Travel Baseball Teams in Massachusetts

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MLB Players from Massachusetts

Massachusetts isn’t just a place where big leaguers come to play baseball. It’s also a place where they get their start. There are 16 Massachusetts-born major leaguers (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/birthplace.php?loc=Massachusetts). Alex Cobb, Tim Collins, Brandon Gomes, Chris Dwyer, and Chris Capuano are among the familiar names.

Here is a look at three pitchers, and how they found their way to the pros.

Alex Cobb

Alex Cobb was born in 1987 in Boston. As a boy, he rooted for the home team, the Boston Red Sox.

Cobb pitched for the Vero Beach High School team; there he set a strikeout record. He also had the experience of being bat boy for a minor league team (http://tbo.com/sports/rays/rays-qa-alex-cobb-20140330). His own summer team was the Indian River Express (http://www.perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=33978).

Cobbs signed a letter of intent, but didn't head off to college. Instead, he went to the minors. He was a 4th round draft pick in 2006 at age 19. He had his major league debut at age 23, in 2011.

Tim Colllins

Left-handed pitcher Tim Collins was born in 1989 in Worcester. He was on the team at Worcester Technical High School and intended to play at the community college level. To go further was a long shot. For a pro ball player, anything under 6 foot is on the short side, and Collins is somewhere between 5'5 and 5’7, depending on who you ask. His short stature was an obstacle despite great biomechanics and the ability to pitch a no-hitter.

Collins was not drafted, but was signed after the general manager for Toronto saw him play at an American Legion ballgame and invited him to work out (http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2009-05-08-down-on-the-farm-collins_N.htm).

The Lansing Lugnuts and New Hampshire Fisher Cats were among the teams Collins played for in the minors. He made his MLB debut in 2011 at age 21.

Brandon Gomes

Right-handed pitcher Brandon Gomes was born in 1984 in Fall River. He, too, was a Red Sox fan. In elementary school, he played Little League and dreamed of making the big league himself one day.

It was on to Durfee High School – and to showcases. As a high schooler, Gomes went to showcase events in Arizona and North Carolina. He credits the showcases with bringing him to the attention of recruiters at Tulane University.

Gomes had to take classes at another campus in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but graduated with a double major and a chance at a pro ball career. He was selected in the 17th round of the 2007 draft when he was 23. Then came a long string of minor league stints.

He was traded to a team that could make better use of his talent – he made his major league debut for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011 at age 26.

Learning from the Pros

Gomes told the New England Baseball Journal that when he made his MLB debut, he thought, “Wow, I’m really here. I just had my first big-league outing, and I’ve been trying to get here since I was 7 years old (http://www.baseballjournal.com/news/html/2011/05_major_league_qa_gomes_gets.html).”

There are plenty of youth back in the ball fields of Massachusetts who have that same dream. It will take talent and (in some instances) a lucky break. It will also take hard work and commitment. Some of the commitment often comes from the family members who support their dreams. As Cobb told his Twitter fans, "Awesome having my dad in the stands for the game. Would never have the opportunity without all the time he put in (https://twitter.com/Acobb53).”

As rewarding as baseball is, academics are also very important. Gomes has said, “I really wanted Tulane because of its reputation for elite academics… I knew that when I got into pro ball, it wasn’t the end-all and be-all. If it didn’t work out, I had something to fall back on (http://www.baseballjournal.com/news/html/2011/05_major_league_qa_gomes_gets.html).”

Travel Baseball Teams in Massachusetts

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