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Dexter Fowler Picked Baseball Over Harvard Basketball Scholarship

DENVER (CBS4) - Rockies centerfielder Dexter Fowler went 0-4 Sunday with three strike-outs against the Angels. It's been that kind of year for Fowler -- he's either boiling hot or freezing cold.

Fowler almost played college basketball at Harvard. But he's glad he picked baseball and says there's not a much better of a feeling than hitting a triple.

"Maybe running down a fly ball or robbing a homer," he said.

Fowler said he usually makes up his mind if he's going to try for three after he hits first base.

"If I hit first base and the guy is not even close to the ball I'm definitely going three," Fowler said. "(The third base coach) actually says, 'Two steps out of the box I've got to tell you whether you're going three or not.' "

Fowler has hit 45 triples in his young career.

"First to third is, once I get going, I think I'm the fastest in the league."

After ending last season on a high note, coming into spring training players always want to pick up where they left off. But it doesn't always happen that way. So what goes wrong?

"I guess just not believing in the talents that God has given me. He's made me an athlete and I just have to go out and just play and not think," he said. "I think when I start thinking about mechanics and doing this, doing that; I think that's what gets me in trouble."

Fowler said his front leg kick has helped him in the batter's box.

"It's helped a lot with my timing and definitely my power, but like I said, it's 90 percent (mental)."

He said he does tend to over-think some things.

"Instead of just going out and letting my athletic ability and my talents do the work."

Fowler loves playing centerfield in massive Coors Field.

"I love running around. I'd rather play in a big field than a small field. Some of those balls, you go out in a small field, they hit them … and you run out of room and you're like, 'I could have caught that.' Coors Field is awesome and it's the only thing I know and it's home."

He could have accepted a basketball scholarship at Harvard but said his love is baseball.

"I just wanted to go and play baseball, but I definitely could have gone and played at numerous Ivy League schools."

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