I, like a couple of my brethren in the Lounge, was once a professional and
collegiate prospect. Blessed enough with a sizable frame and determined enough
to battle through injuries, I went undefeated as a right-handed starting and
closing pitcher for a summer league team called the Atlanta Blue Jays. I threw
comfortably from 88-91mph and had an assortment of 8 different pitches at two
arm slots. I threw 2 no-hitters and struck out a Puerto Rican junior national
team 9 times in 7 innings while slightly under the influence (thanks David
Wells for being a great idol).
Because of my efforts and blessed talent, I earned national recognition. I was
a
Rawlings
Southeast All-Region prospect, a top prospect for
Perfect Game,
Baseball America and the WWBA
nationally. I had trash bags filled with collegiate prospecting letters from
Stanford and the University of San Francisco to The University of Alabama and
Clemson University (shout out to Patton and Calf Zilla). This all may sound braggadocios
and horn tooting but it’s what I was. I
was
a talented player on the field. However, my joy, and God how I was the happiest
kid when I strapped up my cleats and slapped rosin across my hand, seemed
unfairly “knocked out of
my park.”
Life is more challenging than you realize as teenager. Life, in general, is more
than a young mind can truly understand or appreciate.
I never would have imagined how quickly
things could change and how something so golden could slip away without a whole
lot of warning. A dropped-third-strike, an errant throw and my stubbornness led
to a broken left knee and facilitated early on-set arthritis. I was out of
baseball for 4 months without a single chance to "shine on the
diamond". At the time, I didn’t believe the injury was serious and even
stayed on the field, watching as the injured base runner carted his way to the
dugout. At the end of the inning, swelling and pain took over, I hit the bench,
unbeknownst to the level of damage and difficulty I was about to meet head on.
Rehab began with little goals like learning to walk and run again, slowly
progressing to jumping, leg pressing and eventually squatting (the workout, not
on the toilet). However, taking a dump with a stiff brace is awkward; Calf
Zilla and Fantasy Fred know what's up. Anyways, four months without “seeing”
the field was emotionally draining - and more importantly – the injury slowly
and painfully eliminated scouting attention that may have come along during
that summer. Unfortunately, the knee injury wasn't the worst of my injuries.
The fall of my senior year was a metaphoric roller coaster of emotions. Early
on, my hard work and talents attracted several junior colleges, propelling them
to extend offers. Additionally, I was prepping for the biggest tournament of my
life, the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Florida. In Jupiter, hundreds of
professional and collegiate scouts scatter the Marlins’ and Cardinals’ spring
training facilities looking for the next top signing. Included were the
University of Alabama and
Vanderbilt University. These two SEC schools
were in need of new arms for their upcoming signing class, and their recruiters
targeted me!
Before my final high school game, I sat in the bleachers with my coach, as he
made his pitch to ‘Bama and Vandy, claiming I threw in the high 80's with good
command and plus pitches. The scouts were excited, ready and willing to
finalize negotiations, if I could throw in my advertised range. But, as you can
imagine from the title of this post and the overall depressing theme following,
that damn injury bug "bit" me again - this time to my right shoulder.
Over a month’s period, I went from effortlessly throwing in the high 80's to
struggling to reach the 70's. The pain was nearly unbearable – my love for
baseball being the only force more powerful. In that game, in front of the ‘Bama
and Vandy recruiters, at least 30-50 other scouts lined the fences to watch me
pitch. Though my speed was terribly disappointing, I have never put more effort
into one event than in my life.
Every half-inning I downed two ibuprofens and lathered up my right arm with
BioFreeze. But, no matter what I did, the pain wouldn’t subside. And though my effort
was admirable, scouts want tangible results, not pure effort. At one point, and
I'll never forget this, I looked down the third base, where scout-filled golf
carts line the fence, and mentally waved goodbye to my lifelong aspirations as
a professional pitcher. And, if you've ever seen For the Love of the Game, you
understand why Kevin Costner's character's "zone" is a necessity for
pitchers, especially at that moment. I desperately needed an escape and if I
was going out, I needed to do it on my terms. So, I “nutted up and shut up”,
threw a complete game two-hit shutout and added 1 hit and a RBI as our cleanup
hitter. I successfully helped the Blue Jays
win a second
game in a row.
After that tournament, I stopped pitching for a few months and entered rehab
for my shoulder. Going into January, my arm was strengthening and felt pitching
ready. But buzzing around me was the proverbial “bug”. About 10, maybe 20
pitches into a bullpen session I felt a pop. The result was serious injury and a
50' “fast”ball. The diagnosis was a torn glenoid labrum, separated shoulder and
bursitis. Three months later, I was unconscious on an operating table. After
the surgery, I didn't pitch competitively for 3 years. The reasons don’t have
as much to do with the physical problems as with the emotional storm I was
forced to weather.
My injuries were emotionally devastating. For
as long as I could remember, I viewed my future and my value through the prism
of baseball.
Righting my “ship” took
years as I wandered through colleges searching for my new place, my new dream,
my new future.
However, my fiancé, friends
(including some of my blog mates), and my family helped “guide my ship”.
Strangely enough, I have a mocking happiness for my injuries. Honestly, I’m
not sure if I would truly appreciate the importance of my family and friends
had I not experienced the need to rely on them. Maybe things happen for an omnipresent
reason, maybe fate and destiny coexist for our benefit, whatever the case, I’m
happier now than I was when I played. My new dreams and future are in reach and
today I have a couple of things to show for all those years - some damn good
memories and a healthier, stronger body and mind that serve me well in my
capacity to debate whether those in professional sports are elite enough to
play on my fantasy rosters.
-Oscar from Boston-