Isotopes third baseman Josh Fuentes
Whereas some professional baseball careers appear to be predestined, most are not. Most players have to scrap and claw their way up the ladder.
But few have been as much of a long shot as Isotopes third baseman Josh Fuentes, who played one year of varsity baseball at Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo, Calif., before earning a walk-on spot at nearby Saddleback College. From there, he hit his way to Missouri Baptist, an NAIA school, before the first cousin of Rockies’ all-star Nolan Arenado signed with Colorado as an undrafted free agent in 2014.
“Coming out of college, I was on nobody’s radar,” Fuentes said. “So one day Nolan goes, ‘I’m going to get you to hit in front of a Rockies scout, and hopefully something happens’… Nolan definitely got my foot in the door — I don’t want to lie about that, it’s the truth.”
But what’s also the truth is that the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Fuentes has made the most of his opportunity. His journey to his first season in Triple-a Albuquerque, where he’s hitting .323 with 10 home runs and 73 RBIS, was one of patience.
“I really had to wait to play a lot,” Fuentes said. “When I went to rookie ball (in 2014), I was only playing about once every four days. I batted .260, so coming into spring training the next year I thought I did OK for the amount of at-bats I had. Then I got sent to extended (spring training) later that year, and that hurt a little bit — I thought I was going to get released.”
An injury to another player helped Fuentes earn a promotion to Class-a Asheville about a month later, but when he was assigned to the Tourists again to begin the 2016 season, he knew his time was short to get his career on track. He was a 23-year old among mostly 18 or 19-year-old prospects.
“One day, I basically said to myself, ‘You either figure it out, or you go home,’ ” Fuentes recalled. “Then I had a good game, someone got hurt and I started playing every day. A week later I got promoted to (Class-a Advanced) Modesto.”
Fuentes has been rising ever since, culminating with a career year this summer which not only earned him selection as a Pacific Coast League all-star, but MVP honors at the game. His recent success has only made the once-overlooked 25-year-old more focused.
“Most people don’t remember the Triple-a all-star game MVP come five years, or even next year,” he said. “So for me, it’s about continuing to adjust and get better.”
And getting to Coors Field.