Keeping The Professional Baseball Dream Alive

Student-athletes discover “last resort” is really first step.

Start Here – Go Anywhere! Is a common college motto. When it comes to two-year community college and junior college (JUCO
UCO
) baseball programs, the phrase takes on additional significance. It’s a promise of possibility, a pathway for student-athletes to a Division 1 (D1) program or, perhaps eventually, the Major Leagues.

Like many of his peers, Seattle Mariners infielder Josh Rojas knew he wasn’t ready for a D1 baseball program when he graduated from high school. He chose to begin his collegiate career in Phoenix, AZ at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC), where he played two years before transferring to the University of Hawai’i. Drafted by the Houston Astros in 2017, Rojas credits his time at PVCC as instrumental in his on and off field development.

On the athletic side, he said PVCC Coach Victor Solis helped become a better fielder.

“You know I was an okay infielder before that,” explained the 29-year old, who made his Major League debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019. “But I just didn’t really focus on anything. I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was just kind of out there being athletic. So he was the first guy that instilled some mechanics and helped me defensively.”

Off the field, Rojas said he arrived at PVCC a typical 18-year old, with a sometimes-fiery personality.

“Yeah, I had a little bit of that, and Coach did a good job getting that out of me by taking away playing time when I didn’t have a good attitude. So that humbled me really quick.”

Coach Solis, on the other hand, has only positive memories of Rojas’ time at PVCC.

“I’m not sure he had a bad attitude,” said the veteran coach. “I’ve never coached a player that has more fun on the field than him. Did he need to get pushed every once in a while? Yeah, every player does.”

Solis remains humble about his impact on Rojas’ defensive improvements, explaining, “It wasn’t any one thing that we did for him. He’s such a talented player. We coach everybody; it’s the player’s responsibility to accept coaching. He was so open minded, disciplined and ready to try anything.”

Solis added, “We were three-times lucky with Josh. He committed, showed up and then showed up again for his sophomore season.”

Rojas left PVCC ranked third in program records for career doubles and triples, and second in career and single-season home runs, as well as Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) All-Star honors. He also excelled academically, as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and participant in the college Honors program.

A number of factors play into an athlete’s decision to attend a JUCO, including grades, finances, maturity and, most important, the opportunity to continue playing baseball.

Diamondbacks reliever Kevin Ginkel (Southwestern College / University of Arizona) emphasized the importance of having consistent pitching opportunities to build up confidence and skill

In committing to Southwestern College, he considered the possibility that if he struggled as a first-year student-athlete at a D1 college, he might end up on the bench. And while playing time is not guaranteed at a JUCO, student-athletes compete against others their own age, rather than older and more experienced juniors and seniors. This improves their playing chances.

“If I went to a four-year right away and tried to walk on,” he explained, “I don’t know if I would have had the opportunities. So I think it allowed me to develop in my own time and not feel rushed or anything.”

He also said he didn’t feel mentally mature enough to go to a four-year college directly from high school, noting that many kids do feel that pressure. “I think community college was the best approach for me to kind of just figure myself out.”

Ginkel put on 15 pounds at Southwestern, increased his velocity, refined his mechanics and began to get looks from scouts and college coaches. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2016 out of the University of Arizona, and made his Major League debut in 2019. He has become a key bullpen arm for the Dbacks, and in 2023, has posted a miniscule 2.00 ERA in 40 games, with 43 strikeouts.

His teammate, starter Merrill Kelly (Yavapai Community College / Arizona State University) also benefited from the JUCO experience. Like many of his peers, he, too, said that he didn’t have the grades or the work ethic coming out of high school attend a D1.

Rather than a dead end, Yavapai CC turned out to be a terrific stepping stone. He knew it boasted a good baseball program, one that had produced pitcher Curt Schilling, and YCC’s location in scenic Prescott, AZ, was a welcome change from the desert landscape he grew up in.

But he struggled at first.

