Thunder cracks from the end of Myles Debol’s wooden bat with every swing.

Taking batting practice for the Ann Arbor Travelers, the right-hander sends shots deep into the Chelsea High School baseball stadium’s outfield with effortless flicks of his wrists.

First to left-center field, then straight away. The opposite-field hits that follow are a true testament to the power of the 6-foot, 4-inch, 225-pound man-child.

The Travelers roster is full of blue-chip players, one already selected in the Major League Baseball draft and others who almost certainly will be next year. Travelers coach Jordon Banfield doesn’t hesitate to call Debol the best among them.

“He’s unbelievably athletic. … a pro talent,” says Banfield, an associate scout for the Texas Rangers.

But Division I colleges and professional scouts shied away from the 17-year-old infielder with swift feet (15 stolen bases) and hands (three errors in 62 games) that have no business being attached to someone of his physical stature.

Instead Debol is preparing for his first semester at Owens Community College near Toledo, where he'll be on full scholarship with an opportunity to resurrect his baseball career and -- more importantly -- turn around his life.

Debol was arrested in April for selling GPS devices that he had stolen from cars around his hometown of Saline. He faced two felony larceny charges and one misdemeanor for receiving and concealing stolen property.

Debol was facing up to 11 years in prison, or $22,000 in fines, but the criminal justice system is giving the first-time offender a second chance.

As far as a potential baseball career goes, the crime was his second strike.

Debol was academically ineligible for much of his first three years at Saline High School. He got his grades in order for his senior year -- when he was expected to be the Hornets’ ace pitcher, starting shortstop and cleanup hitter -- but was kicked off the team just two games into the season after his run-in with the law.

“It was a big loss,” Saline coach Scott Theisen said.

Debol, the son of Michigan hockey hall of fame member Dave Debol, attempted to sell the stolen GPS devices on Craigslist and was busted in a sting operation at a parking lot near the city’s downtown.

“When it happened, I was thinking my life was over,” Debol recalls.

Banfield heard the news while on his way to Florida for vacation. He says it ruined his trip.

Interest from Division I schools dried up, as did any chance of being drafted. But that was the least of Debol’s worries compared to prison and a criminal record.

Banfield has a reputation for being hard on his players, but he thought Debol needed support more than anything.

“I’m probably as tough on him as anyone, but we forgive and move on,” said Banfield, who quickly shifted his focus to assuring Debol had the legal help he needed. “If everyone had to pay for life for their mistakes as a 17-year-old, there’d be a lot of people in trouble. There’d be a lot of people that don’t go anywhere.”

But don’t mistake Banfield’s support for apathy toward the offense. He compared Debol’s situation to having two-and-a-half strikes.

“He basically blew his last mistake,” Banfield said.

On June 28, Debol pled guilty to all charges before Washtenaw County circuit judge Donald Shelton under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act. Under H.Y.T.A., offenders between the ages of 17 and 20 can be placed under probation without conviction to avoid a criminal record.

While nothing is final until his sentencing on Aug. 30, it is expected that Debol will be placed on a one-year probation. He’ll be subject to random drug and alcohol tests and will report regularly to a probation officer.

If Debol successfully completes his probation, his record will be expunged when he turns 21.

“(The court) treats it as ‘this is your first exposure to the criminal justice system, you do not ever want to be here again,’” said Debol’s attorney, Dave Shand. “Jail sucks, prison is worse and you don’t want to be there and Myles understands that completely and he’s done everything the courts asked him to do.

“He’s got a chance to salvage something here, and kind of a chance to turn his life around.”

Should Debol not follow the conditions of the probation, the deal would be off the table, something Shand says is ill-advised to say the least.

“Judge Shelton is like this: ‘I will help you, if you are willing to help yourself. If you are not willing to help yourself, I will make sure that you understand fully the consequences of the decision you make,’” Shand said.

Similar to his probation, Debol’s opportunity at OCC is a chance to show he’s learned from his mistakes and then move on.

“We’re here to help with the maturity process,” said OCC coach Del Young. “Hopefully we can show that we care about him, and he can use this as a stepping stone.”

Just as Debol’s probation officer and judge Shelton will be monitoring Debol’s behavior off the field, so too will colleges and pro scouts will no doubt be monitoring him on it.

The next chance is at the Connie Mack World Series that begins Friday in Farmington, N.M. Debol will lead the Travelers there as a cleanup-hitting third baseman. His batting average is above .400 for the third straight summer and he leads the team with 50 RBIs.

“He just does things that you’re amazed by,” Banfield said. “He plays at such a high level for us it's unbelievable.”

Banfield, who has helped with Debol’s college recruitment, said coaches need to see him on the straight and narrow for a year before committing.

“With everything that’s happened so far, it’s kind of a little overwhelming that I’m still getting the opportunity,” Debol said. “I’m lucky to be out here still playing.”

What Debol does with that opportunity remains to be seen.

Debol will represent the Travelers in the home run derby at the the Connie Mack World Series at Ricketts Field in Farmington, N.M. The derby takes place at 5 p.m. Sunday and will be streamed live online at UStream.tv, as will all games Aug 5-12. Live audio feeds will be streamed online at VerticalRadio.org.

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2561, by email at petercunningham@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @petcunningham.