In February of 2012, I was interning for Nine Baseball, a youth baseball organization designed to aid young athletes headed for the MLB draft or Division 1 Ball. At one of their events, I got the opportunity to interview Cincinnati Red's catcher, Devin Mesorco. At that point, he hadn't spent a full year in the pros, having only been a September call up the season before. Now he's having a breakout season and well on his way to becoming an everyday MLB player. This was the story I wrote before all of that happened.
Over 50 young baseball players from the EvoShield Canes organization came out to PANine’s most recent training event in Palmyra, PA. But before any of the athletes could take to their sessions, they were told of another baseball player they could aspire to become.
“It was the day of the MLB draft,” recalled Canes Coach Mark Helsel, “I was running late on my way to see a player we knew was going to be drafted later in the day.” That player was Devin Mesoraco. Helsel got to the game just in time to see the young catcher hustling to first base to back up an overthrown ball. Devin was able to snag the loose ball and, thanks to some hesitation by the runner, was able to make the out at first. “Here was a guy who knew he would be drafted later that day,” said Helsel, “He could have just sat out the game and watched and waited, but he played and was still putting out all his effort for his team. That’s the kind of player he is.”
More than that, it’s the kind of person he is. Devin listened to this story with a half embarrassed smirk. “I remember the game,” He said when asked about that day, “I don’t really remember the play though.” Of course he didn’t. He probably hustled down that line to first base over 100 times during his high school career. It wasn’t a move to bolster his stats or impress the scouts. It was a well-thought out action, above the call of a “routine play”, to help his team when they needed him to. This was just another play and he did what was necessary. Just like he had been doing for years and just like he is still doing today.
Born and raised in Punxsutawney, PA (or as he describes it “the middle of nowhere”), you can tell Devin was brought up the right way. His friendly demeanor and positive outlook is something very hard to come by in anyone this day and age, let alone professional athletes. In baseball, his father was his biggest influence. A fellow catcher out of IUP, he watched games with Devin and studied them with him. They watched the catchers and hitters to see what the players on the major league level were doing. One of the players Devin looked up to was Jason Kendall. Devin described Kendall as the kind of player he wanted to be. “He played hard, was a more athletic catcher and a hard nosed player.” Most of all he played the game the way it was supposed to be played.
Speaking with Devin, you would never know that he is likely to be the starting catcher for a team projected to win the National League Central this year. He makes you feel like you’ve known him for years after just minutes of talking to him, and he treats you like you have too. But despite that “guy next door” style and his relaxed approach to the small things in life, he is not afraid to be firm but fair when he needs to. There are many websites and blogs reporting on Devin across the internet. Although there is some debate about him being ready to take over the starting job this season, there is one fact in all the articles I’ve read that everyone agrees on. Devin is a born leader. I couldn’t agree with them more. He went from being shy about a story from his high school days, right into coach mode where it was time for hard work. And like I said, he was firm but fair. He didn’t give his students a sugarcoated version of his career but he gave it to them straight. He told them the little things that will help them to become successful on and off the field. He touched on everything from the way to behave around scouts (and even when you don’t think you’re being scouted) to keeping your cleats clean and your pants from dragging behind you. He was giving them some tough instruction but still maintained his very relatable attitude and friendly demeanor, the perfect balance in such a high intensity career path. “Don’t call me coach, call me Devin,” he told a group of players, “I’m not a coach yet. I’d like to think I can still play a little longer.”
Probably the most interesting and inspiring thing about Devin is what he considers to be the most important factor in getting him to the place he’s in now. “Work hard at your academics first. Those opened up so many doors for me.” He recommends working toward a scholarship before thinking of the major leagues. “If you’re a great student and a good baseball player, they’ll be able to find a sport for you.” And that wasn’t something he only told me to make for a good interview. He later echoed this sentiment to a group of his players, telling them that if he didn’t get drafted within the first 50 picks, he probably would have went to college instead of the pros. “I was lucky the Reds took me with their 15th pick, but I would have had no problem going to college otherwise.” Even as he introduced me to his girlfriend before our interview, you could tell where his values lied. “I thought you were gonna be working on your homework?” he joked with her.
Right now, Devin is in Arizona with Cincinnati’s pitchers getting ready for the 2012 season. That is where his skills and hard work have put him. From hustling down the first base line to hitting the books to keep up his GPA, his story is an inspiration for any player looking to make it to the majors. He’s shown that with enough heart, effort and overall character, even a player in the not-so-highly-scouted area of western Pennsylvania can rise above and achieve the goals set for them. Devin’s skills and intangible attributes made him the perfect addition to PANine’s tremendous event staff. I can imagine that, once this new generation of baseball players are in his position, they’ll hearken back to him as one of their main influences and one of the players they looked up to because: He plays the game the way its supposed to be played. Both on the field and off.
Article first featured on http://blog.ninebaseball.net/.
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