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Great read. Not one of the long timers here, but glad to hear he's found a way to be both successful and happy.
Chris was always one of my favorites. High class individual!
Good for him. lucky high school.
As it has been said many times that the game will dictate when it's time to hang them up. Sounds like this player did everything he could but his end was short of the making major leagues but couldn't break through and he knew it was time to move on the the next chapter and find his place in the game. As long as he figured he did everything he could, then there should be no regrets that he didn't get as far as he would've hoped.
Originally Posted by PGStaff:
Chris was always one of my favorites. High class individual!
My son played with Chris' youngest brother in the Marzano Scout League. He's a class act too. He's playing at Yale.
Yes, Chris, Mike and Joe are all great kids. Wally and Betsy are great parents and great people. One of the best baseball families we have ever been involved with.
A baseball friend who visits this site more regularly than I do indicated to me that Chris’ name was mentioned recently. Thanks for the kind words especially from PGStaff; Perfect Game was extremely instrumental in the success of all three of my sons, I’m positive that none of them would have gotten as far in baseball as they have without the opportunities which Perfect Game provides, and I strongly recommend PG events to all the families I tutor (in fact, a 2015 grad I’m currently helping will be competing at the Junior National Showcase at the Metrodome this week and several players in my program just competed at the Perfect Game Sunshine Northeast Showcase).
Chris’ journey can help open many eyes regarding the potential REAL ups and downs in baseball, especially pro ball. Despite all of Chris’ achievements as an amateur and pro, the professional baseball experience in particular was a rollercoaster ride to say the least, and there were many moments that made me scratch my head. Although my family managed the college recruiting process, Chris’ development, and the MLB draft itself very well, we weren’t prepared for the "idiosyncrasies" of pro baseball. Granted, there were many highs in Chris’ pro career, performance and success at every level and memories to last several lifetimes, but we learned that the business of baseball (ugh!) can be much different than most people will ever imagine.
Despite Chris’ inclusion on several “top draft bust” lists these days, the fact is that there are many dynamics that can adversely affect a player’s ascent to the big leagues, and much of it out of his control. Injuries can affect everything (Chris was primed for a MLB debut in 2009 and 2010 only to be sidelined, not career-ending injuries by any means, but certainly coming at inopportune times), changes in the front office can clearly have a huge impact (a new GM may have a much different philosophy than his predecessor, and some prospects can then find themselves on the outside looking in), and a host of development, coaching, and management decisions that the public (and the player in some instances) is never aware of, decisions that aren’t openly scrutinized by analysts to any significant degree but can have an enormous influence on a player’s career. It always amazed me how MLB clubs may be criticized in the media for drafting poorly, but rarely does much attention focus on player development (or the lack thereof). We learned many lessons for sure but the entire story is too extensive to share in this forum—you will just have to wait for the book, LOL!
If I can help anyone regarding the recruiting process or other baseball issues (MLB draft, agents, pro ball, evaluation and development, etc.), please don’t hesitate to email me (see my website for more contact info) or simply post a question on these forums (I will try to be a more frequent visitor!).
Wally Lubanski
Next Level Associates, LLC
Great post, great article. It is very difficult lifestyle and I totally understand his decision.I think many players have to decide that for themselves, or it is decided for them.