Born: Sept. 24, 1983
Hometown: Federal Way, Washington
Height/Weight: 6’3”/220 lbs.
Bats/Throws: L/L
MLB
Debut: April 18, 2006 with the San Francisco Giants
Notes:
- Two-time World Series Champion (2010, 2014) with the San Francisco Giants
- Hit the 2014 NLCS-clinching home run against the St. Louis Cardinals
- Has played for the San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates
This story appears in FCA Magazine’s May/June 2015 issue. Subscribe today!
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
I was just five years old when my parents first signed me up to play baseball, and immediately I knew I wanted to be a major leaguer one day. I played other sports throughout my childhood, but baseball was and always will be my first love.
My family lived in Federal Way, Wash., just south of Seattle. My parents didn’t take us to church, so Jesus wasn’t even on my radar. My thoughts and energy had two focuses: playing baseball and getting good grades in school so I could keep playing baseball.
I really started to grow physically and mature mentally between my sophomore and junior years, leading to a couple strong seasons and eventually being drafted in the 21st round of the 2002 MLB draft. I was an 18-year-old kid on cloud nine, but I didn’t realize how grueling the road ahead would be.
One of the greatest blessings of my life came in 2004 while playing for the Class-A San Jose Giants, when I took a pitch directly to the face. Yes, you read that right. I went to the dentist the next day, face swollen, and noticed one of the dental assistants. I didn’t have the guts to talk to her on my first trip, but I worked up the courage on a follow-up visit. Soon after, we began dating.
That dental assistant, Rochelle, is now my wife. She had grown up in the church, and she shared her testimony with me early on, but it didn’t become real to me until 2006 when we hit a rough spot in our relationship. Just when I thought it was over, she offered me forgiveness because she knew that’s what God called her to do as a believer. That was my “aha” moment with God. If she believed in something that powerful, to offer forgiveness in that situation, I wanted Him in my life as well.
The following offseason, Rochelle and I attended a church in my hometown where my high school pitching coach, Danny Graham, was the youth pastor. Through Danny and others, I started growing and learning about who Jesus was and what He had done for my life.
In February 2007, I gave my heart to the Lord.
I went to spring training on fire for Jesus and full of confidence that my game would surge with Him on my side. In reality, the opposite came true. I struggled through injuries and never sniffed the big leagues, even contemplating retirement at one point. In my first year walking with the Lord, I got crushed professionally. I didn’t understand what was happening. The following offseason, Rochelle and I started attending a Bible study led by her uncle, and that turned into one of the best seasons of spiritual growth in my life.
Soon after, my career took off. I spent three seasons playing with the Giants mostly as a backup, winning the World Series in 2010. For four years after that, I battled one major injury and bounced around from team to team, eventually landing back in San Francisco.
While struggling in Triple-A toward the middle of 2014, my wife and I again had serious conversations about retirement. The results just weren’t there, no matter how much effort I put in. We asked God to make it clear whether I should stick with it for another season when, on July 29, the Giants called me up.
The rest, as they say, is history.
I was mostly a pinch hitter in the second half of the season, but for the postseason my manager switched me to left field, a position I had never played. But he trusted me to do it, and I wanted to prove him right. I’ll never forget the exhilaration of hitting the game-winning home run in Game 5 of the NLCS to send us to the World Series, which we later won in seven games.
In baseball, it’s easy to find value in performance. I was so used to being a perfectionist, crushed by all my failures. (And that isn’t healthy in a sport like baseball!) My faith in God has given me freedom from that. Trusting His plan—not hard work or love of the game—has helped me persevere through all the ups and downs of my career. I know who I am in Christ, and that means so much more than whatever my stat line says about me.
–This article appears in the May/June 2015 issue of FCA Magazine. To view the issue in its entirety digitally, click here: May/June 2015 FCA Mag Digital
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Photos courtesy of 2014 S.F. Giants