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IN THE MINOR LEAGUES, PLAYERS LEARN HOW
TO BE PROFESSIONALS ON AND OFF THE FIELD
By Chris Gigley
s soon as left-handed
pitcher Michael Heesch
reported to High-A
Myrtle Beach this spring,
he signed up for the first pregame
autograph session the team scheduled. The Pelicans, who rely on
player appearances to build fan loyalty, can thank former Cubs pitcher
Each Cubs farm team offers
prospects plenty of chances to
meet the public. Randy Wehofer,
broadcaster and director of media
relations for the Tfiple-A Iowa
Cubs, said he has no trouble gathering player volunteers for community events, particularly when
those events involve kids.
Ryan Dempster for creating such an
excellent voiunteer in Heesch.
"Whether it's instructing at a
clinic, going to a school or helping at the Miracle League Field
across the street from Principal
The 2012 eighth-round draft
pick grew up a loyal Cubs fan in
Crysta1 Lake, Illinois, a suburb
north of Chicago, and he and his
friends would often wait in line to
get into the Wrigley Field bleachers
before the gates opened. On one of
those occasions, the now-25-yearold hurler got quite a shock.
'411 of a sudden, Ryan Dempster
ran by, and everyone went nuts,"
Heesch recalled. "He was running
laps around the bailpark, and he
stopped to give everyone high fives
and say,'What's up?"'
The thrili of Dempster's small
gesture has stuck with Heesch
through the years. Now that he's
a pro baliplayer, he makes sure to
interact with fans whenever he
gets the chance. He's often one
of the first to volunteer for base-
ball clinics, signings, speaking
engagements and other outreach
events minor league teams frequently ask players to do.
But while fans are always
happy to see piayers, they're not
the only ones who benefit from
these exchanges.
'After games, when I'm walking
into the dugout, fans i interacted
with two weeks before will tell me,
'Good job,"'Heesch said. "They feel
comfortable enough to call me by
name. It's a good feeling when they
go out of their way like that."
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VINE LINE cubs com/vineline
Park, the players remember how
thrilling it was to be a kid and
have a chance to meet a pro athlete," Wehofer said. "The kids'
enthusiasm and innocence usually makes for a fun experience."
Jen Borowski, senior director of
community development with the
Pelicans, said she's found players
enjoy pregame signing sessions
the most because they get to ming1e with the fans.
"l went and watched minor
Ieague teams play in Florida aIi the
time when I was a kid," said Myrtie
Beach first baseman Jacob Rogers.
"l wasn't a big autograph guy. I d
talk to lplayers] about baseball and
try to get tips from them. Those
interactions pushed me to become
the ballplayer I am today."
"lt's ingrained in them when
they join the Cubs organization
that they're part of the minor
league team and, by extension,
part of that community," Borowski
said. "Everything we've asked
them to do, they've done with
smiles on their faces."
Often, Borowski doesn't even
have to ask.
In May, for instance, the
Pelicans scheduled a Military
Appreciation Night that was rained
out. One military veteran who
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lvllCHAEL HEESCH, MvRIiE BEACH PELiCAtlS PTTCHER
planned to attend couldn't make the rescheduled
event, so the team invited him to another game and
allowed him on the field for batting practice.
"We iet [Pelicans manager] Mark Johnson know
there was someone special there that night, and he
made sure every player went up and thanked [the
veteran] for his service," Borowski said. "lt really made
his night. It was something they didn't have to do."
This June, the team hosted a Father's Day fantasy
baseball camp, wherein local dads were split into
teams coached by a few Pelicans players. The attendees got to take batting practice and play a short
game on TicketReturn.com Field. Again, Borowski
had no trouble finding volunteers, even though spare
time during the baseball season is precious.
"Remember when you were in school and the teacher asked for volunteers to do a project?" Heesch asked.
"No one ever raised their hand.The teacher aiways had
to go around the class and say,'You, you and you are
volunteering.' We've never had that situation."
Many players, Heesch included, see their volunteerism
as part of their overall development as bailplayers.
"lt's important for us to get out there now so
we can get a taste of what it will be iike in the big
leagues," he said. "When you get there, you won't be
overwhelmed and caught off guard by everything."
Heesch knows how passionate Cubs fans can be.
That's why he sti1l grins like a child when he remembers high-fiving Dempster all those years ago. O
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