Brian Haggett was basically a strike away from seeing his baseball dreams vanquished.
A 2008 San Benito High graduate, Haggett had two strong years at Cal State Monterey Bay in which he hit a combined .330 while also earning Division II Western Region Gold Glove and All-American Academic honors.
But when Haggett didn’t get selected in the 2013 Amateur Draft upon the completion of his senior season, he knew the long road to the major leagues just got that much more difficult.
After earning his degree in kinesiology last December, Haggett went to San Antonio to play in the Texas Winter League, which is basically a 20-game showcase in front of managers and scouts from numerous pro organizations.
Haggett hit .378 during league play, the seventh best mark among all players. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder—he bats left and throws right—also displayed wizardry with the glove at first base, making all the routine plays while producing some highlight-reel web gems along the way.
After the completion of the winter league, Haggett earned a rookie contract with the Lake Erie Crushers of the Independent Frontier League. The team is based in Avon, Ohio, and Haggett appreciates playing at a new place far away from home.
“I’m pretty excited obviously because if I didn’t get offered a contract, I was pretty much done playing and out of options,” he said. “My goal was to get drafted, and when that didn’t happen, I had to find a way to hook up with a team. I’m getting paid to play pro ball and travel and see different parts of the country. It’s hard to put a number on it, but I’m going to play two, three, four years for a chance to get called up to the majors.”
It didn’t take long for Haggett to realize just how much of a business pro baseball is—even in the minor leagues. From the time the season started in mid-May, Haggett has seen approximately a half-dozen teammates either get traded or released.
Here today, gone tomorrow isn’t just a catchy slogan—it’s a way of life in pro sports.
“Since day one, it’s been pretty intense and competitive,” said Haggett, who entered the week hitting .217 with an OPS of .612. “You have to be into the game all the time, and you can’t relax. It seems like there’s a new pitcher or catcher in the locker almost every day. It’s a business like they say, and you have to produce.”
Although Haggett hasn’t produced great hitting stats, he’s started almost every game at first base and has fielded the position well. He’s also confident that in time all of his numbers will improve.
“At this level, it’s all about making adjustments, so the more at-bats I get, the better adjustments I can make,” he said. “We’re lucky because our hitting coach, Joe Charboneau, was the 1980 (American League) Rookie of the Year with the Cleveland Indians, and I’ve been able to pick up some things from him that’s helped me with my swing.”
Playing baseball in the minor leagues is the ultimate grind, consisting of six to seven games a week and extremely long bus rides. Last Sunday, the Crushers played a game against the Gateway Grizzlies in southern Illinois—they lost 3-2 in 14 innings—before having to get back on the bus for a nine-hour ride home.
The Crushers arrived back in Avon at 10 a.m., and fortunately for them, Monday was a rare off day. So Haggett did what any normal person would’ve done—he slept.
“Luckily, that’s the only time of the season we’re going back there,” Haggett said. “You hear about the bus rides, but this one was pretty insane and brutal. I’m glad it’s over.”
Haggett knows he has to stay mentally tough for the everyday challenges coming his way. Whenever Haggett feels like things aren’t going as planned, he can point back to his experience at Sacramento State for a reminder to stay strong.
After a standout career at San Benito, Haggett had two spectacular years at West Valley College in Saratoga before earning a partial scholarship to Sacramento State. But in the fall of his junior year, Haggett came down with the chicken pox, which curtailed the progress he made during the fall ball season.
Once he returned, Haggett and the Sacramento State coaches had a falling out, and he eventually transferred to CSUMB. Haggett learned a lot of valuable lessons over the experience.
“Going through that definitely made me mentally tougher,” he said. “I realized you’re going to have players or coaches who are going to tell you that you’re not good enough, and you can’t listen to them. You can’t get down and beat yourself up over certain things. You have to believe in yourself, because if you don’t, no one else will.”
