First Taste of Pro Ball
By Kumar Nambiar, minor leaguer in the Oakland Athletics organization,@kumar4123
All they told me was my flight time. They had sent me the flight info from New York to Phoenix a few days before. I had no idea what to expect, except one thing I knew for sure: there was going to be baseball.
Four days prior, I had gotten drafted by the Oakland Athletics. It was a dream come true. All the time and effort we, my family and I, had poured into baseball had paid off. It was a sad but exciting time. I had just graduated from college, leaving my friends behind, and was starting a new chapter of my life across the country. I was headed to my first job: a professional baseball player.
When I arrived at the complex for the first time, I was in awe. A huge A’s logo welcomed me. It was quite the entrance. The walls were green and yellow covered with pictures of the most successful Oakland Athletics, their accolades surrounding them. Down the hall were all the organizations jerseys, minor leagues included, giving me a preview of what could be my future. Underneath the jerseys were numerous trophies and awards, as well as rings, that belonged to members of the organization. Each day, I got to walk in and observe a new piece of history that I hadn’t noticed before.
We were handed a bag full of gear on our first day. The big green duffle bag was full of shirts, shorts, a sweatshirt, and a new pair of cleats – all colored white, green, and yellow. My locker was there waiting with my nameplate already above and a jersey hung up. Number 40. Players at the complex got to wear the same jersey as the Major League team. I felt obliged to snap a picture to share this surreal moment with my family. My journey had begun.
The first week was a blur. Every day I continued to meet new coaches and teammates, all with different knowledge and experiences to share. I did not feel stressed; I was having fun. I was grateful to be able to play another day of baseball and able to represent the A’s organization. My two goals were to have fun and finish every day healthy. I could tell that wasn’t how everyone felt. For a lot of other players, it was a job they needed to succeed at. For me, it was a privilege. Every time I stepped on the field, I was relaxed by the thought of it being the same game of baseball I had been playing for years.
Days turned to weeks and weeks to months. My days consisted of only baseball, with plenty of time to rest and recover. We worked out in the afternoons and played games at night. I was able to get into a good routine with my eating and sleeping habits. Other pitchers on my team were motivated and wanted to work hard; most of them were recent college graduates like me. We encouraged each other and made the grind enjoyable. Some of the best times were joking around with them in the bullpen during games.
I played in the Arizona Rookie League before getting sent up to play with the High-A Stockton Ports for the last weekend of the summer. Before I got promoted, four of my best high school friends road-tripped out to Phoenix to catch a few games. I threw a scoreless inning in front of them. As I walked off the mound, they gave me a standing ovation. I tried to stay composed but couldn’t help but crack a smile. It was special, the first time any of them had seen me pitch since high school. The summer in Phoenix was brutal with afternoon temperatures reaching up to 110 degrees so we would play our games at 6 PM. I can still remember how stunned one of my friends was to realize it was still 100 degrees at 8 PM.
When I get asked how my first summer of pro ball went I tell them the truth: I loved everything about it. Except for maybe the heat. I was very lucky to be drafted by an organization like Oakland. It didn’t feel like a job. I’ve always been told, if you love what you do, you’ll never have to “work” a day in your life.