I have been following this thread with great interest.
Thank you all for your input on this topic.

My interpretation of what BT said, was not discouraging following your dream but being realistic while pursuing it. From past posts, and I don't always agree with him, he has a different way of stating things. But I understood what he was saying, the same way catsuremom understood it.

Someone asked me recently if after knowing what I have, would I give my son the same advice as I did in HS. My answer is yes, and I think that catsuremom sums up how I feel, she is speaking about player a player being released, but with degree in hand is ready to get on with his life. I noticed a player from Clemson was released, but I am pretty sure he has graduated.
While in Clemson a few weeks back I spoke to a former pitchers parent, who has been, I think 4-5 years in the minor leagues. On his way to having a great season, he was hit with a line drive that shattered his arm. He was released and encouraged to get back into the game, but I think being closer to 30 than 20, he decided to move on. His folks told me, that they were so happy he had his degree, never made it to the show, but had a great time trying to get there and has a great job he wouldn't trade for the world.

Not that you must go to college to earn a good living, but for us, we couldn't see our son signing and then after released one day having the initiative to start school, even as an honor student, he detests going to class, studying, papers, exams, etc. He looks at it as a necessary part of the equation right now, and his experience has taught him time management, responsibility and getting up each day to do what you need to do. Regardless of what his future holds, I know he can handle anything being a student athlete. He is trying to pursue his dream, taking the college route first. Is he starry-eyed, yes, but when he decided to declare his major he told me he has to prepare for life after baseball. I realized the starry eyed kid was also realistic.

Now I didn't mean to get on the college vs. pro debate, but just wanted to say I appreciated everyone's comments and did understand what BT was saying.

Shane,
Best of luck to you.

Good post TPM. Funny but I almost said this in my post, but did not want to get into that whole college/pro thing either...I asked son the other day if he regretted discouraging HS draft by telling scouts he was definitely college bound (he would not have been high pick). he said absolutely not, (he now would have to literally have a religious miracle to be drafted at all!) Ironically, he plans on at least trying out before he hangs up cleats, so he would be in the absolute rock bottom of MLB's equation! ...NO MONEY! So folks, don't think I don't feel both sides of this equation.

A truely inspiring young man . A long read but worth it.


Good pitchers have short memories, the saying goes. Whatever happened during the last at bat—a strikeout or a homerun—the pitcher must quickly forget previous triumph or failure, and focus on the current challenge.

RJ Swindle has experienced both success and disappointment, and whether or not he’s forgotten either, has become one of the best pitchers to have ever worn a Charleston Southern uniform.

In high school, Swindle dreamed of playing collegiate baseball in-state, with the University of Central Florida, his hometown school, as his first choice. UCF, South Florida and the University of Florida welcomed him—as a recruited walk-on. State scholarships would fund much of his education, but “they told me I might see some time as a middle reliever, but I really didn’t have what it took to play in Division I,” Swindle recalled. In fact, only one Division I school offered him scholarship money.

“I hadn’t even heard of Charleston Southern before. The [CSU] coaches saw me at Clemson on a travel team, and I had my worst outing,” Swindle said, “but they believed in me. They told me I would have a chance to start, a chance to play right away. Since CSU was a Christian university, it made it easier for my parents to ‘let me go’, so to speak. Looking back on it, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else. It was definitely the Lord’s leading that brought me here.”

Swindle became CSU’s number-one option from day one, getting the most starts each of his three seasons as a Buccaneer. As a freshman, he was the Big South Conference Rookie of the Year, and the next year he earned the Big South Player of the Year honor. His final two seasons he was named to the All-Big South first team. After only three seasons, Swindle held the school career record for strikeouts, wins, and innings pitched.

Following his sophomore 10-5 campaign, he began to draw interest from major league scouts (and from other Division I institutions that tried to entice him to transfer) and was told that a repeat performance next season would land him in the 2004 draft somewhere between rounds five and ten. While his junior season was good by all accounts, it did not live up to the expectations of some scouts, but the Boston Red Sox continued to show interest and called him the night before the draft to ensure that he would sign if picked.

Draft day was bittersweet for Swindle. Each round as the Red Sox’s pick came up, the entire Swindle family sat anxiously, only to be disappointed. Rounds five through ten came and went, then 11, then 12, then 13. With the 425th pick in the 14th round, the Red Sox drafted RJ, and although his draft order was lower than hoped, he would live the dream of playing professional baseball.

He spent his first summer in Lowell (Mass.) in the New York-Penn League, where nearly all new draft picks play their first year, and performed well while playing through some back pain. In the offseason, he discovered that the pain stemmed from a herniated disc and received treatment in Charleston just months before he expected to enter Boston’s farm system. However, management was not pleased for two reasons: one, that Swindle did not use the team’s medical network; and two, that they now had “damaged goods” on their hands that would, in their opinion, would never make it in the pros. Boston cut him.

Swindle was devastated. “It was a real test of character,” he recalled, “thinking my career was over, but the Lord helped me through it.” His agent arranged a tryout for him in Orioles’ camp, but the back issue resulted in another release. In May, Swindle landed a spot with the Schaumburg (Ill.) Flyers, an unaffiliated team in the Northern League. From May 2005 to June 2006, he accumulated the lowest earned run average in the league, which drew attention from the Yankees’ organization, one of Swindle’s favorite childhood teams.

