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One Long Decade
Ten years.
A decade to most, but a lifetime to Steve Boyd.
"It was purgatory. It was a grind. And it was worth it."
In 1982, Steve Boyd was one of the BLB's hottest prospects. Boyd, the second overall pick in 1981, had gone all the way from A ball to AAA in just over a month, but after hitting .333 in only 45 AAA at bats, California Wildfire fans started chanting Boyd's name.
And calling. And writing. Mired in the middle of an eventual 76-86 season - which, albeit, was a career year for those early 80's Wildfire - fans turned to fresh faced GM David Lint and demanded their top prospect.
Lint had been looking for a spark after taking over a Wildfire team that managed an embarrassing 88 wins in the two previous seasons. "You have to understand, I came in during 1982, and we couldn't give away tickets. We didn't even reach a million fans a year or two before (1980). The local affiliates started reporting Steve's lines each night, our radio calls would talk about his at bats in the middle of an inning, and all of a sudden the switchboards were lighting up. What was I supposed to do?" So, against the wishes of his head scouts and coaching staff, Boyd was a major leaguer come September 1st.
"A lot of people have blamed Dave for 'ruining' my career path, for rushing me, for stunting my development, just to sell some tickets in his first couple months. It's bullshit. It's an excuse, and I refuse to use it. Nothing drives me crazier than when people try to blame it on him," Boyd said during a press conference this week. After a rough September, Boyd failed to regain his minor league form in 1983 in AAA, and then was demoted and struggled in AA Sacramento through mid 1984. From A ball to the BLB in two months, and back to AA after the next 33 games. Thanks to another one of the league's young owners, Clay Shaver, the nickname "Ping Pong" Boyd was born.
"Few people know, but Dave and I have talked near every week since the day he traded me, which I know he didn't want to do. It was in my best interest to get a fresh start and he moved me to Syracuse because of it. No one ever brings that up when they want to blame him, though. My struggles since then are 100% on me."
Late that season Lint shipped Boyd to the Syracuse organization for another struggling top prospect in closer Paul Scott. Slammers GM Jake Wolf, who had only been with the team a year and had been criticized for rushing a few prospects of his own in his first twelve months, knew from the start he couldn't rush Boyd again.
"I knew Steve was trying to force things, and I thought the best thing for him was to take some time away from the lights, away from the pressure, to get his stroke back," Wolf recalled. "We had a plan I discussed with Boyd that very night of the trade, and he agreed. And we still think it worked."
As part of that plan, Boyd spent nearly two years in AA Buffalo, culminating with a hot start to 1986 (.291 BA, .852 OPS). Boyd then made a midseason move to AAA and the success continued, finishing his year in New York with 29 doubles and a .802 OPS in 238 ABs.
What happened in the years after still confuses even those who made the moves. Boyd remained in AAA in 1987, but his at bats were cut and frustration set in. Boyd remembered, "I finally got things going again. I know I was on the right track. I wasn't just hitting cheap homers in cookie cutter parks, I was driving balls to the gap again, I was putting the ball in play. And all of a sudden, the skip's got me on the bench every other day. No rhythm. No confidence."
"The at bats just weren't there. We had a log jam at 1B in our entire organization, between Dave Wyatt, (Maureo) Gonez, Manny Ramirez, Doug (Hines). We picked up Dani Rodriguez next year in '88. We thought - and still think - these guys all had big league bats. Dave just happened to take his opportunities that year and ran with them, and we had no choice but to put him on the field," Wolf said. "So then, I guess you could say, the plan went off track."
Back in "AA purgatory," as Boyd puts it, he let the Slammers know his intentions immediately. "Man, I hated being back there. Talk about a grind - those days made me appreciate tour buses to Annapolis and dinners at Macaroni Grill. I let the Slammers know I wasn't crazy about it - but most importantly that it wouldn't affect my attitude or approach, and my goal was still to prove myself on the highest level. But every offseason, I'd hit the FA market and wait for a BLB contract or at the very least, a spring invite. And sure enough, every offseason, the only call was from Jake. And I couldn't quit." For four straight AA seasons from 1988-91, Boyd put up decent numbers - decent enough to come back to Buffalo the next year, but also decent enough to keep him buried in the organizational charts.
