When you look at the success the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates have had, you might think about the veteran presence that is in the clubhouse. I mean, that is why Manager Clint Hurdle had Brandon Inge stick around all of the time, isn’t it? Ingle excluded, the veterans haven’t just had their presence felt in the clubhouse, but also on the field of play. Guys like A.J. Burnett, Francisco Liriano, Jason Grilli, Andrew McCutchen and even guys like Pedro Alvarez and Mark Melancon have all contributed greatly to the success of the ball club.
There is, however, another group that has more than carried their weight. Justin Wilson, Bryan Morris and Jeff Locke — all in their first full-year in the big leagues — have all done more than enough to prove themselves to their teammates. While they are all enjoying success, their journey started way before then.
As a kid, Wilson said said he never really thought about whether or not he would be a baseball player when he grew up. When he was eight, he first realized he enjoyed the game while playing T-ball in Anaheim, Ca.
It wasn’t until he was in high school that he really became good at the sport he now plays for a living.
“It came with getting older. I fortunately always enjoyed it,” Wilson said. “I wasn’t really good at it until sophomore and junior year of high school. It kind of progressed from there.”
Like Wilson, Locke didn’t realize how good he was until he was older, but that didn’t stop him from playing when he was younger. In fact, Locke said like a lot of kids, the reason he started playing baseball in Redstone, Nh., was because all of friends were doing it.
“I just remember playing little league. I remember eight, nine years-old, in my town, I was playing because it was fun and my friends were playing it,” Locke said. “I loved to play and everything, but my parents weren’t pushing me to do it. I played because all of my friends were.”
Unlike Wilson, Locke said that he always wanted to play when he grew up, but he wasn’t sure how far that would actually take him.
“I always wanted to play baseball when I grew up. I didn’t know what it was going to take or what I would have to do,” Locke said. “I never played any other sports growing up or never had interest in anything else growing up. I just wanted to play this game. I wanted to play as long as I could and let it take me as far as it could.”
As you know, the sport took him very far. Well, far enough to make the lefty a 2013 National League All-Star. While Morris hasn’t had the same success as Locke quite yet, he’s still been one of Hurdle’s favorite options out of the bullpen. Morris’ versatility will allow Hurdle to pitch him in long-relief, seventh inning duties, eighth inning duties and even in the ninth.
Unlike Locke, Morris has baseball running through his blood.
“I had an interest in baseball since probably day one. Both of my brothers were older and were already playing,” Morris said. “As soon as I was brought to a game, since my dad was coaching, it’s like I fell in love with it. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to play this game.”
From that moment on, Morris knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life.
“I actually was asked awhile ago by somebody what I wanted to do when I grew up. I told them all I wanted to do was play baseball,” Morris said with a smile. “I didn’t want to be a fireman or a police officer or anything like that. Baseball has always been the one thing.”
Every kid, well, seemingly every kid, wants to be a pro athlete when they grow up. But how do they differentiate themselves from the other millions of kids who dream of taking their position on a big league field? At what point did they realize they were good enough to play the game professionally?
“Nobody was any good where I came from (laughs). The skill level competition was pretty down because New Hampshire isn’t a baseball mecca of the world. It’s something I’ve always been good at and it’s part of the reason I kept playing,” Locke said. “There weren’t so many other people that were still playing it. Once I got older, around seventh or eighth grade, the kids started to weed out a little bit and my friends started to go different directions. That’s when it started to get a little more serious about it.”
“When I was just 15 and got my first card with contact information from the Atlanta Braves is when I realized it was a realistic possibility to play professional baseball. I thought it was pretty cool, but didn’t want to brag about it or think too much about it, but I definitely remember it being a special part of my summer that year and then getting drafted a couple years later.”
As Wilson started to improve with age, he said he first realized he could play at the next level when more and more people started to come to the games to just watch him.
“I think in high school when I had scouts and college coaches looking at me is when it all set in,” Wilson said.
When you think professional ball, you think the Major Leagues. Morris had a different thought process, though. For him, even if it wasn’t playing at the big leagues, he would still consider himself a professional baseball player at the lower level.
“I was going into my senior year in high school and I told myself I could be a professional baseball player. With that mindset, minor league baseball was professional baseball, so that was the goal,” Morris explained. “In high school, I said I could do this. Then, probably, the 2010 season when I was in High-A, I thought I could play up here and be successful.”
Since we see these guys playing with the Pirates, we automatically think this is the team they were destined for. Sorry to ruin the fun, but just like us, they all had their own favorite team growing up. While Neil Walker is the Pittsburgh Kid and had dreams of playing for the Pirates growing up, the same can’t be said for everyone else. Don’t get me wrong, they said they couldn’t be happier, but as a kid, they wanted to play for their favorite team.
Wilson, of course, wanted to play for the Angels, despite listing Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling as his favorite players, since he’s from Anaheim, but what about the other two? Locke is from New Hampshire and Morris is from Tennessee. Unless I missed an expansion, neither one of the states have baseball teams.
“I really loved watching Pedro Martinez pitch whenever I was a kid. There was just something about the way he pitched and his demeanor on the mound,” Locke said. “I grew up a Red Sox fan and going to games during his era there, watching the way he worked and the way he took control of the game, made me a big fan of his.”
That makes sense. Redstone is only three hours away from Fenway Park, so the drive wouldn’t be too bad. But what about a guy seemingly in the middle of nowhere (when it comes to baseball location) with Morris in Tullahoma, Tn.?
“Being from Tennessee, the team that we watched the most was Atlanta. They were the team that was on TV and we were only a couple of hours away,” Morris said. “That was the so-called hometown team. That was the team that I always wanted to play for. The second best thing is playing against them and doing well. I got that outing earlier in the year, so that was pretty cool.”
Like the other two, Morris listed a dominate pitcher as his favorite player growing up.
“John Smoltz was the guy for me. He was the one I looked up to,” Morris said. “He was a bulldog on the mound and just got after it.”
From three different areas of the country, the three Pirates first-year players have all carried their weight this year. It just goes to show, whatever part of the country you’re from, you always have that chance to make it big.
“If you ask people where Redstone is, they’ll just give you this look. It’s a small area, but I love it there,” Locke said. “It shows that no matter where you are, if you are any good, people will find you.”
