Reds rookie Mike Leake went from Arizona State to the majors without throwing a pitch in the minor leagues. Stephen Strasburg spent two months split between Double-A and Triple-A before making his big league debut in front of the entire baseball world. The rise to the top does not come so easily – or at all – for others who share the dream of playing in The Show. Two such players are John Lindsey, who was drafted way back in 1995, and Max St-Pierre, who had played 978 games in the minors – nearly all of them as a catcher – before getting called up this month to the Dodgers and Tigers, respectively. Lindsey had played for five different organizations and even tried independent ball in 2005. St-Pierre had spent 14 seasons in the minors, including 13 in the Tigers organization, and was one of the Toledo Mud Hens' backstops in 2010. He probably did not expect the promotion after starting the year at Double-A. It’s always exciting for any minor leaguer to find out he's going up to the big leagues, but for a 33-year-old first baseman and a 30-year-old catcher going up for the first time, it has got to be the greatest feeling in the world.
Continue reading "Hard work pays off for career minor leaguers"
