Washington County Enterprise-Leader
On The Farm
LOGAN GRAGG WAITS FOR ST. LOUIS CARDINALS PRACTICE TO RESUME
— It’s 4 p.m. and there’s still plenty to do for Logan Gragg on a workday that typically begins by 6:30 a.m.
Ideally, Gragg would be starting his first full season in the minor leagues after being selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft. But much of the world is on lockdown because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, including Major League Baseball, which suspended spring training at all levels March 12.
“I was there working out in Florida and then, two hours later, I was on a plane headed home,” said Gragg, a right-handed pitcher who was drafted with the 245th overall pick by the Cardinals after his junior year at Oklahoma State.
Players who grew up in farm families don’t sit around hoping for baseball to resume again. So, Gragg returned home to Prairie Grove to work on his farm.
He hops into a mud-splattered gray truck with 130,000 miles on it and drives 8 miles outside of Prairie Grove to feed his cows. He used part of his signing bonus from the Cardinals to buy 40 acres of land, where he feeds 21 beef cows, including a bull and 15 calves. Gragg helps out with the care of other livestock for friends and family, including his parents, who have 30 cows; his uncle, who has about 150 cows; and his grandparents, who have more than 100 head.
He also helped out last week in building an RV park in Greenland with his dad, Scott Gragg, who owns a construction company.
“Logan has never shied away from hard work,” said Mitch Cameron, who coached Gragg in high school at Prairie Grove. “He’s been driving a tractor since he was little. His family taught him the meaning of hard work, and that work ethic gave him the mentality to start what you finish.
“When he steps on the mound, it is not any different. He hates to lose, and that willingness to compete allows him to get hitters out.”
Gragg began his college career at Connors State in Warner, Okla., where he compiled a 17-2 record before transferring to Oklahoma State. Longtime Connors State baseball Coach Perry Keith, the winningest active coach in the National Junior College Athletic Association, took a chance on the 6-5 Gragg after receiving a tip while
scouting a summer-league game in Bentonville.
“There was an older gentleman there, probably in his late 60s or early 70s, and I asked him who the best hitters and best pitchers in the area were,” said Keith, who has had 130 former players sign professionally. “He told me there was this tall, skinny kid at Prairie Grove and, after I contacted his coach, Logan came and threw for me at Connors State.
“He threw in the upper 80s, low 90s, and I was thinking, ‘ Oh, my word, we’ve got something here.’ Logan has an electric arm, and he throws strikes. The first time he threw an intrasquad game for us my phone blew up from scouts asking who this kid was.”
Being a farmer and starting his own family is a longterm goal for Gragg, 21, who majored in livestock merchandise at Oklahoma State. But baseball has been a big part of his life, and he fulfilled most every young boy’s dream when he was drafted by the Cardinals in June while Oklahoma State was still competing in the NCAA Tournament.
“We had practice that day, so I was trying not to think about the draft,” Gragg said. “After practice, I actually got a call in the fourth round and was told I might be drafted in the fifth round. I went about my business until the eighth round when my agent called and asked if I was ready to be a Cardinal, and I said, ‘Heck, yeah.’ ”
Gragg spent part of his rookie season at Class A Peoria (Ill.) in the Midwest
League, where he started eight games and went 0- 3 with a 3.38 ERA. He was in Jupiter, Fla., at the Cardinals’ spring training complex in March when play was stopped.
“Everyone is trying to keep things in perspective, hoping it doesn’t get worse,” said Gragg, who ends his long workdays by throwing with his brother- in- law to keep his arm in shape. “I think they’re doing the right thing, holding everything off.”
In the meantime, Gragg is going about his business and doing what he’s always enjoyed by working long days on the farm.
“Logan loves the farm,” Cameron said. “Deep down, that is probably what motivates him to be a great pitcher in the big leagues, so he can have his own farm with tractors and cattle.”