An Alternate Plan?

Over the weekend, I threw a live bullpen session with a team from the Intercounty League, which is a semi-professional baseball association with teams in eight cities throughout Southwestern Ontario.

The league has been around for over eighty years and, in its current incarnation, is the destination of choice for a plethora of top notch collegiate baseball talent looking to play summer ball and players with former professional experience in independent leagues and minor league teams affiliated with Major League Baseball.

After talking to some of my contacts and doing some research on my own, I’ve also found that scouts from professional leagues in the United States regularly attend Intercounty League games throughout the summer. Sure, they are primarily looking for eighteen or nineteen year old Big Men on their respective Campuses and not twenty-five year old lefties making their first foray into pro ball (semi or otherwise).

However, that doesn’t mean that if I played in the league and was able to shut hitters down, I would be ignored because of my age and lack of baseball pedigree. Conversely, I believe that if I did end up playing Intercounty this summer and produced an impressive stat line, in a league that is well-known and respected among the various independent baseball leagues, there is a greater chance of garnering a more serious look from such teams rather than just showing up unheralded to an open tryout.

As I’ve mentioned before, all I need is a chance. You give me the opportunity to step on the mound and I will produce. I have the confidence to get hitters out with my stuff.

As professional poker players say, all you need is a chip and a chair to win a poker tournament. If I can get on a mound versus batters with professional experience, I know, as I proved in the Fort Myers Showcase, that my stuff is good enough to succeed. I just need the opportunity to get on a mound and throw against the most talented hitters I can find. While I may not end up with the necessary velocity on my fastball—not for a lack of trying—a radar gun is not the sole evaluator for pitching success. I want a chance to prove that.

Therefore, I think playing Intercounty this summer would be a good step for my baseball career. That in no way means that I’m giving up on my independent league dream down in the US. I still plan on attending tryouts this spring that will allow me the opportunity to throw in live game situations and not just a twenty pitch bullpen.

Nor does it mean I have a guaranteed spot on an Intercounty roster. I still have to prove myself worthy to the teams willing to give me a look and I plan on doing that once outdoor workouts commence.

Until that point, I will just continue to keep working on my mechanics and strive to be the best pitcher I can this summer no matter where I end up playing.