Comments on: Mets Prospect Spotlight: A Young Man Retires From Baseball

By: Metsie

Metsie — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 18:32:34 +0000

Well remember Baseball is a good living up till about age 40 (if your REALLY good! LOL)
There is a much longer life after that (at least you hope there is) and the challenges of age 40-80 are much harder than anything you will face in Baseball!

People need dreams or what is the point of living?
As far as the education that helps not only post baseball but his baseball dreams as well!
Dummies can’t be coached! And talent can be overcome with smarts!

As I always say it isn’t the 95 MPH fastball that makes you a good pitcher it’s how and where your brain decides is the best place to throw it that makes you an ace!

You did the right thing. If he could make it out of HS he can make it out of college or after HS.
And the battle he is having to try and make it is an education unto itself!

The skills you need to persevere in baseball apply to persevering in ANY endeavor!
SO it’s not like he is hurting himself in a wasted endeavor!

By: baseballforlife

baseballforlife — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:45:23 +0000

Thank you Metsie for your response. Day to day I think to myself, should I offer my thoughts. Never quit making it thus far to the mouth.. never having the honor to be in his position..Not sure I would offer the best to him.. and having him living with regrets on something I said or didn’t say would leave me shattered….and yes, you are correct, these kids are being taken out of school much younger and have nothing to fall back on….They wanted to take my son out of Junior year of high school and sign…If I never made the right decission when it comes to him and his career, I did that day!!! No-way I said, then I figured I had at least 3 years of colllege before they could even look at him again…lol Thanks again!!!

By: Metsie

Metsie — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:20:44 +0000

Well I will tell you perseverance is a as much a tool as a plus arm, speedy legs, and good batting swing.

And no you should not tell him to give up his dream even if you knew he really had no shot.
For one he wouldn’t listen anyway and two he would have regrets where if he came to that conclusion on his own he might not.

RA Dickey is a classic example of what is possible if you have the drive to succeed and that drive pushes you to make yourself better and good enough to reach the dream.

And you know to many who chase the dream it doesn’t really matter to them if they have a long and fruitful career in the MLB, Just wearing an MLB uni and playing a few games, getting a few MLB Abs and getting that 1st MLB hit is enough to satisfy the dreamquest.

Get a stat listing on Baseball Reference and Mission Accomplished!

My real concern is We are taking these kids out of school much younger than before to play a game that has at best 1280 Player/Employee positions at any given time.

It’s best to support their dreams but just as important to know they have that fallback option just in case.

By: baseballforlife

baseballforlife — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:15:29 +0000

Metsie,
I couldn’t of said it better, but I would like to piggback your comnment. My son plays for the minors…(won’t mention his name). Chasing a dream, one day hit the majors…We are born to guide our children..offer good advise in choices they make..how do you tell your son,.. stop dreaming the impossible…not trying to sound like Debbie downer..or doubting Thomas…I know in my heart, he has just as much as a good chance then any other player out there..so much talent, yet, not recognized, not even heard through the whispers of sounding fans. He once told me,” you can’t beat a player who won’t give up” Yes, these players sacifice years to have that one shot…His father played professional, even in a couple of major games…he says, it’s 90% luck that you make to the majors, not talent….I have traveled far with my son, with eyes wide open…..knowing that dreams are possible!!! Just don’t give up!!!

By: Rich from Lake Como

Rich from Lake Como — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 22:33:19 +0000

Hats off to a class act…. good luck in anything you do, Mr. Seng. I’m rooting for you.

By: paul nassau

paul nassau — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 19:43:21 +0000

I only hope that years from now he will still think he made the right decision. There’s nothing worse than regret. Pops

By: Metsie

Metsie — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 16:17:56 +0000

I guess many the average fan does not realize just what a grind and hardship being a Minor leaguer actually is.
They don’t stay in the fancy hotels or get the chartered flights waiting for them to take them home, they usually get on a bus and drive for hours to get to their next destination.

Only the cream of the crop actually get paid a decent salary compared to you and me and unfortunatly there is a new wave of YOUTH MOVEMENT going on in this country that is going to push a lot of these guys out of baseball quicker.

We have already seen it quite clearly in the draft as the top players are all drafted out of High School and if you actually go to college your less likely to get the big bucks that the HS kids get.

They are forced to make a choice, Play Baseball and hope they make it or Go to college and put thier future career on hold, hoping they can be good enough quick enough to promote and get on average a 3 or 4 year half a mil payday per year career out of it.

Look at how many people feel that Age and experience is a minus on your resume.
These players can’t possibly give it the full shot because if they do stick it out in the Minors until they are 28+ they will have a hard time breaking into the career they have been trained /schooled for and so far removed from that learning that they will have a hard time getting a job over some other kid who left school, interned and went right to work in the career he majored in.

These are tough times to be an old guy!
Kids get paid less and experience counts for nothing these days. (to most not me!)
If they screw up there is always some other cheap kid to take your place!
You only live so long as we all know social security is not going to support you when your retirement age hits so we will see a lot more cases like this where a person says yes it’s a dream but dreams don’t put food on the table or rent over your head.

You have to live in the world and the world dictates you had better make your money early because if you wait it will never ever come!

By: srt

srt — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 14:03:13 +0000

Practical indeed. This young man sounds mature beyond his years. Sounds like he took an honest look at where he’s at now, what he had hoped to accomplish and decided he didn’t meet the goals he had set out for himself, might never in baseball – and decided to move on.

I hope no one sees this as ‘quitting. I certainly don’t. He went forward with a dream, one he decided for himself at this point was not the right path for him.

I’m sure he’ll always look back at this time in his life as something he can be glad of that he tried.
I wish him the best of luck with wherever he chooses to go from here.