Advetise with Us

                             
                                 Ben Humphrey                                                              Tim Grogan

                                                                                          
     Florence Freedom provides players opportunity

By SAM WILSON

Photos provided by the Florence Freedom


Ben Humphrey is back home. The Lakota West graduate's baseball career has taken him around the country. But this season, he has returned to play first base for the Florence Freedom.

"It's a beautiful thing," he said. "Ever since I got out of high school I've been hundreds and thousands of miles from here."

After Lakota West, it was off to junior college. Humphrey was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, but decided to take the opportunity to play college baseball at Central Michigan instead. He set a Chippewa single-season record with 72 RBI his junior year. He followed it up with 10 home runs and 48 RBI's in his senior season. Humphrey was then drafted by Tampa Bay. His stint in the organization would last just one season. But despite things not working out with the Rays, Humphrey didn't want his baseball career to end there.

"Just because I had a short stay, it doesn't mean I won't be back," he said.

So, Humphrey has returned to the Cincinnati area to play for the Florence Freedom. The team is in the Frontier League, an independent minor league. In independent baseball, none of the clubs, or the league itself, has any affiliation with major league clubs or Major League Baseball. That being said, Frontier League players are sometimes signed to contracts by major league organizations. Since coming to Florence in 2003, the Freedom has had 15 players signed to contracts with major league teams. But even those contracts aren't even close to a guarantee to make it to the big leagues. According to the Frontier League website, only three former players are playing in Major League Baseball this season. None of them are Freedom alums. Even so, Humphrey would like to be No. 16 to go from the Freedom to affiliated baseball.

"It's just being consistent everyday," he said. "Doing things the right way everyday. We've already had guys get pulled up out of here, so if you do the right things, you'll be in the right places."

Humphrey isn't the only Freedom player with local ties. Third baseman Tim Grogan is a graduate of Covington Catholic. Grogan played college baseball at Western Kentucky before a two-year stint in the Mets organization. He's in his second season with the Freedom.

"Obviously this isn't a place where you want to be as far as being satisfied," Grogan said. "We're all trying to get to the next level. The Frontier League isn't your goal but, at the same time, we're playing professional baseball and not many people get that opportunity."

Grogan was set back by an elbow injury in 2005. After the 2006 season, he was no longer a part of the Mets organization.

"My initial thought was I was going to be done," he said. "I was going to hang it up. I didn't know what I was going to do, to tell you the truth. I knew I had the opportunity to play here because I had talked to (Freedom manager Jamie Keefe.) But, like I said, I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to continue playing."

Grogan decided he didn't want to regret not continuing his career, so he played the 2007 season in Florence.

"I was still messed up mentally," he said. "Because I was kind of just playing just because the opportunity was there, instead of playing to be the best I can be."

Grogan's 2007 season ended early with a shoulder injury. But he has returned for 2008 with a clean bill of health.

"Last year I was just here to be here because I had the chance and I didn't want to regret it down the road. This year I think I'm here to be the best player I can be and try and make something of it and still make a career out of this game."

Grogan said he knows what he needs to do to return to a big league organization.

"I think that's pretty self-explanatory," he said. "You've got to produce; you've got to put up numbers. Or else, it's not going to happen."

Keefe said he expects big things out of Grogan.

"He's as good a third baseman as there is in this league," Keefe said. "Defensively, he's a gold-glove type third baseman. The big thing with him is, we just know if he stays healthy, he's going to be very productive offensively and really be strong defensively."

Humphrey isn't the only first baseman that will see time for the Freedom this year as John Welch will also see time at the position. Just a week into the season, Keefe said he is still figuring out ways to get Humphrey in the lineup but one possibility is the designated hitter position.

"You look at his stature: he's a monster," Keefe said. "This is a guy that's got some great power. And, if he stays within himself at the plate, he's going to put up some big numbers."

The Freedom is 5-3 to start the season. Humphrey is hitting .286 with one RBI. Grogan is hitting .219 with one home run and five RBI’s.

Most of the Freedom's players have no previous ties to the area. Lefty relief pitcher Alain Quijano is a Des Moines, Iowa, native. He spends his summers playing independent baseball. In his off-seasons, he completed a master's degree at Lincoln Memorial University. After finishing his college baseball career at Grand View College in Des Moines, he knew he wanted to keep playing.

"What you do is you wait for the draft," Quijano said. "If nothing happens from there, you hope for other routes to keep playing the game."

Quijano has a 2.35 ERA in 4 appearances and 7.2 innings pitched.

With his education, Quijano acknowledges he could make more money in another field. But baseball remains his passion.

"You can go out, get a job, and sit behind a desk and make $45,000," Quijano said. "But are you going to be happy?"

For Angel Molina, the Frontier League could be a stepping-stone to a job that pays far more than $45,000. The 26-year old spent time in the Florida Marlins' system. A series of injuries in his wrist and shoulder ruined potential big-league call-ups. So Molina is playing for the Freedom to try to get back into affiliated baseball.

"I'm trying to get healthy, go with somebody else and get to the big leagues as soon as possible," he said.

When Molina comes to Florence for the season to live with a host family, he leaves behind a wife and three-year-old son in Puerto Rico. He says his son isn't old enough to fully understand what his father is doing. But one day, he will use his continuing with baseball as a lesson in perseverance for his son.

"Every day when I talk to him, he's too young, but I tell him, 'you put a dream in your mind and you can do whatever you want,'" he said.

Molina is hitting .429 with one home run and seven RBI’s.