Former Major League outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker one of four mid-season recruits boosting Adelaide Giants’ playoff push
Big-hitting American Jeremy Hazelbaker is one of three imports to join Adelaide Giants’ playoff push, three years after making a splash in his debut Major League season.
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Jeremy Hazelbaker realised he had arrived the moment he stepped into a Pittsburgh hotel room the night before his Major League debut.
The US outfielder had spent eight years grinding in 751 minor league games during stints with Boston Redsox and LA Dodgers.
But just when Adelaide Giants’ mid-season recruit had all but given up on a professional baseball career, he was presented with a life-changing opportunity by St Louis Cardinals.
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“I got released from LA and it was a bit of a shock,” recalled Hazelbaker, of the lead-up to his MLB breakthrough against the Pirates on March 31, 2016.
“I had bills to pay, so I was putting applications in for getting a real job when I got a call from St Louis.
“They told me at the very last game of Spring training (the following year) I had made it to the big leagues … and I remember walking into a super nice hotel room in Pittsburgh.
“From the window I could see the baseball stadium and it was the first time it was just me, where I could take a breath and think about what just happened.
“All these years of ABs (at bats) and repetitions, all the hard work you put in is for that and it’s very, very rewarding when you get the opportunity to put on a big league jersey.”
Hazelbaker, 32, burst into the Majors, making national headlines as he became just the second Cardinals player in history to club two home runs in his first four games.
The Indiana-born big-hitter went on to play 155 MLB matches for St Louis and later Arizona Diamondbacks, racking up a .258 batting average and 14 homers.
He hoped to pass on his vast experience to the youthful Giants roster, while boosting the southwest conference leader’s playoff push.
“The beginning of my St Louis career was like a whirlwind,” said newlywed Hazelbaker, who was holidaying in Florida with wife, Deven, when he was approached by Adelaide.
“Going from nobody knowing your name to playing in front of 50,000 people and everybody knowing who you are was unbelievable.
“It happens so fast and you don’t know how to handle it.
“You have to deal with media, fans and all the things outside baseball that pull your focus away from that.
“But if I can tell somebody early in their career something that might help them, then that’s what I really want to do to help them have a long career in the big leagues.
“There’s a lot of young guys on this (Giants) team, but the talent is unbelievable.”
Hazelbaker will be joined on debut by mid-campaign pitching additions Tyler Beardsley (US), Daniel Procopio (Canada) and Jose Taveras (Dominican Republic).
It will be the Giants’ first action in a fortnight after the road trip to Canberra was cancelled due to bushfire smoke and the series split 2-2.
Hazelbaker is one of a several players helping the club’s fundraising efforts for those affected by the disasters, offering a one-on-one hitting lesson as an online auction prize.
“Back in the States usually the only things we get (games) cancelled for is rain or snow,” said Hazelbaker, previously of US independent ball outfit Sioux City Explorers.
“But it’s definitely a very sad and crazy thing that’s happening here.
“It’s just a little way that I’m able to try to do something to give back and help out.”
To bid in the Giants auction, which will raise funds for the CFS Foundation, visit biddingowl.com/Auction/index.cfm?auctionID=20204