On a flight to Calgary, the call came from his agent—the Yankees had picked him up and he was back in affiliated minor league baseball. His assignment to the Charleston Riverdogs was a mixed blessing: he was back in the town he called home while at CSU with friends and familiar faces and places, but Charleston is the Yankees’ lowest class (low single-A) affiliate. Instead of dwelling on the disappointment of the assignment, Swindle focused on the opportunity to advance. He compiled a 4-2 record and notched two saves in tight ballgames.

Prior to the ‘Dogs final homestand, his opportunity came. September call-ups sent players from the AAA Columbus (Ohio) Clippers to the Yankees, which opened spots on the Triple A roster. With Trenton, the Yankees’ AA team, embroiled in a playoff race and not wanting to disrupt its lineup, three Riverdogs received the promotion, including Swindle. “I was very shocked and excited,” he said. “Lots of guys play their whole careers and never get a chance to reach this level, not even for four days.”

RJ began to think the call-up was honorary, seeing no action in the first three games, but got his chance in the season finale on the road at Toledo. In front of the biggest crowd of his career, Swindle pitched two scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and getting the save in Columbus’ 4-1 triumph.

So, what’s next for Swindle? “I’d like to start next season with a Double A assignment, which I think is pretty realistic, and we’ll see where it goes from there,” he said. Making it into the major leagues is something that no former Buccaneer has ever done, but if past obstacles overcome is any indication, this lefty who wasn’t supposed to be good enough to play Division I may play on the biggest stage of all sooner rather than later.

Editor's note: Swindle had been working out with the Trenton Thunder, the Yankees' AA club, but was released in the last round of cuts prior to MLB opening day. His plans are to pitch for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball until he is re-signed by a major league team.

catsuremom,
Former teammate of son's had a bad injury end of last season, he was not drafted. He had been a transfer student, done with eligibility so he couldn't play anymore. He finished up his degree in the fall, and now going to give it a shot in the independent leagues. He isn't done chasing the dream, but knows he is done with school.

I hear ya! Son knows the odds, just does not want to look back and wonder if he coulda, shoulda.

Bobblehead, I watched RJ's first outing for CSU on TV, against the Gators in 2002. He has improved since that day.

Dad04 we all have those days. RJ has been an inspitational player. He was not blessed with great velocity and we are pulling for him.

No one is imune from bad days, especialy freshmen. Always admired his confidence. He had a very nice college career. I always pull for the velocity challenged, since I have one in my family.

CatSureMom,

Hope you didn't think I was doubting you, but a true 5 tool player who hits over .300 in professional baseball, has to be getting released for something other than ability or performance.

Whatever level he was at, wasn't high enough. Those are the guys who are usually on the fast track. Usually the true 5 tool guys are high draft picks as well. Guess, I'm just confused and curious!

Has another club picked him up?

PG, The young man says a bonus baby was his release. I cannot say, other than he never got in a lick of trouble 4 yrs college...he is vertically challenged...that is the only down side I know of. A very nice young man.
Forgive me for saying this, but this is not nearly the first time a better player has been bumped for a "prospective"better player...it happens every spring. I am a little confused by your confusion!
I don't know how to politely bring this to your attention, but your comment about it being something other than "ability or performance" might be misconstrued in light of the original post. I am guessing you will want to restate it.
If your confusion is only about the 5-tools, well maybe MLB got it wrong. There are plenty right now who think just that!

How "strong" is a .300 BA in the Minor Leagues? I would think that you would want to see a better BA at this level to advance.

There is a very simple answer to that...it is strong if you were a high pick...it is not enough (alone) to keep you there if you were a low pick (and they have a higher pick to take your place).

I don't think most people can be realistic and still follow their dream. That'a why it's called a "dream"

Some are dreaming if they think they'll ever get to play college or professional sports. Some of those dreamers get there. I'm sure we can all think of examples in every sport of people who beat the odds.

If you are not a "prospect" in the organization, you can't be realistic and still keep playing.

You have to follow your dream until 1-baseball wakes you up by not giving you a uniform or 2- The alarm goes off cause yiu have a family to take care of and baseball is not providing.

Don't be in a hurry to get on with your life if you truly love the game of baseball. If you are in your 20's somewhere, you have 50 years (more of less) of your life to do something else.

floridafan, offhand I remember one Milb player who has been in minors almost a handful of years, to my knowledge he's mostly lingered in the low to mid .200's and he's still considered to be a "top prospect". He was a first rounder. The club says "they're taking their time" developing him.

quote:

Originally posted by floridafan:
How "strong" is a .300 BA in the Minor Leagues? I would think that you would want to see a better BA at this level to advance.

A .300 batting average at any level in pro ball is EXCELLENT. I don't recall having seen any player get released who hit .300 unless there were other problems.

catsure


Are you the person making the judgement who is the better player?


At the pro scene there are many aspects which, we the general public are not privy to--I am with bbscout--300 hitters don't get cut--think about it--how many of them are there?--there has to be other things going on

Who am I to judge any player?
Good that BBscout cannot recall this specific...means its rare. Snce I am not going to post name, we can agree to disagree on that SPECIFIC point. I find it amusing that some seem to blame "bad behavior" as reason, one has only to ponder MLB record on that subject to find the irony.
BA is another amusingly ironic arguement...so a mid .200 is totally acceptable for one player and not for another? We will assume I am not judging player, MLB is doing a much better job.

Good assumption


And if you think "bad behavior" does not enter into it for those not Top 5 rounders you need to change your thinking

I will put it this way.....every player that I have ever signed who hit .300 got promoted, not released. Some who did not hit .300 but played good defense got promoted too. The guys who did not hit and played below average defense would get sent home.

bbscout, what you say is well taken.
TRhit, I try not to assume too often, but if I do, it is well researched.