Reimold hopes to stay free of injury

By Joe Scalzo

scalzo@vindy.com

Youngstown

Nolan Reimold spent the first few weeks of the 2009 season blistering the ball at Triple-A Norfolk when he finally got called into the manager’s office to hear the words he’d been dreaming about for 20 years.

He was getting called up.

“I walked out and I was on the phone right away,” said Reimold, a Kennedy Catholic High graduate who was promoted to the Baltimore Orioles on May 14. “Word spread pretty quick.

“It was really exciting.”

Reimold spent the next three months proving he belonged, batting .279 with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs while splitting time between the outfield and at designated hitter. He was the American League rookie of the month in June, his first full month in the big leagues.

His season ended on Sept. 18 when he suffered a slight tear of his left Achilles tendon. Still, he left baseball fans wondering “Who is this guy?” while his fans in Western Pennsylvania were wondering, “What took the Orioles so long?”

“I went through some struggles, like most guys do, but it’s about how you deal with adversity and make adjustments and get better that gets you where you want to go,” said Reimold, a second round draft pick in 2005 who recently spoke by phone from spring training. “I was fortunate enough to make the jump throughout the minors and adjust to the game.

“That got me to where I am now.”

The Reimold name is legendary in his hometown of Greenville, Pa., and at Kennedy Catholic, where he and his older brother, John, were big reasons why the Eagles were able to win four straight Class A state basketball titles from 1998-2001. Nolan also played summer baseball locally for B.B. Rooners in Niles.

The brothers both went on to standout careers at Bowling Green — Nolan in baseball, John in basketball — before embarking on pro careers. John is now playing professionally in Luxembourg and the two talk almost every day on Skype, an online videoconferencing system.

“He tried working a 9-to-5 job for a little while but he wanted to give basketball one more try,” said Reimold, the son of John and Mary Reimold. “He found a home over there and he’s happy and doing well.”

When asked if he would have trouble with a 9-to-5 job too, Reimold said, “Probably. Baseball has always been my job so I guess I’m pretty fortunate in that respect.”

Reimold said he thinks he’s the first player from either Greenville or Kennedy to make it to the majors. (His grandfather played in the minor leagues.) Although he and John are the only ones playing professionally, Nolan’s brother Shamus was also a good athlete, as was his sister, Dierdre, who is now a model.

The path to the major leagues took a little longer than he wanted, but the 26-year-old Reimold plans to stay for awhile. His Achilles injury is mostly healed and he entered this year’s spring training with the confidence that comes with knowing he already has a job.

“Making it to the big leagues has been my goal since I started playing baseball,” he said. “It’s good to reach the pinnacle of my career, but it’s one thing to get up here and another thing to stay up here.

“That’s what I’m trying to do now. I’ll just keep working and hopefully stay up here for awhile.”