Tis But A Taste

Today was a small taste of the life of a professional baseball player. If you count taking batting practice and working out on a professional field.

The workout took place at The Great American Ballpark, home of the Cincinnati Reds. It was also cool because Joey Votto was rehabbing and I had a chance to reintroduce myself to him and say hello. I wasn’t sure if he remembered me because last time I saw him was five years ago in Florida and he came to talk baseball with the team. He wasn’t very nice then and basically told us nobody worked hard. At the time, it was frustrating to hear but now looking back I liked what he said because it’s something I’ve never forgetting and use as motivation.

Anyways, back to the workout
t. It was your standard 60, infield/outfield, batting practice, and then facing live pitching. I think I did well enough to receive positive reviews from the guys watching but I only did okay at live hitting. It’s difficult to not see a live pitcher for a month then face all potential draft picks. With that being said, I didn’t feel overmatched or outgunned when I was in the box which was good. I think if that’s what I’ll be up against this summer then I will be fine.

Another surprise that I had today was seeing a childhood friend of mine that I played with and against in high school. He is pitching now and I faced him live which was pretty cool. I think I got a base hit off him but it’s hard to tell without a defense.

Overall, positive vibes today and now I get to wait and see what these teams and really the last five years of baseball have led up to with the draft next weekend. Hopefully I get a chance with a team but if not then I will go from there and keep working towards the ultimate goal of being a professional ball player.

But first, let me take a selfie.

Last First Impression

I have been fortunate enough to receive and invitation to one last workout. Tomorrow I will be heading to Cincinnati to workout for the Cincinnati Reds.

I look at this travel to Cincinnati and the workout on Friday as my last chance to make an impression on the decision makers within the organization and any team that has heard about me. I don’t think that teams want to reveal how interested they are in a player to other teams because it could change their draft strategy.

Like my other workouts, this one will include running the 60, taking batting practice, and doing an infield practice. At this point I know what to expect and have a sense of calm about how to go about my business. A bonus that I have with the Reds is they have seen me play in person as well as seeing me in person at a workout last summer.

I try not to be a worrier but at the same time it is hard not to think about how this could play out over the next few weeks. I could potentially go from sitting around to playing everyday again until September. That is obviously the goal and if a team doesn’t work out here then who knows what I will do (but let’s not think about that).

I have enjoyed my time at home but now I’m ready to start playing again and see what happens. After all I am a baseball player and that’s what I would like to do this summer.

Friday is my last first impression and hopefully a good impression on how the Reds will remember me going into next month.

Here is a picture I took last summer when I went to the Cardinals and Reds game. Kinda cool..

Shower Thoughts

One of the places that I do my best thinking is in the shower.  I think a lot of people have great shower thoughts and today I was thinking about the sacrifices people make on a daily basis to reach their goals.

Throughout my baseball career I have met many people from different parts of the country who have all sacrificed one thing or another to get where they are.  I do not think that people realize the amount of sacrifice that athletes put into their craft on a daily basis.  As I was thinking about how different people sacrifice different things to reach their goal one of the constant variables in the equation was time.  Time ticks the same for every person.

When I was thinking about how time is a constant for each person, I thought about how throughout human history every great person has had the same amount of time per day that I do.  Great baseball players like Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, and Adam Wainwright have the same 24 hours per day that I do.  When I look at it this way, it changes my perspective on a day to day basis.  If you wake up at 7 am every day and go to bed at 11 pm, you have 16 hours to spend working towards your goal.  Then if you break it down to a baseball practice that would be 4 hours, you still have 12 hours per day to do what you want.  I know that if you’re in school you have to spend time doing school work, but I think people do not realize how much time they could have if they broke it down.

Another thing I was thinking about on the same lines of sacrifice is that if you really want to reach your goal the choices you make wouldn’t be considered a sacrifice.  That’s why I never understood the “Rise and Grind” mentality for athletes.  If you are really into your sport, how is it a grind? I think the grind only comes in when you do not want to do it anymore.  A grind would be going to work everyday and being unhappy with how your job is.  A college athlete to me, should never be on the grind because if they thought it was so terrible they can go do something else.

I had some weird shower thoughts.  I’m excited to see where my adventure takes me in the next couple of weeks.

Theodore Osnowitz

Well today was tough day because Theo’s health deteriorated quicker than we thought.  Apparently he had some sort of infection in his leg that wouldn’t go away with treatment after a week or so and the decision to put him down was made.

It’s easy to lose sight of things that are important in life and I know Theo was an important part of my life.  Pets can be like another brother or a friend that a kid needs when they want someone to hang out with.  Dogs always have that sense to know if you are feeling upset and I don’t know a person who can be upset when they are playing with a dog.

RIP Theo

Columbia v2.0

Today was a workout for the San Francisco Giants. It’s kind of funny that I spent the last two years in Columbia, KY and today’s workout was in Columbia, SC.

First and foremost, the University of South Carolina has a great campus and a great baseball field. I heard the field cost around $35 million and it very much looked like it. Big concourse, 8,000 seats, and a great playing surface for the players.

Today’s workout was very similar to the Rangers workout in Charlotte. The order of events was slightly different for today with batting practice coming first. I also got selected to be in the first group of the day which is always nice because I had a chance to set the tone for the hitters. After batting practice we did the basic infield drills and then ran the 60. Today I ran a little slower but I don’t think they care much about my speed because the position that I play.

