Life in the Minors
It is the popular opinion of many a baseball observer that frustration and anticipation are built-in components in the psyche of every minor-league baseball player. As my college coach at UH-Hilo, Joey Estrella often said, baseball is a game of failure, in which Hall-of-Fame hitters only registered a hit in three out of every 10 at-bats. Playing pro ball
at all is a victoryForget about a shortstop having an errorless season. A pitcher going 20-0 with a 0.00 ERA will probably never come about, at least not unless the Mets can re-sign Sidd Finch.
Consider that the vast majority of minor-league baseball players will never even be given the opportunity to fail at baseball's highest level, and one can see how chasing the dream can wear down the spirit of a player.
The frustration can be even more acute for players in the independent leagues, knowing that a chance to even get into an affiliated system may never come. I'm sure that even Morgan Burkhart, the most dominant offensive player in Frontier League history, met with some frustration following a 30-plus home run 1997 season that earned him a return ticket to the FL.
When a few of our players with the Dubois County Dragons received bites but no takes from major-league organizations this past month, the frustration even trickled up to the coaching staff, who despite our best efforts, could not help our guys make the move up.
Adam Olow, our 6-foot-4 right fielder and Trevor Hoffman look-alike, drew a lot of attention to himself in the first half of our season, batting near .400, while also ranking among league leaders in runs, hits, RBIs and stolen bases.
When the St. Louis Cardinals sent one of their scouts to see him in our road series against the River City Rascals, Olow went 3-for-3, with doubles into both gaps. The Boston Red Sox sent their regional scout down to little ol' Huntingburg and saw Olow stroke a couple of line singles and a 364-foot towering fly ball that just about scraped the paint off our left-center-field fence.
At the Frontier League All-Star game about a week and a half ago, Olow led off for the visiting West squad with a 385-foot homer off of the league's winningest pitcher -- Kalamazoo's Matt Gunderson.
So when the Red Sox called again two days later, we thought for sure that we'd have to start looking for another right fielder. They said they were thinking of opening a spot with their high-A club in the Florida State League, and that Olow might be the guy to take it.
But our manager Greg Tagert, a six-year veteran of the Frontier League, asked the staff not to speak a word of it to anyone, knowing very well that the call might never come. He had come to know too well the ill effects of getting a player's hopes up only to have to break the bad news and their hearts a few days later when the call never came.
And he was right. The Red Sox called again a day later to let us know that they wouldn't be signing Olow right now. They said they might be interested at the end of the year. So as we all walked by Olow and patted him on the back for a consolation he knew no cause for, we were glad we never got his hopes up.
Two other Dragons have drawn serious interest from organizations this season, neither resulting in a contract. Jess Turner, our 23-year-old closer and former Minnesota Twins farmhand, received word from the Florida Marlins early in the season that they would probably be needing his 93 mph heater for their New York-Penn League club after the draft.
But that call never came either.
Joe Kalczynski, our two-time Frontier League All-Star catcher, has drawn the interest of the San Diego Padres, who called the league office inquiring about signing our former Arizona Diamondbacks minor-leaguer as a back-up for their Midwest League club. But we never heard any direct word.
But while others would find this to be a cause for unbearable disappointment, I find it a reason for optimism. At least someone out there is watching.
I believe that baseball is a game of hope. To say that professional baseball is a game of failure is wrong.
The true victory in it all is the opportunity to play for a paycheck. Showing up at the ballpark everyday, throwing on a uniform and getting paid to do it. The chance to run the fields of the minor-league stadiums across America and be one of the Boys of Summer.
And so apparently does Morgan Burkhart, who returned for the 1998 Frontier League season to set league records with a .404 batting average, 36 homers and 98 RBI to win the circuit's triple crown. He signed with the Boston Red Sox soon after and became the first Frontier League position player to make it to the major leagues.
And then there was former Chillicothe Paint Brian Tollberg, and former Ohio Valley Redcoat Brendan Donnelly, and former Johnstown Johnnie J.J. Trujillo, former Zanesville Grey Terry Pearson and now St. Louis Cardinal wonder rookie Jason Simontacchi.
With more than 30 former players active in affiliated farm systems, including 12 in Double-A and three in Triple-A, the Frontier League has become a scout's delight.
So when one of our guys gets a look, but no cigar, I hope that they keep fighting the good fight. The battle has already been won.