“My priorities when I first got there weren’t necessarily in the right place,” he admitted, “and I had to face some pretty hard truths that freshman year, so I think it definitely made me grow up a little bit. I think if I went to a D1 out of high school, I don’t know if I would have quite been ready for that experience.”

Kelly also chose YCC because he would have plenty of opportunities to pitch on a regular basis.

“I knew when I went there that I was going to be one of the starters and one of the guys rather than like if I went to a D1, I might have not been able to pitch that much,” he said.

Veteran third baseman Evan Longoria (Rio Hondo College / CSU Long Beach), a three-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner echoed many of his Dbacks teammates opinions about JUCOs.

The 2008 American League Rookie of the Year chose Rio Hondo based largely on playing time. After visiting two-year powerhouses Cypress and Orange Coast, he realized they presented the same potential dilemma as a four-year institution.

“I remember going there and them telling me, ‘well, you know, we’ve got two other guys coming in to play shortstop. So you’d be competing for a job.’ I’m like why am I going to go to a two-year and compete? I’m not going to a two-year to go and sit behind somebody.”

According to the American Association of Community Colleges there are more than 1,000 public, two-year institutions nationwide. Of those, 520 are member colleges of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), representing 65,000 student-athletes.

With so many options, choosing the right JUCO requires careful research.

“You really just have to pay attention to the coaching staff philosophies, what are they doing to get their players better,” said Rojas. “The key to my decision was seeing their practices (at PVCC) and seeing that they’re focusing on your development. You have to ask yourself ‘what are you going to get out of this in the next two years?’ ”

Longoria’s choice paid off and he made memories at Rio Hondo he still talks about today – being challenged by his coach, Mike Salazar to constantly improve; gameday McDonald’s drive through rituals with his buddy for Egg McMuffins and orange soda; cleaning his own game shoes; tarping the field after games.

Even as 19-year veteran now, when his cleats are cleaned and his laundry done for him, he takes nothing for granted.

“All of those things I think kind of started to develop the player that I became ultimately you know, with the work ethic, drive and the discipline,” he said.

“It was just, it was like baseball in its purest form back then, and so junior college was fun in the sense that we got to play at a high level but also have this almost like club baseball feel, too.”

An impressive number of active Major Leaguers continued their high school baseball careers at JUCOs, including Charlie Blackmon, Will Smith, Ian Kinsler, Anthony Banda, Bryce Harper, and Tim Anderson, who was drafted in the first round by the White Sox in 2013.

The 2023 MLB All-Star Game featured three former JUCO players – Austin Hays (Seminole State / Jacksonville University); Jordan Roman (Connors State / Oral Roberts); and Craig Kimbrel (Wallace State).

Former players who took the two-year route include Hall of Fame members Jackie Robinson, Steve Carlton, Kirby Puckett and Mike Piazza; future Hall of Fame inductee Albert Pujols; plus multiple-time All-Stars Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and Jorge Posada.

Even Major League managers, coaches and front office staff are well-represented as JUCO alums. Notables include Mets Manager Buck Showalter, Raul Ibanez (MLB Senior Vice President of On-Field Operations), Ramón Vázquez (Red Sox bench coach), and Rick Matthews (Colorado Rockies, Special Assistant, Player Development).

Last resort? Less-than? No way. Players unanimously recommend JUCOs as an option to high schoolers who want to keep their baseball dreams alive.

Insisted Merrill Kelly, “I wouldn’t change anything for my journey, ever. I loved both years at Yavapai. I had a lot of fun up there and I learned a lot about myself.”

Advises Longoria, “Go to a place where you can succeed and give yourself the best opportunity to play as much as you can. There are so many shining examples of the guys taking that opportunity at a junior college and becoming, you know, the best version of themselves as players.”

In 2023, 44 JUCO prospects were drafted, joining the hundreds who preceded them. See the entire historical list of JUCO players in professional baseball here.