when he played for the Toronto Blue Jays last season.

“The expectation for us was very low,” Reginatto said. “When we got to Panama, no one was talking about Brazil. They talked more about Panama, because they were supposed to be the best team of the group. They had major leaguers Carlos Ruiz and Ruben Tejada. After we beat them in the first game then we saw that we had a good team and we could go far.”

Brazil advanced to pool play in Fukuoka, Japan, where it opened against the two-time defending champion in the 38,561-seat Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome.

”During the anthem I remembered all the hard work in my career that it took to get here and how hard we all worked as a team to get there,” Reginatto said. “It was a great moment.”

Reginatto also admitted to taking his time and soaking in the atmosphere in his first at-bat.

”I tried to walk as slow as I could and enjoy the moment. I wanted to take the first pitch and enjoy the feeling of playing in the dome with that crowd. But I had a man on third, so I had to swing at the first pitch.”

Reginatto went 4-for-11 in the Japan pool, with two RBIs, two runs scored and two doubles.

While he enjoyed success at the plate, Reginatto said the experience had a greater impact on his defense.

Reginatto said he worked with Larkin and the other coaches a lot, on everything from footwork to accuracy.

”I have more confidence in myself right now,” Reginatto said. “I don’t try to do too much. I don’t rush my defense. Years ago, when I was playing infield I would try to do too much, I would rush my throw and make an error. The World Baseball Classic gave me a lot of confidence to know what to do. Barry Larkin would always say, ‘Good players know what to do before the play happens.’ “

Reginatto didn’t realize how valuable the tutoring was until he returned to the United States.

”When I got here people were asking me what it was like to be with Barry Larkin,” Reginatto said. “I did not even know how good he was until I saw videos. He was a normal guy, a humble guy that tried to help you all the time. It was special.”

Reginatto continues to work on his defense with Bowling Green. Manager Jared Sandberg, who managed Reginatto the past two years at Hudson Valley, said Reginatto continues to work on his fielding.

”He’s made really good adjustments,” Sandberg said. “He came in as a two-handed shortstop and played real high. He still plays high because of the higher torso and the longer legs, but he is learning to have more confidence fielding the ball with one hand. It gives him a little more adjustability and flexibility. The more he plays the better he is going to get because this kid works really hard.”

Reginatto has committed eight errors through his first 53 games with the Hot Rods – 48 games at short, three games at third base and two games at second.

He’s also contributed at the plate.

Through Friday he is hitting .300 with 17 RBIs – hitting .432 in the month of June.

”He struggled with the bat in 2011, but was a really good defensive player at third base,” Sandberg said. “Last year he played a lot of shortstop for us. He had a huge year for us offensively and was able to turn it around a little bit.

”I think for him to get that experience (in the WBC) and play on the big stage really gave him some confidence. Then he comes here and struggles for the first 30 or 40 at-bats, so he had to deal with a little failure and got humbled a little bit. But he’s had a great year for us. He’s played a great shortstop. I really enjoy having him around. He’s focused and a true professional.”

Reginatto said this season is about continuing to find consistency as he works toward his ultimate goal – following in Gomes’ footsteps and making a major league roster.

”We didn’t have a baseball idol in Brazil when I was young,” Reginatto said. “We didn’t have any major leaguers to see play. Now we have that opportunity.

”Hopefully more and more Brazilian players can get (to the majors). I want to be one of those players.”

— Micheal Compton covers the Bowling Green Hot Rods for the Bowling Green Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mcompton428 or visit bgdailynews.com.