Back in Kansas less than a year ago, Boyd picked up the phone and let Wolf and the Slammers know he was finished with the game, finished with road trips to Bar Harbor to get a pinch hit AB over a three game set. However, Boyd didn't realize just how valuable he had been to an organization he felt like he was lost in.
"I knew he was going to call, and I knew that we still - I didn't think he really wanted to call it yet. I thought he still had something left. And yes, we needed him, probably more than he needed us," Wolf explained. "All these kids, all these guys who came through, you talk to them during BP, you talk to them in the locker room, they all talked about Steve Boyd. Every single one of them, pitchers included, talked about a tip, a lesson, a tell, they learned from Steve. The guy didn't even know it - we didn't know it for awhile - but he might have been our best coach in the minors over the last few years, if only because guys listened to him."
Hector Carbajal, a BLB Stout Slugger and one of the games stars, was all too eager to compliment Boyd. "We spent a couple years together. We both came over in trades in mid '84 and just hit it off in AA. That first week he pointed out a hitch I'd developed with Davenport and he stayed at the cage with me for hours until I worked it out. I hit over .400 the rest of that year in Buffalo. We spent some time together in AAA in '86, and when I got called up, I was sure I'd be throwing across the diamond to him again in no time. It wasn't to be."
So Wolf told Boyd to sleep on it one more night before he decided, with one promise - BLB at bats. Boyd didn't sleep on it. "They wanted to start me in AAA, where they thought I could contribute, but help a couple kids, too. 32 years old. Ten years in the minors. Jake thought we'd have room on the 40 man come September, and I couldn't say no. It's crazy, but I kept thinking 'this is my shot,' like some rook," he chuckled.
So nearly ten years to the day after his last BLB at bat, a 32 year old AAA veteran journeyman got a call and became a 32 year old BLB rookie. Boyd met up with his teammates Sunday night in Indianapolis, and then Monday morning, while getting fitted for his orange and blue #34 uniform, got the news. Boyd was starting against lefty Ben Irvin.
"Thank goodness I didn't even have any time to be nervous. Talk about a rookie - my mind was racing, but I did my best to stay focused. I know it's crazy, but I'm looking at this not as a swan song, but an audition. I can play man, I know I can still play," Boyd later remarked in the post game press conference.
Batting sixth, Boyd didn't get up in the top of the first but would be on deck in the second. But evidentally, ten years wasn't long enough for Boyd to wait to get another at bat - Indianapolis sent nine men to the plate in the bottom half and scored five runs. "Nah, didn't even cross my mind," Boyd said. "I was focused on getting Vic (Munoz) out of the inning. But yeah, it's not how you imagine your first inning back."
Boyd ground out in his first at bat, but was due up again in the fifth. Boyd fought off four pitches with two strikes before hitting a grounder up the middle for a single. Then in the sixth, Boyd doubled in two runs, and again got on base with a single in the eighth to cap a 3-4 night in his first BLB game since 1982. To top it off, in his next start, Boyd doubled his BLB HR total with a round tripper off Hartford's Ernie Ferguson in the top of the 8th. It's only a week, but Boyd currently sits with a .400 average and a 1.255 OPS - and no strikeouts.
"All those years, they were - I don't want to make it out like I'm complaining here because I was playing baseball for a living - but those years were rough. I expect the best out of myself and I didn't even get a chance to prove myself against the best for so long. It was purgatory. It was a grind. It was worth it."
Ten years ago, in 1982, a 22 year old Boyd strided out to the plate to "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. Today, his younger teammates might laugh when the song comes over the PA system, but who would have known in 1982 that the actual survivor was going to be Boyd himself.
