By Stevie Corio — Staff Writer
Baseball players almost always start in little league. The game consists of pitches from the dad and coaches, co-ed teams and outfielders carelessly picking daisies.
Even when the game is purely for fun, lots of young players dream of making it to the big leagues. Not many people realize the amount of work and drive that is needed to play baseball professionally. It is a tough journey that is rarely shared.
Unlike most sports, many players need to work their way through the minor league system to get to the majors. It’s a brutal grind that has to be made for these young men to achieve their dreams.
That willingness to grind has to be built into an individual. A player has to be willing to fail, succeed, and fail over and over again, until the work pays off.
And that’s what a few former San Jose State baseball players are going through right now.
“I didn’t know if I was going to play ball after college, but it was always a dream of mine,” said Kellen Strahm. “When I got drafted on the second day, I was at home with my best friend and my family. Hearing my name and getting that call was such a surreal moment.”
After coming from high school and being the underdog, Strahm said that SJSU was the perfect fit. He played for the Spartans for three years prior to playing for the Texas Rangers organization and their class-A short season team, the Spokane Indians.
After his second year with the Spartans, he decided that it was time to take his goal of playing professional baseball more seriously.
“San Jose State is seen as an underdog school,” Strahm explained. “Even though we might not be known for being the best, the guys on the team all work hard and it felt like this was the right place for me to be”.
College baseball and minor league baseball are on two completely different playing fields. Same sport, but a completely different process. College ball consists of playing a couple times a week. Professional players are playing everyday.
It’s not the glorious fantasy most people think it is. A typical travel day is sitting on buses for long hours to the next game location immediately after playing that same day.
“It’s not like college where you play a few times a week. You have to be ready to play everyday,” said Russ Call, a SJSU sports announcer. “It’s a constant grind and you have to be ready to adjust quickly, and that’s where players like Kellen Strahm do well. He was able to adjust quickly which led to him promoted quickly with the Rangers.”
At the minor league level, having a passion for the game is the easiest way to be able to withstand the conditions. The reality is that minor league baseball players are not paid that well aside from their signing bonuses.
“Professional baseball is a test of can you endure the conditions. You know you’re sharing a room with four, five, six other guys and you’re eating peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Call said.
Aside from the physical strength needed and shift in environment from college to professional ball, there are many mental challenges.
Players go from being tops at their college to suddenly struggling in the batter’s box because they have no idea how to use a wooden bat. Anxiety takes over.
“Many players tend to get drafted and then struggle especially if they go from being “the man” to just another guy,” added Brian Burkett, another SJSU announcer.
It’s a mental battle, and aside from the physical ability, you have to be smart and you have to be able to think. Everyone is trying to stand out in hopes of being brought up.
“In college, you’re just getting in the box and listening to the coaches,” Call said. “You have to have the ability to think and not just make the hit, the play, or the throw. It’s about thinking, okay, we’re up 1-0. Is he going to throw me a slider or fastball?”
The players who have the physical ability and can adjust quickly become smarter over all are the ones who make it.
Players like Strahm and Frandsen embrace baseball as a lifestyle and demonstrate all of the characteristics of what it takes to make it to the show.
Follow Stevie on Twitter @CorioStevie
