Pitcher returns to the state of play
It’s a second chance that J.P. Feyereisen never could have seen coming three months ago.
On March 26, the day the 2020 Major League Baseball season was scheduled to open before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the game, the Milwaukee Brewers optioned five players to the minors. Feyereisen, a right-handed reliever, was one of them, getting sent to Class AA Biloxi in what was actually a rosterbalancing paperwork move.
Feyereisen would have started the season at Class AAA San Antonio under normal circumstances, but with the entire sport on hold, he returned home to River Falls, Wisconsin, to set up his own workout routine. Finally, after three months, he got the word from the Brewers last week to report to Milwaukee for Summer Camp at Miller Park to prepare for the shortened 60-game season to begin in late July.
Feyereisen made the 4 1⁄2 hour drive across the state Friday, traveling straight through, no doubt with a smile on his face most of the time. For a kid who grew up playing baseball in Wisconsin, even close to the far western border, wearing a Brewers uniform one day was the stuff of dreams.
“It’s very exciting, not only for me but my friends and family who are Brewers fans,” said Feyereisen, who was drafted out of UW-Stevens Point by Cleveland in the 16th round in 2014, traded to the New York Yankees in 2016, then to the Brewers after last season.
“I’d love to make the opening day roster. That would be very special. But I just want to help the team win in any way, if not at the start of the season then whenever they need me.”
By all appearances, there will be at least three more jobs to win in the bullpen than were available during the first training camp. Originally, teams were going to have 26-man rosters with no more than 13 pitchers. Now, for the first two weeks, there will be 30-man rosters with no restrictions on the number of pitchers.
Manager Craig Counsell said last week he anticipates opening the season with more pitchers than position players, meaning at least 16 roster spots, including 11 in the bullpen. Other pitchers
previously cut from camp invited back to vie for jobs are Bobby Wahl, Eric Yardley, Zack Brown and Drew Rasmussen, all right-handers.
“It’s great to have this opportunity,” said Feyereisen, who is on the 40-man roster. “There’s going to be four extra guys on the team. Everybody wants to win one of those jobs. That’s why you play, right? We know in a 60-game season every game is going to matter.
“It’s definitely exciting. I feel if we had a whole season, at some point they’d need me, and I could help them out. So, I always thought I’d be in a position to come up during the season.”
One of the running gags in every spring camp is that players report “in the best shape of my life.” Well, as far as Feyereisen is concerned, that pertains to Summer Camp as well after dropping 30 pounds during the shutdown with a steady workout regimen while watching what he ate.
“I went on a strict diet when I got back home from Arizona,” he said. “I wanted to make myself better equipped physically, more agile and explosive off the mound. I dropped from 230 pounds to 200 but I’ve built back up to 210 to make sure I stay strong.”
Feyereisen threw regular bullpen sessions on the new artificial-surface municipal field recently installed in River Falls. A friend, Peter Brookshaw, a second baseman for North Dakota State whose college season was shut down, did the catching.
“He strapped on the gear and caught me,” Feyereisen said. “He was hoping to play in the (collegiate) Northwoods League like he did last summer but only a few teams are playing. I was able to throw my pens and work out in a friend’s gym, so I didn’t really miss anything.”
As for keeping the faith during those months of individual preparation, Feyereisen said, “I never had a doubt that we would play at least some part of a season. I thought they’d figure it out at some point in time. I knew they wanted to play. So, I just tried to stay ready for when the time came.
“I got to spend time with the family in the spring and summer for the first time. That was nice to be able to do that at this time of the year. I got to see some friends that normally I wouldn’t get to see. Then, the Brewers called and said, ‘We’re going back to Milwaukee.’”
Feyereisen has pitched six seasons in the minor leagues, the last 2 1⁄2 at the Class AAA level, waiting for a chance to make his big-league debut. Official word finally came Tuesday that the minor leagues would be canceled for 2020, and Feyereisen felt bad for all the former teammates who have no place to play this summer.
“I know if I was in that situation, it would be tough,” said Feyereisen, who went 10-2 with a 2.49 ERA and seven saves in 40 appearances for the Yankees’ Class AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre affiliate last year. “They just have to focus on developing themselves and learning themselves more.
“They can work on their own craft. It’s not the same as playing games and it’s not ideal, so you have to make the most of it.”
What lies ahead for all players, experienced or not, will be a new world, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that prompted MLB and the players union to put together a 113-page manual of how things will operate in 2020, on and off the field.
When it does come time to play games, there will be no fans in the stands, at least at the start, which will create an eerie atmosphere that should challenge intensity levels.
“It’s going to be different with no fans,” Feyereisen acknowledged. “But, if you’ve played in minor league baseball, you’ve played in places where they’ve had very few fans. It’ll be different because the stadium is bigger (in the majors) but I’ve played in games where there were no fans in the stands. The important thing is to go out and compete with the best in the world.”
When Feyereisen takes the mound at Miller Park, during camp and hopefully the season, it will not be the first time he toes the rubber there.
“I actually pitched at Miller Park in the American Legion All-Star Game when I was a senior in high school,” he said. “I got to throw a couple of innings. So, I’ve been on the mound before, just not as a Brewer.”
Feyereisen has come a long way since pitching for River Falls Post 121. And he’s about to get a second chance at his first chance to pitch in the majors for his home-state team.