“Yeah the uncertainty is weird, it just kind of is what it is though, I can’t really control it,“ said Minor League pitcher Jacob Schlesener.
Logan-Rogersville grad Jacob Schlesener is experiencing this pandemic as a Minor League baseball player. The former Wildcats pitcher was drafted out of high school by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015. Since then, he’s been working his way up. The lefty started coming to his own playing single-A in Peoria last season.
“I felt really really good going into spring training,” Schlesener said. “I threw my first bullpen in spring training, it went really well and then the next day we went home. So, it was honestly a really big disappointment because I was really excited I felt the most prepared I’ve ever been.“
In this extended off-season he’s getting to work with a couple other left-handed pitchers; fellow Logan-Rogersville grad Buddy Baumann who played in the Majors with the Padres and the Mets, and Mike Kickham who has played for the San Francisco Giants.
“It really helps having them there it’s like having coaches, and it’s really nice,“ said Schlesener.
This extra practice, maybe even a blessing in disguise.
“When you go out there you have to compete, and it’s hard to work on things while you’re competing. You want to try to do one thing, but you’re also trying to get outs and you’re trying to compete,” Schlesener said. “Having this off time it’s giving us that freedom to wear where we can go throw and we can try anything we want.“
Life’s thrown a curve ball this season and Jacob Schlesener is out there working on one better.
