MR. PERSISTENCE
As sports fans, we love stories like that of Mike Yastrzemski because it reminds us that perseverance is often the quality that counts most in life.
Six years after the Orioles chose Mike Yastrzemski in the 14th round of the MLB Draft, the little-known outfielder was involved in a trade the baseball world hardly noticed.
Last March, the Orioles sent Yastrzemski, a career minor leaguer, to the Giants in exchange for pitching prospect Tyler Herb. Less than a year later, the 29-yearold Yastrzemski is one of the faces of the 2020 Giants after compiling one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history.
How did the grandson of Hall of Fame outfielder Carl Yastrzemski go from Orioles afterthought to all-important Giants outfielder? Ahead of the 2020 season we spoke with Yastrzemski on the driving forces in his journey, the lows in his minor league career and the highs from an unforgettable rookie year.
Q When you look back on your 2019 season, what stuck with you?
A I think by playing free and loose, results came from it. Being able to come over to a new organization and get new eyes, it let me play free and it was a lot easier to perform.
Q How do you keep your major league dreams alive when you spend all of those years in the minor leagues?
A Some days, you’re not dreaming, you’re just waiting for it to end. I didn’t want to pull the plug on it myself, but I always said I would play until somebody ripped the jersey off of my back. That was kind of the mentality I had and I had to keep. Even the days where it didn’t feel like it was going anywhere, it was still about maintaining a positive attitude and enjoying baseball because I love it and it’s fun.
Q You’ve said one of the most influential people in keeping you in baseball was your mom. What kind of role has she played in your career and keeping you inspired?
A Watching her be a single mother for much of my life, I think a lot of my determination is watching how she made things work for me. I always had what I needed and what I wanted and if that doesn’t give you any way to go about your business, then I think you’re not looking at it the right way.
Q You’ve been with your wife for 10 years. How important has her support been through this journey?
A It’s unbelievable to have a partner that looks at your dream the same way that they look at their own. You can’t describe how valuable that is. Just to have her be by my side and be pushing me to stick with it and stay positive. She was working four different jobs at one point to keep us afloat so to have that was just beyond what I could ever imagine.
Q When you were drafted as a junior out of Vanderbilt, you had an opportunity to sign for good money, but you went back as a senior anyway. Why?
A My dad always regretted not graduating. That always stuck with me for the longest time and so I made him a promise when I was younger that I would graduate and I had that opportunity at my fingertips and I don’t think there was really any amount of money that I would have given up to take that away. I think that was super important to my life and understanding what’s really important because this all ends at some point. I lost a little bit of an opportunity to get here sooner, but to have that degree in my back pocket for whenever I need it, you can’t put a value on that.
Q Last July, the Giants told you they were considering sending you down. Did it surprise you that Triple-a was going to be an option for you again?
A No because baseball is like that. Baseball is waves and it’s ups and downs and if you can keep the mental sanity to stay level — which is the hardest part of this game — it’s to realize no matter how well or poorly you’re playing you have to show up and be the same guy. You can’t be panicking when you have a bad stretch and you can’t be over-celebrating when you’re having a good stretch. You just have to understand that all of those things are going to happen in a season. There’s no player in history to ever be perfect. To understand that the game is that hard makes you more comfortable in your own failures. Q How would you rank these three moments from your rookie year? 1) Your first career hit 2) Your three-home run game 3) Your home run at Fenway Park where your grandfather starred. A 1) The homer at Fenway 2) The three-home run game 3) The first hit. I can forget the first one because getting back-picked isn’t a very fond memory of mine.
Q Worst minor league bus ride?
A Probably one in rookie ball in Aberdeen where our bus caught on fire. All of a sudden, the guys were yelling about how it was really hot in the back and there was smoke and we all had to get off on the exit. That one was pretty bad.
Q Gabe Kapler has talked about you being a leader this year. Despite being a rookie just a season ago, he values your presence. How does that make you feel?
A It feels awesome to have the confidence from the manager to put you in a position to have impact on other players and it’s really a big deal to me. I want guys to understand that I have something to offer because there are going to be a lot of guys that are going to impact this team. When I came up I was just nervous in general, but until you get to know these guys, these guys that have been around for 10-to-12 years are all human beings too. They’re always here to help.
Q What was your reaction to the Giants making a bobblehead day for you?
A I just started laughing. I found out from my wife, she saw it first and I think it’s really cool. I’m excited to see how it comes out.