Myers joins Milwaukee post-MLB draft
An interview with Aaron Myers a week into his professional career
Halle Parker | Sports Editor | @_HalParker
For Aaron Myers, playing baseball after college was never just an option, but the only option. Whether a major league team picked him up or not, the Longwood graduate planned to continue pitching even if it was for an independent team.
A two-year starter for the baseball team, Myers broke five records, including three strikeout records, during his senior season prior to graduating with a degree in Physics. The right-handed pitcher threw 319 strikeouts over the course of his career, solidly surpassing the previous record by 60 strikeouts. Following over 100 innings on the mound, Myers pitched over a third of his career strikeouts during his final season (115).
After the MLB draft ended, the Milwaukee Brewers signed Myers as an undrafted free agent officially on Wednesday, June 24.
Myers talked about his experience signing and his role with his club. Following are the edited excerpts.
In your four years at Longwood University, when did you first realize your dream could be a reality?
“Last year, my junior year.”
What happened?
“I just had the numbers, honestly. I had below a two ERA, my strikeouts were up and I was able to throw a bunch of innings. I just built confidence after that.”
Is that when you first started contacting coaches or did coaches come to you?
“I ended up getting a bunch of questionnaires in the mail from a bunch of different scouts.”
Could you try to describe the emotion you felt when you got the phone call asking you to sign?
“I was just really excited. I was working a camp and walked away then once I hung up, I was just jumping with joy. It pretty much just made the rest of the camp better that day.”
What thoughts were going through your head as you actually signed the contract?
“It is done. It is official. I am officially a part of the Milwaukee Brewers association.”
Were there any others teams that were interested in you?
“No, not any major league team. I had three or four independent teams call me, but other than that, that was it.”
Did Coach Mau have a big role in the recruitment?
“Coach Mau pretty much helped me out with it all. Without him, I would not be here at all. He was a great support. He said if I ever need anything, give him a call. He sent me a couple of dates that were MLB tryouts I had to go to. He just kept putting in a good word for me.”
What is your current situation with the Milwaukee Brewers?
“Currently, I’m in the Arizona League down in Phoenix. We play every day, we get every fifth day off and I just started throwing bullpens last week and I threw another one today. I asked the coach what my role would be and he said I would most likely be a reliever because I threw so many innings during the school year.”
In comparison to Longwood, have you been able to adapt to the intensity of the major league?
“Honestly, in my opinion it’s a little more relaxed than it is in college. Especially at the college level, you’re worried about school, you’re worried about grades and you’re worried about performing on the field. Here it’s just performing. You also have a bunch of people here who work to support you and will help you out with whatever you need.”
How’s the coaching staff with your team?
“I’d say it’s a close knit coaching staff. I’ve honestly probably only spoken with the head coach maybe two or three times. I mostly work with the pitching coach. They all stay separated for the most part.”
Have the coaches told you what they want you to improve on?
“No, not at all. I’ve only thrown one bullpen and the pitching coach wasn’t even there to watch.”
Is that frustrating?
“No, it’s not frustrating. They actually set up cameras to watch me pitch so I’m pretty sure after a while they said they aren’t trying to change mechanics or anything. They’re just going to try to tweak a few things so I’m sure after watching a few videos of me and I throw more than once we’ll start going over a few things.”
Looking towards the future, do you see yourself working your way up through the league?
“Oh definitely. I wouldn’t say I’ll move up this year, but I’d say within the next year and years to come, I will be moving up.”
This article is part of an ongoing series of interviews with a pair of former Longwood athletes who have signed professional contracts.
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