One Long Decade
Ten years.
A decade to most, but a lifetime to Steve Boyd.
"It was purgatory. It was a grind. And it was worth it."
In 1982, Steve Boyd was one of the BLB's hottest prospects. Boyd, the second overall pick in 1981, had gone all the way from A ball to AAA in just over a month, but after hitting .333 in only 45 AAA at bats, California Wildfire fans started chanting Boyd's name.
And calling. And writing. Mired in the middle of an eventual 76-86 season - which, albeit, was a career year for those early 80's Wildfire - fans turned to fresh faced GM David Lint and demanded their top prospect.
Lint had been looking for a spark after taking over a Wildfire team that managed an embarrassing 88 wins in the two previous seasons. "You have to understand, I came in during 1982, and we couldn't give away tickets. We didn't even reach a million fans a year or two before (1980). The local affiliates started reporting Steve's lines each night, our radio calls would talk about his at bats in the middle of an inning, and all of a sudden the switchboards were lighting up. What was I supposed to do?" So, against the wishes of his head scouts and coaching staff, Boyd was a major leaguer come September 1st.
"A lot of people have blamed Dave for 'ruining' my career path, for rushing me, for stunting my development, just to sell some tickets in his first couple months. It's bullshit. It's an excuse, and I refuse to use it. Nothing drives me crazier than when people try to blame it on him," Boyd said during a press conference this week. After a rough September, Boyd failed to regain his minor league form in 1983 in AAA, and then was demoted and struggled in AA Sacramento through mid 1984. From A ball to the BLB in two months, and back to AA after the next 33 games. Thanks to another one of the league's young owners, Clay Shaver, the nickname "Ping Pong" Boyd was born.
"Few people know, but Dave and I have talked near every week since the day he traded me, which I know he didn't want to do. It was in my best interest to get a fresh start and he moved me to Syracuse because of it. No one ever brings that up when they want to blame him, though. My struggles since then are 100% on me."
Late that season Lint shipped Boyd to the Syracuse organization for another struggling top prospect in closer Paul Scott. Slammers GM Jake Wolf, who had only been with the team a year and had been criticized for rushing a few prospects of his own in his first twelve months, knew from the start he couldn't rush Boyd again.
"I knew Steve was trying to force things, and I thought the best thing for him was to take some time away from the lights, away from the pressure, to get his stroke back," Wolf recalled. "We had a plan I discussed with Boyd that very night of the trade, and he agreed. And we still think it worked."
As part of that plan, Boyd spent nearly two years in AA Buffalo, culminating with a hot start to 1986 (.291 BA, .852 OPS). Boyd then made a midseason move to AAA and the success continued, finishing his year in New York with 29 doubles and a .802 OPS in 238 ABs.
What happened in the years after still confuses even those who made the moves. Boyd remained in AAA in 1987, but his at bats were cut and frustration set in. Boyd remembered, "I finally got things going again. I know I was on the right track. I wasn't just hitting cheap homers in cookie cutter parks, I was driving balls to the gap again, I was putting the ball in play. And all of a sudden, the skip's got me on the bench every other day. No rhythm. No confidence."
"The at bats just weren't there. We had a log jam at 1B in our entire organization, between Dave Wyatt, (Maureo) Gonez, Manny Ramirez, Doug (Hines). We picked up Dani Rodriguez next year in '88. We thought - and still think - these guys all had big league bats. Dave just happened to take his opportunities that year and ran with them, and we had no choice but to put him on the field," Wolf said. "So then, I guess you could say, the plan went off track."
Back in "AA purgatory," as Boyd puts it, he let the Slammers know his intentions immediately. "Man, I hated being back there. Talk about a grind - those days made me appreciate tour buses to Annapolis and dinners at Macaroni Grill. I let the Slammers know I wasn't crazy about it - but most importantly that it wouldn't affect my attitude or approach, and my goal was still to prove myself on the highest level. But every offseason, I'd hit the FA market and wait for a BLB contract or at the very least, a spring invite. And sure enough, every offseason, the only call was from Jake. And I couldn't quit." For four straight AA seasons from 1988-91, Boyd put up decent numbers - decent enough to come back to Buffalo the next year, but also decent enough to keep him buried in the organizational charts.
