Summer in the Pros

The day may never come when representatives of Major League Baseball teams begin to fight corporate recruiters for access to the best and the brightest at Princeton's Career Fair, but the success enjoyed in recent years by former Tigers in professional baseball is at least starting to turn some heads.

The bulk of this attention has been garnered by Chris Young '02, a starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers who spent the summer hurling his way onto the short list of candidates for American League Rookie of the Year.

But while Young is the lone Princeton alum currently on a big league roster, nine of his fellow former Tigers spent this season earning a living in the minor leagues. They range from Pat Boran '02 — a four-year veteran who played in the independent Atlantic League — to 2005 grads Will Venable, Brian Kappel and Worth Lumry, who began their pro careers in rookie leagues just this summer.

Several of those nine may soon pose significant threats to Young's stronghold on the limelight. For this, Young can blame his former manager, Scott Bradley. Over his seven years at Princeton, Bradley has not only stocked his program with a steady supply of legitimate prospects, but he also has made sure that these players leave him as solid draft picks for Major League clubs. Bradley, a former big-league catcher, has proven particularly adept at identifying and mentoring talented pitchers. Of the five former Tigers now manning mounds in the minors, at least one, Ross Ohlendorf '05, recognizes Bradley's crucial role in establishing Princeton as an abundant source of baseball talent.

"[Bradley] really stepped up the recruiting," said Ohlendorf, who the Arizona Diamondbacks took with the 116th overall pick of the 2004 draft following his junior year. "And scouts have good relationships with him, so they know they're not wasting their time by coming to Princeton, whereas in the past they hadn't."

Ohlendorf has done his part as well, spending the past two seasons making the Diamondbacks glad to have found a new talent mine to tap in the Ivy League.

His seven starts in 2004 for the Single-A Yakima Bears, Arizona's rookie league team, were impressive enough to merit a promotion to the South Bend Silver Hawks, the Diamondbacks' high-A affiliate, to begin this year's campaign. As the second starter in the Silver Hawks' rotation, Ohlendorf went 11-10 and posted an earned run average of 4.53.

Ohlendorf has continued to improve despite the significant adjustment he has had to make to life as a minor leaguer, both on and off the field.

"As a starting pitcher," Ohlendorf said, "I pitch once every five days. In college, we had a week between starts. I've also made 27 starts this year, whereas I made just nine my junior year [at Princeton]. It's a lot more taxing on my arm. You can definitely get worn out physically."

And for a Princeton ORFE major like Ohlendorf, the mental challenges of the minor leagues can be just as difficult as the physical toll.

"Playing every day, there are stretches where it gets monotonous," Ohlendorf said. "In college, there were classes to go to along with other activities. Here, it's pretty much just baseball."

If boredom and fatigue alone have been the only symptoms of Ohlendorf's transition from college to the pros, he need look no further than his former teammate and closer at Princeton, Thomas Pauly '04, to see that he has been one of the lucky ones.

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Pauly's minor league career got off to a promising start after the Cincinnati Reds chose him in the second round (51st overall) of the 2003 draft and oversaw his virtually seamless transition from relief pitcher to starter. Over the course of the 2003 and 2004 seasons, starting for the low-A Dayton Dragons and then the high-A Potomac Cannons, he boasted an impressive ERA of 3.26. He also struck out 171 batters while walking just 36.

But while lifting weights at Princeton during the last off-season, Pauly tore his labrum. As a result, he had surgery in Cincinnati at the end of spring training. He has not pitched in a game this season and has instead spent his time rehabilitating in Sarasota, Fla. As he continues down the road to recovery, Pauly cannot help but speculate about what the future may hold.

"I just started throwing again, and I'm trying to stay positive," Pauly said. "I just want to get back to 95 percent; then I think I'll have a chance."

The challenge of having to prove himself all over again, once healthy, is one that the 2004 Reds' Minor League Player of the Year embraces.

"I'm still probably seen as somewhat of a prospect," Pauly said, "but it's kind of nice that it's up to me to really bring myself back into that prospect limelight."

One benefit of the free time Pauly has enjoyed during his lost season has been the opportunity to track the progress of his friend Young, with whom he remains in contact.

Nor has Young's success been lost on Ohlendorf, who has spent many an hour of down time watching Rangers' games from his apartment.

"I really enjoy getting to see [Young] on TV," Ohlendorf said. "The fact that it took him almost five years [to make the majors after getting drafted] reminds you that it is a long process, and it really makes you proud."

If Ohlendorf, Pauly and the eight other former Tigers in the minor leagues have their way, then Young will not have to serve as Princeton's lone link to the big leagues much longer.