To make the majors, you’ve got to grind

By STEVE WILAJ

TheNewsOutlet.org

Drew Turocy went from being the best player on a team to just another player.

He was drafted in the 24th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Boston Red Sox. When the 2007 Canfield High School graduate joined the rest of his Single-A Lowell Spinners teammates in June 2011, he was shocked.

“Growing up, I was always the best in little league, high school and — at least I considered myself — one of the best in college,” said Turocy, an outfielder who played at The University of Akron from 2008-11. “Then I got drafted and went on a team where I was no longer the best — not even remotely close to being the best. It’s amazing to see how much talent is out there.”

In addition to 30 MLB teams, that talent is spread across 232 minor league teams — 25 players to a roster.

Tanner Scott, a 2013 Howland High grad and 2014 Baltimore Orioles sixth-round draft pick, experienced that competition last season with the Orioles Rookie League team.

“It’s definitely different than college,” said Scott, a left-handed pitcher. “Everyone got drafted, so you know everyone’s really good. There’s just a lot of really, really talented people out there.”

Studies by High School Baseball Web show that 10.5 percent of college baseball players get selected in the annual MLB Draft. From there, Baseball America reports that 17.2 percent — or about one in six draft picks — make it to the majors.

Turocy never made it into that 17.2 percent group. Scott is still trying.

Mark Malaska — a 1996 Cardinal Mooney High grad — is part of that minority. After four seasons at Akron (1997-2000), Malaska made his MLB debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2003 before pitching for the 2004 World Series champion Red Sox.

“The minor leagues are a grind and if you’re not willing to climb that mountain, then you’re pretty much wasting time,” said Malaska, an eighth-round pick of the Rays in 2000. “You get to that level and everyone’s talented. It’s just mentally, who can handle adversity and have a bad week or a bad month and keep pushing through?”

Mike Sarbaugh offers advice from a unique position.

A base-coach with the Cleveland Indians since 2013, Sarbaugh played five years of minor league baseball (1990-94). He then retired and coached in the minors for 18 seasons (1995-2012) before his promotion to the MLB.

“Make sure you have your priorities straight,” Sarbaugh said. “It’s such a short window, so guys have to take advantage of every opportunity — not only from the work side, but you also have to be able to be a good listener and take the coaching and translate it into game.

“And also, I think a lot of the outside distractions can get to you. So it’s about how you balance those and stay focused on the job at hand.”

Steven Gruver, a 2008 Austintown Fitch grad and 2011 Minnesota Twins draft choice, can speak to those rigors.

“You have to be able to relax and take the beating along with the good,” said Gruver, a left-handed pitcher who’s still in the Twins organization. “You’re going to have great days and you’re going to have bad days, but you can’t dwell on either of them. You just have to put yourself in the position to play the next day and then the day after that.”

That’s because each new day is a chance to join that prestigious 17.2 percent, as Chris Durkin (a 1988 Chaney High grad) found out for seven minor league seasons as an outfielder.

“You’re there with the chance to open somebody’s eyes,” said Durkin, a 1991 Houston Astros third-round pick out of Youngstown State. “Take advantage of each day, each at-bat, each pitch you throw — they’re all relevant. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. If not, as long as you gave it 100 percent, then it’s all good.”

TheNewsOutlet.org is a collaborative effort among the Youngstown State University journalism program, The University of Akron and The University of Cincinnati, and professional media outlets including, WYSU-FM Radio and The Vindicator (Youngstown), The Beacon Journal and Rubber City Radio (Akron).