THE TRUTH ABOUT PRO BASEBALL The ‘Freak Theory’ About Making It in the Pros
Professional baseball is not the magical spectacle most see on television. Baseball is a tough, extremely competitive, ruthless business where there is very little room for error and even less loyalty. It is common knowledge inside MLB circles that players drafted after the third round have little chance of ever making it to the Major Leagues. In fact, only a portion of players in the first three rounds ever play in a big league game. Because of this harsh reality, most MLB teams believe in the “freak theory,” which holds that those who make it are simply genetically superior to those who do not.
time for everybody. No one likes to tell a young man that the dream he has held since childhood has come to an abrupt end. To ease that pain, many coaches have convinced themselves that the selection process is simply a matter of fate. Either someone was gifted enough, or he wasn’t. The athlete also finds it easier to accept things by buying into the freak theory. If somebody else made it and I did not, it was simply because the other guy was especially gifted or endowed by his Creator. What does that have to do with you? Unless you are drafted very high, understand that the organization actually views you as having very little chance of making it to the Big Leagues. If you are ever lucky enough to get to pro ball, KNOW that your clock is ticking and you’d best show up ready to demonstrate your very best stuff immediately. Getting to professional baseball isn’t the end of the process. It is the beginning of a whole new game, and one that they play for keeps.
I will tell you why, in my opinion, the freak theory is so widely accepted.
Every year at Spring Training, the cupboards of each organization are overflowing with athletes trying to break camp with one of six teams: the MLB club, AAA, AA, High A, Low A, and Rookie Ball. Dozens of athletes will be released by April 1. That is a painful
UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS
THE A-ROD TRADE THAT SHOOK BASEBALL This Month in Baseball History The 2004 season was about to begin when catastrophe struck the New York Yankees: Third baseman Aaron Boone tore up his knee in a pickup basketball game! The Yankees decided to swing for the fences. In a record- setting deal in February 2004, the team acquired Alex Rodriguez, the American League’s Most Valuable Player, from the Texas Rangers. In what was, at the time, the costliest trade in baseball history, Texas received All-Star second baseman Alfonso Soriano, shortstop Joaquin Arias, and cash. The Rangers agreed in turn to pay $67 million of the $179 million remaining on Rodriguez’s 10-year contract. “I’m pretty excited. This is a big, big one,” enthused MLB Commissioner Bud Selig at the time. Rodriguez agreed to switch to third base so Derek Jeter could remain at shortstop. The switch worked out well, as the superstars helped the Yankees win the 2009 World Series.
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