Editor’s Note: Local teacher Ben Fawbush is sharing his adventures through the Reds organization via a Lilly grant with WZBD. Follow along with each post as he takes an inside look at professional baseball in America.
By BEN FAWBUSH
Special Report for WZBD
Today we woke up, ate hotel breakfast, and went in the Atlantic for a little bit. After turning my farmer tan a little pink, we decided to drive around and check out downtown Daytona and then head up to Ormond Beach (I collect sports cards and there is a sports card shop there). Downtown Daytona is pretty neat and stylish. Many businesses are still recovering and repairing damages from the hurricane last November – as are many hotels along the shoreline; many storm walls failed and are being rebuilt.
The big deal of the day for me was interviewing three Tortugas players. I interviewed Sal Stewart first.
Sal was the Reds’ 1st round compensatory pick (#32 overall) in 2022. He came directly to the pros from high school. His signing bonus was just over $2 million. When I talked to Sal, he explained many facets of his life in baseball from the time he first started swinging a bat at age 3 to the time he realized he was really good at age 12 and then through his senior year of high school in Miami. He also discussed life as a professional ball player and the good and bad that come along with it. In his Miami accent, Sal told me that all high school athletes should diversify their sports and not specialize in just one. “If you can play 10 sports then play 10 sports.” He said being able to play his three sports in high school (volleyball, basketball, and baseball) allowed him to pick up on different things mentally and physically.
When I asked Stewart about the mind shift going from high school to the pros he said there really wasn’t one for him. “I knew what I was getting myself into, but it’s just the same baseball; same bases and same plate.”
Going from high school to his first professional assignment in the Arizona Complex League, he said the biggest difference was learning how to show up everyday, get your work done, and be professional everyday. People expect more out of you at this level and learning how to make that happen was a little change he wasn’t used to.
I assumed an adaptation going from high school to pro would be the level of pitching. Sal said in Miami that he was seeing Division I college pitching almost daily no matter who they played against, so the pitching isn’t really that much different currently for him. He said in the summer he would play against pitchers would eventually get drafted to major league teams. His last summer ball season before being drafted he faced over 20 guys that got drafted!
In terms of feeling pressure being a high draft pick, Sal said there isn’t really the pressure that normal fans think of. “There isn’t the pressure that you guys think of like, ‘I have to get a hit here’.” He said the pressure he feels is internal. The Reds made a big investment in him so he feels that he needs to let them know that they made the right investment; that is the type of pressure he feels. He said by just doing what he does and playing hard that it will show Cincinnati that they indeed made the right decision.
A goal by the end of the season is to make it to Dayton to play in High A. He said this goal is one of many written down.
“You need to have your goals written down where you can see them everyday…then you can’t forget about them and you can see them and notice how well you’re closing in on them.”
The way he is playing I wouldn’t be surprised if that goal becomes reality by the end of the season in early September.
A few short answer questions to end the interview garnered the following responses.
Favorite player to watch growing up: Derek Jeter
Favorite stadium to ever play in: Colorado Rockies
Analytics: “I’m not to into that stuff. It’s a result of what I am trying to do. I don’t worry about launch angle or anything like that; I just stay behind the ball and do my thing.”
In regards to his $2M bonus and if any random “friends” appeared: No, I have a close circle of family and friends and that’s who I care about and keep in contact with.
Superstitions: When he gets in a slump he changes his facial hair to get out of it. Beard to mustache, mustache to clean shave, or any combination to change things up.
Overall, for being 19 years old this kid is very humble and down to Earth. He has a good head on his shoulders and knows what it takes to be successful. I hope he gets the call up to Daytona by the end of this season so I can talk to him again and see if anything has changed in his mind in regards to differences from one level to the next.
Tomorrow I will give you some insight on the other two players I interviewed. These to pitchers didn’t have the luxury of skipping college and going to the pros directly. One went to college on a scholarship and the other had to walk on at a community college.
For now, off to bed and then up early to print photos to get signed by the players I interviewed and watch another game…should be cooler (85 and cloudy) thank the Lord!
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