Becoming a Major League Baseball player is a journey that only a limited number of athletes complete in their lifetime. From the time we are little and play our first game under the lights, a switch is thrown and there is a desire to stand on the mound with a 3-2 count in the bottom of the ninth inning or come up to bat and have the game resting squarely on our shoulders. It is a desire and a love that cannot be ignored or forgotten about. But that desire and love is challenged many times along the journey it takes to become a Major League prospect. In speaking with Boston Red Sox prospect outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker, I was better able to understand the challenges and rewards that come with playing in the minor leagues, and potentially the MLB one day.
Jeremy Hazelbaker knows what it takes to work one’s way through the ups and downs of the journey to the MLB. He was drafted from Ball State in 2009 and has since been working his way through the minor leagues. He has just recently finished his first season in AA where he posted impressive numbers, hitting .266 with 12 homeruns, and 41 RBI’s in 90 games with the Portland Sea Dogs. But the journey to this point in his career started many years ago.
His journey started in 2009 during his junior year at Ball State when, according to him, “I was just out there playing, I never even thought about making it. About halfway through my junior year, I thought it would be a good idea to get an agent.” This was a smart move by Jeremy, who, later that very same year, got the call from his agent that left him with a feeling that words could not describe. He briefly recounted the memory for me. His agent over the phone told him, “The Red Sox are going to pick you up in the fourth round,” and from there, he only remembered a feeling of accomplishment and saying something along the lines of “Hell yeah” before he sat down on the couch to hear his name being announced on TV. His first reaction was to hug his parents and thank them for all the years they supported him and pushed him to be the athlete and person he is today.
He extends a lot of credit to his family for his success as a baseball player. His first experiences working out were with his sister and her high school volleyball team. According to Jeremy, those girls worked their tails off and he got an idea of the type of determination and work ethic it would take to be a good athlete. He also recalls instances when his mom would ask him why he was home before dark and not out practicing and playing the game he loves. He had a sense of pride in his voice when he told me finally, “I was lucky to have a family that knew the meaning of athletics and hard work.” He owes a lot to his family and has never forgotten it.
That hard work and determination he learned from his sister and family has powered him into a career centered on his athletic ability, versatility and work ethic. Those characteristics are easy to see when you take a look at his career. In high school, Jeremy was a third baseman, but as he continued to climb the ladder up through college and into the minors, that changed. At Ball State, he was a second baseman, and he now finally has found a home as an outfielder in the minors. Changing positions at each level is no easy task. Jeremy says, “It has been a learning process, especially in the outfield going back and forth between center and right field.” According to him, the two different spots in the outfield offer different challenges in reading the ball off the bat and taking the right first step. Luckily for Jeremy, he has been graced with a very important talent when it comes to being an outfielder—flat-out speed, which helps him if he makes a bad read on a fly ball or needs to make up space on a ball flying further than he expected. But the more time he spends in the outfield, “the more natural it becomes,” says Jeremy. It isn’t just time in the outfield, it is the repetition of “doing drills, taking fly balls from my coach, shooting line drives out of the pitching machine, never taking a pitch off in batting practice and getting as many reps as possible.” Jeremy told me, “Line drives are the hardest to read off the bat, but after the reps and the game situation I can get a good read by the time the ball passes the pitcher’s mound now.”
The transition from college to the minor leagues was difficult not only on the field but also at the plate. While working his way through the minors, he heard a lot of people say that the transition from A to AA was the biggest jump in talent as far as pitchers are concerned. At first he questioned this but as time passed and he was promoted to AA in Portland, he learned this lesson for himself. “Pitchers’ command is just flat-out better, everyone has four very good to above average pitches that they can put anywhere at any time. The pitchers are better, everyone has late life to their pitches and you never see just a straight fastball.”
Jeremy was not intimidated by these things, though; he was determined to prove that his athletic ability and work ethic would help him adjust to AA and the talent he faced without too much difficulty. He says, “I like to rely on my hands.” His game plan when approaching the plate, besides knowing the scouting report of the pitcher and knowing the situation in the game, is just to “stay calm and collected and let [his] hands work.” This seems to be a great mentality for him considering he has power to the allies, can spray the ball all over the field and can and will hit the ball out of the park if a pitcher makes a mistake.
When speaking about both his offensive and defensive tools, Jeremy says the most important thing that he concentrates on is teaching his body: “It all comes down to teaching your arms, hands and body to do the right thing over and over again. It’s important to know what you can and can’t do, to know your limits.” But nothing can replace the ability to adjust to different situations and different problems a player faces on the field, and it is apparent that Jeremy has this versatility both at bat and in the field. Successfully changing positions and finding a swing that not only feels comfortable but works the way Jeremy’s does is no accident. It is hard work and athletic ability that allows him to adjust and be successful in all facets of the game.
However, the challenges that Jeremy has faced on the field up to this point in his career are not the only difficult situations in which he has found himself. Most people think that playing baseball for a living is a cake walk and that these players are lucky to be doing what they do and live the good life. But is this really true? The truth is that yes, these players are lucky to be doing what they love for a living but that does not mean it is easy in the slightest bit.
“Right off the bat I was thrown in an apartment with three guys I didn’t know. Taking 10-12 hour bus rides for away games with people I was just getting to know was not easy. Also, living paycheck to paycheck with only a certain amount of money each month to live on was not easy. And what may be the most challenging was learning to live out of a suitcase, changing hotels and never getting a home cooked meal. If you can’t live out of a suitcase and eat fast food, playing in the minors is not for you.” The lifestyle of a Minor League Baseball player is far short of luxurious but according to Jeremy, “As you go on, you get used to it and you like it.”
Fortunately for Jeremy, the competition in the league and the difficult lifestyle off the field has not slowed him down at all. He stressed the importance of staying loose and remembering that baseball is not a job, but a game. When the game is about to start, it’s “Play ball, not work ball,” according to Jeremy, and that mentality is something that helps keep him loose as game time approaches.
Just like in any situation, a clubhouse before a game is full of different personalities. Some players are very serious, focusing on what they want to do and how to do it. Some players have rituals and superstitions that help them get ready for games, while others joke around and have a good time before a game, remembering that it is just a game and that there are far more serious things in life.
This class clown attitude is the pregame mentality Jeremy has come to adopt. “Tension can build up in a clubhouse, I love to keep the air light and just have fun, keeping things tension-free prior to a game.” Some of his pregame jokes to keep things light include bringing water guns or dart guns into the clubhouse and starting a water gun fight. He says his aim is not to give anyone a hard time but to lighten the mood and include everyone in some fun before the game starts.
It is easy to see that Jeremy loves the game. He approaches everything he does on the field with an eagerness to learn and to better himself each and every day. He says that the thing he enjoys most about the game is standing alongside his teammates with his hat over his heart listening to the National Anthem prior to the game starting. It is at this point in the game when Jeremy starts to get a combination of nerves and excitement that he counts as a blessing. “If the game doesn’t make you nervous and excited anymore, it’s time to quit. I’ll know it’s time to quit if I no longer get that feeling. But for me it’s every day, it’s before every game. Then after the Anthem, I just swallow it and go after it.”
Just like any minor league prospect, life both on and off the field is full of ups and downs. There will always be challenges and obstacles to overcome as a baseball player and as a person. For Jeremy, these challenges will be met head-on with a family behind him and determination in his heart.
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