It is only appropriate that Jared Lansford finds himself in Hawaii Winter Baseball.

After all, the native Californian was here the day he learned he was drafted in the second round by the Oakland Athletics in 2005.

"I was on my senior trip right out of high school," said Lansford, who turns 21 Oct. 22. "Got the news out here, so I got to celebrate out here. It was a good time."

He's looking forward to more good times as HWB opens today with a doubleheader at Hans L'Orange Park in Waipahu. But first things first. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound right-hander will toil for the Waikiki BeachBoys. A shoulder injury curtailed his season at High-A Stockton (Cailf.), so this league will give him the work he sorely needs to put him back on track. Baseball America ranked Lansford 15th in the Athletics' organization's top 30 prospects.

"I'm finally back to feeling 100 percent, so I want to get some more innings out here and hopefully stay healthy for the whole time," he said.

If the name sounds familiar, it should. Lansford comes from a family of players, some with little ties to Hawai'i. His father Carney Lansford was a star third baseman for the Angels, Red Sox and Athletics from 1979 to 1992; he was 1981 AL batting champion (.336). His uncle, Joe Lansford, was a first-round pick by the San Diego Padres in 1979 and played first base for the Hawaii Islanders in 1982. Also, his older brother Joshua, is a third base prospect in the Cubs organization. He played against the University of Hawai'i when he was a member of San Jose State in 2004. Joshua also is occupied this offseason as he will play with the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.

Jared admits there is some pressure with all that background, yet, it also is an advantage.

"Just being around the game so long, it's just a part of me," he said. "It's just fun coming out here, like it's just another part of life. Growing up around it and being around superstar athletes actually makes it a lot easier coming out here. I'm not too nervous out here on the field. Just getting tips from all those guys. You can't get any better instruction from guys who've actually been there."

As a youngster he recalls family vacations to Maui with the families of Terry Steinbach and Mark McGwire.

"To hang out with them as a kid was a really good time," he said.

Jared said his parents will be visiting here to watch him in November.

Another player glad to be here is shortstop Cale Iorg, a Detroit Tigers farmhand. Talk about someone needing to get back into the groove, Iorg is it.

He was drafted in the sixth round in June, despite not having played the game in two years while he was on a Mormon church mission in Portugal. His father had to give him the call with the news.

"I was pretty shocked when I got the call from my dad telling me I was drafted," Cale said. "I was hopeful that it would happen and I was very, very pleased when it did happen."

Iorg's background is very similar to Lansford's. Iorg's father also was a big league third baseman. Garth Iorg played for the Toronto Blue Jays from 1978 to 1987. His older brother Eli is a prospect in the Astros organization. His uncle Dane Iorg also was a big leaguer.

Cale's last full season was as a freshman at Alabama in 2005, the same season the Crimson Tide played the Rainbows at Les Murakami Stadium. Since his mission ended in July, he was limited to only three games in the rookie Gulf Coast League and five games at High-A Lakeland (Fla.), totaling 29 at-bats. He hopes his experience here will get him ready for his first full season of pro ball next spring.

"Hopefully, the Hawaii Winter league will put me in a good spot for spring training next year," said Cale, assigned to the North Shore Honu.

He particularly wants to shake the kinks out of his bat.

"I strictly want to work on hitting, getting the whole aspect of hitting back because defensively, I feel fine," said the right-handed hitting Iorg, adding he also wants to fine-tune his hitting to the opposite field.

During his mission, his time is devoted to the church, so it's not like he could practice on the side. Besides, he added, soccer is the big sport in Portugal. Despite being a little behind with the bat, the reward of completing his mission was worth it.

"You learn to take care of other people," he said. "Your hopes and cares take a back seat to other people. The mission helps you to grow up and be a man about a lot of issues."

The four teams had workouts yesterday at Hans L'Orange and Kahala Field. Opening ceremonies today begin at 11:30 a.m.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.