Back in Kansas less than a year ago, Boyd picked up the phone and let Wolf and the Slammers know he was finished with the game, finished with road trips to Bar Harbor to get a pinch hit AB over a three game set. However, Boyd didn't realize just how valuable he had been to an organization he felt like he was lost in.
"I knew he was going to call, and I knew that we still - I didn't think he really wanted to call it yet. I thought he still had something left. And yes, we needed him, probably more than he needed us," Wolf explained. "All these kids, all these guys who came through, you talk to them during BP, you talk to them in the locker room, they all talked about Steve Boyd. Every single one of them, pitchers included, talked about a tip, a lesson, a tell, they learned from Steve. The guy didn't even know it - we didn't know it for awhile - but he might have been our best coach in the minors over the last few years, if only because guys listened to him."
Hector Carbajal, a BLB Stout Slugger and one of the games stars, was all too eager to compliment Boyd. "We spent a couple years together. We both came over in trades in mid '84 and just hit it off in AA. That first week he pointed out a hitch I'd developed with Davenport and he stayed at the cage with me for hours until I worked it out. I hit over .400 the rest of that year in Buffalo. We spent some time together in AAA in '86, and when I got called up, I was sure I'd be throwing across the diamond to him again in no time. It wasn't to be."
So Wolf told Boyd to sleep on it one more night before he decided, with one promise - BLB at bats. Boyd didn't sleep on it. "They wanted to start me in AAA, where they thought I could contribute, but help a couple kids, too. 32 years old. Ten years in the minors. Jake thought we'd have room on the 40 man come September, and I couldn't say no. It's crazy, but I kept thinking 'this is my shot,' like some rook," he chuckled.
So nearly ten years to the day after his last BLB at bat, a 32 year old AAA veteran journeyman got a call and became a 32 year old BLB rookie. Boyd met up with his teammates Sunday night in Indianapolis, and then Monday morning, while getting fitted for his orange and blue #34 uniform, got the news. Boyd was starting against lefty Ben Irvin.
"Thank goodness I didn't even have any time to be nervous. Talk about a rookie - my mind was racing, but I did my best to stay focused. I know it's crazy, but I'm looking at this not as a swan song, but an audition. I can play man, I know I can still play," Boyd later remarked in the post game press conference.
Batting sixth, Boyd didn't get up in the top of the first but would be on deck in the second. But evidentally, ten years wasn't long enough for Boyd to wait to get another at bat - Indianapolis sent nine men to the plate in the bottom half and scored five runs. "Nah, didn't even cross my mind," Boyd said. "I was focused on getting Vic (Munoz) out of the inning. But yeah, it's not how you imagine your first inning back."
Boyd ground out in his first at bat, but was due up again in the fifth. Boyd fought off four pitches with two strikes before hitting a grounder up the middle for a single. Then in the sixth, Boyd doubled in two runs, and again got on base with a single in the eighth to cap a 3-4 night in his first BLB game since 1982. To top it off, in his next start, Boyd doubled his BLB HR total with a round tripper off Hartford's Ernie Ferguson in the top of the 8th. It's only a week, but Boyd currently sits with a .400 average and a 1.255 OPS - and no strikeouts.
"All those years, they were - I don't want to make it out like I'm complaining here because I was playing baseball for a living - but those years were rough. I expect the best out of myself and I didn't even get a chance to prove myself against the best for so long. It was purgatory. It was a grind. It was worth it."
Ten years ago, in 1982, a 22 year old Boyd strided out to the plate to "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. Today, his younger teammates might laugh when the song comes over the PA system, but who would have known in 1982 that the actual survivor was going to be Boyd himself.
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