Photo Credit: Harris Rappel
(Editor’s Note: Tim is a RHP for the Bowling Green Hot Rods in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He was drafted out of SUNY Old Westbury in 2015 and currently has seven saves with a 3.93 ERA over 34.1 IP with 31 Ks and only five BBs.)
by Tim Ingram
My first full year of professional baseball has been a roller coaster of emotions.
From leaving my family, friends, and girlfriend, to coming close to home to play in Hudson Valley only to get moved up to Bowling Green Kentucky. One of the hardest parts about professional baseball is never knowing where you’re going to wind up.
I went into spring training with a great attitude and confident that I was going to a full season team. I even played a few games with the Double-A squad, which I thought was a good sign, but it turns out none of that really indicates anything–it’s really just what teams needs pitching that day.
Extended spring training was miserable. 7 am at the field everyday to do the exact same thing everyday, and to play the same three extended teams near us all week long for two and-a-half-months. The part of Florida I was in had almost nothing to do and not having a car made it even worse. The only thing I thought about was finally getting back to Hudson Valley to play in front if my family and friends again.
Eight days before extended spring training was over I got called up to High-A with the Port Charlotte Stone Crabs and sent down to Tampa for a few days. Once the road trip was over I got sent back down to extended and was scheduled to throw live batting practice to Logan Forsythe at Tropicana Field the next day, which was pretty cool. Before I even got off the field at Tropicana someone told me I was going back up to High-A the next day for a little while. I was definitely happy about that but the thought of waiting a little longer to see my family and girlfriend sucked. So my ride to New York left without me on travel day while I was in High-A but then I was called into the manager’s office and I had a flight back home the next day because they no longer needed me. I was finally back in Hudson and even got to sleep in my own bed a few nights.
The guys on the Hudson Valley team were like family to me. We all lived together, played together, ate together and partied together for two and a half months. The team chemistry there was unbelievable. I got to spend 16 days close to home always seeing my family, friends, and girlfriend before I got moved up to Low-A full season in Bowling Green, Kentucky. That was a long way from home. My girlfriend was attending summer classes and working so I wasn’t going to be able to see her from two months and that sucked but it’s a part of this life. I got to Kentucky and knew almost everyone on the team from spring training or my first season in Hudson. We left for a road trip that night before I even got to where I was going to be living. We were playing the South Bend Cubs, who are one of the better teams in the Midwest league. I finally got to go in the game in the 8th inning of a game that we were winning 11-5. I threw a great 8th inning only letting up a broken bat single to shallow right field. My 9th inning didn’t go so smooth. I let up 7 runs without recording a single out. My ERA after my first full season appearance was a 54.00 and I was lost. My next appearance went a little better and ever since then I’ve been taking it one inning at a time trying to get my numbers where they should be without that one outing. There’s been a few bumps along the road such as a blown save or making 5 appearances in 7 day since I fell into a closer position but it’s all part of the game.
