OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Scott Heath was recently on the receiving end of a key pitch by a former baseball teammate at the University of Maine.
Heath, a left-handed pitcher from Westbrook, was a little despondent after not being selected in the 40-round major league draft last month.
To not hear his name called June 8-10, then to wait another week without getting a free-agent offer was perplexing.
In stepped Tommy Lawrence, who could sympathize. A bulldog starting pitcher for the Black Bears who graduated in 2014, Lawrence also went undrafted before signing with the Tampa Bay Rays’ rookie-league team last year. The Rays let him go after he pitched in 12 games.
“Tommy is one of the guys who was calling me, saying ‘You’re going to get something, don’t worry,’ ” Heath said.
Lawrence then went one step further, calling Old Orchard Beach Surge General Manager Alex Markakis and recommending he give Heath a shot.
And so it is that Heath has now started the first two games of his pro career in a ballpark where he once played in high school. He has tossed 12 innings with one victory, a 3.75 ERA and 12 strikeouts against only three walks.
And not that his confidence ever deserted him, but Heath is thinking again about working his way toward the ultimate goal – the big leagues.
“I think maybe if I just focus on one thing it will give me the best shot at advancing my career,” Heath said of his decision to abandon playing in the field between pitching starts. “I think it’s best for me to just not be run down all the time, from going to the outfield to pitch to first base. It takes a lot out of you.
“I was disappointed (not to be drafted) but everything happens for a reason, so I’m just going to keep working and try to progress, get there this way.”
Heath made his first start for the Surge, a member of the independent North Country Baseball League, on June 30 with plenty of family and friends in attendance at The Ballpark. He had a setback last weekend when a troubling cyst needed to be removed, but returned – as he vowed to – to pick up his first victory Wednesday in a 6-4 win over the Road City Explorers.
“He’s a competitor,” Nathanson said. “He has a great presence on the mound so it bodes well. He definitely belongs here. He’ll do well in this league and we’d like to move him to the next higher league.”
That would be the Can-Am or Frontier independent leagues. But that can wait. Heath knows he needs to make a few more effective starts before the Surge season ends in August, and then wait by the phone again.
“I’m just going to give this year a good shot and then I’ll probably end up working a part-time job in the fall and winter, and working out and staying in shape and seeing what next year brings,” said Heath, who is living at home while making an NCBL salary that ranges from a modest $500 to $800 a month. “Because you never know. You could get a call tomorrow, you could get a call next summer. It’s pretty nerve-wracking that you don’t know what’s going to happen, but at least I know I’m going to give it my best shot.”
Markakis said he was looking for local players to help fill out his roster and draw fans. But he said the addition of Heath wasn’t just a favor.
“Maine, I feel like talent-wise is really underrated nationally,” said Markakis, who played at St. Joseph’s College. “I feel like these guys definitely deserve more credibility. There’s a lot of great ballplayers in Maine. I just don’t think they get as much exposure as they should. They’re not in warmer climates, not playing 12 months around the year.”
Heath’s college career ended May 22, when he took the loss in an 11-2 setback against Hartford in the America East tournament.
He said he felt jitters when he put a uniform back on and took the mound. But they lasted all of one pitch, and then he was back in control.
Things became a little more unsettled late in the week when an abscess on his tailbone kept causing pain, perhaps, he said, aggravated by his six innings of pitching. It got worse as he lifted weights and ran in the days after his start, so he went to the hospital and had it removed, causing him to miss his next scheduled outing Monday. He said then he would return Wednesday, although Nathanson and Markakis were less optimistic.
Sure enough, there was Heath trudging out to the mound Wednesday, going six innings and picking up the win.
“Not too many guys can say they played professional baseball, that they played baseball as a living,” said Heath, who is open to becoming a reliever if that’s his best path up baseball’s ladder. “Obviously I’m not living off of it right now.
“I’m almost there. I’m pretty blessed to be in this situation.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story