Once again, I was asked to pitch which is always an adventure to me. I think they liked me though because I was 93-94 again and actually had control of my curveball. I don’t throw any other pitches but that will be their job to teach me how to throw different pitches.

My tour of the Carolina’s is ending as I am returning home tonight. This is a beautiful part of the country that if I was from this area I definitely would have wanted to stay near home. I feel great about the opportunities that have been coming my way but it will also be nice to hang out at home for a couple days. See the pups. Anyways, positive vibes and I look forward to the next couple weeks to see how this plays out.

Charlotte

Today was the day of the Texas Rangers workout in Gastonia, NC.

It was a group of about 20-30 guys trying to make their impression for the Rangers. I felt like an old man because most of my fellow players were graduating high school. It was a fun experience and went how I expected.

Position players were up first and the first event was the 60 yd dash as well as a broad jump. I did not ask for my time are the 60 but I heard it was in the 6.9 range. I’ll take it. Next up was the broad jump and I made it 8ft 8 inches. I have no idea if this is good but it was the best in my group.

After the running of the players – the outfield made their throws to third and home. Then it was time for the infielders to show their stuff. It was a grand total of about 8 ground balls to show off the skills.

After fielding practice we broke into five groups to take batting practice. I was placed in group five which meant best for last. They gave four rounds of about six to make an impression. Overall I think I did well – had the most power out of the group which is always nice. Then by a strange twist of fate one of the scouts approached me. I thought he was going to ask me about my hitting but he instead asked me if I wanted to hang around and pitch. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I went into it with an open mine and told them I don’t really pitch. After a short warm up session I took the mound and threw mainly fastballs with a few curveballs mixed in. They said I was 90-94 off the mound which for a guy like me who has no pitching mechanics. I’m hoping that they like my bat more than they like my arm but beggars can’t be choosers.

All in all it was a fun experience and I that the Rangers for inviting me to participate. I’m looking forward to being in Columbia, SC to workout for the SF Giants.

On the road again

Coming at you live from Charlotte, NC. It was not easy to get here as the day began in an inauspicious way. We thought the flight into Chicago left at 11 am but it actually left at 10 am. After rushing to the airport we found that the flight had been delayed to 10:40 and we had plenty of time. The only problem with this was that our connection in Chicago could be in jeopardy. Which is was. After missing the 12:00 flight we scrambled and made it onto the 2:00 flight. It was quite the series of events.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a pre draft workout with the Texas Rangers.

I’m not sure exactly what a pre draft workout entails but I’m sure it follows a similar structure to every showcase event. The position players will run their 60 yard dash to measure speed. Then we will loosen up and play catch while getting ready to show off our defensive ability. Usually, every player goes to short stop and every outfielder goes to right field. The outfielders make their throws to home and third. As an infielder, you get five ground balls to show off your arm as well as your defensive ability.

After defense you get to take batting practice on the field and show what your swing looks like. I’m not sure at this workout if I will face live pitching but there is always the possibility.

My last workout was a week ago for the Cincinnati Reds and it has been a long week. I’m ready to get back onto the field for another team and show my ability as the month of June looms closer.

Flexibility

Throughout my career as a baseball player the most important trait I have learned is flexibility.

Originally I had workouts scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Due to unforeseen circumstances with weather and conflicting schedules, I have been taken down to only a Saturday workout.

On a positive note, I get the chance to be at home with my family for a couple days. Michael is leaving for China on the 18th and with my weekend travel I won’t be able to see him off. Now with the change, I can hang with the family a couple more days and get a few workouts in at home.

This is going to be a fun adventure to tell one day and remaining flexible is going to be one of the best traits I can have in this situation.

The Journey Begins

I don’t know much about blogging or journaling for that matter. With my college baseball career coming to an end last Sunday I have decided to chronicle my journey into professional baseball (fingers crossed).

Today I had my first professional workout of the summer with the Cincinnati Reds. I returned home from college Friday morning and an hour or so after I was home I was told to be in Cincinnati for a workout the next morning. Cincinnati is a five hour trip, six with the eastern time zone. My parents have supported me through my career and there was no hesitation to make the trip.

This morning was the day of the workout and it was an interesting experience. A typical job interview is sitting around talking about potential employment. Well today was no different, except I was given an hour of activity to prove myself to a team. My whole life up to this point has been working to this dream and being given an hour to lay it on the line is a blood pumping experience.

My dad drove me to the workout and when we arrived he turned out to be my throwing partner, cutoff man, and first basemen. At first I felt weird throwing to him but then I realized he is just as excited, possibly more, than I am for my future. I’m glad that I have the opportunity to have him with me throughout the process.

After the throwing sessions, it was time for my forte, taking batting practice. This was my first batting practice with a wood bat on a field since the summer. I also had developed a blister the night before. I haven’t worn batting gloves for three years but made the executive decision to wear them today. First round of batting practice was nerve racking because a man who is determining my future is watching every move. I think I did well for the circumstances and showed my ability to hit. I want to thank the Northern Kentucky baseball team for the use of their facility and throwing me batting practice.

Overall, great experience for myself and my dad. I’m glad I broke the ice on a positive note and look forward to more workouts in the coming week.

Mitch