Meet Crimson Sox prospect Shane Drohan, a ‘common man’ having his breakout season

Crimson Sox

“I actually don’t suppose anyone’s going to have larger expectations than myself.”

“Put some garments on and are available into Eppy’s workplace.”

Shane Drohan sat at his locker and puzzled what pitching coach Sean Isaac’s demand meant. His Portland Sea Canine had simply defeated the Somerset Patriots in a recreation that he didn’t pitch in. He spent that recreation cheering on his teammates like every other relaxation day. Drohan had no vital function that day, so what might supervisor Chad Epperson need to inform him?

Drohan had no concept, however he did as he was advised. He received dressed and walked over to Epperson’s workplace. As soon as Drohan stepped inside, Epperson regarded in his eyes and advised him the information that each Double-A participant goals of listening to.

“We’re gonna ship you up,” Epperson advised Drohan. “You’ve been dominating down right here and it’s time.”

Epperson was proper. Drohan torched hitters throughout the Jap League within the six video games he pitched as a Sea Canine. At-bats routinely ended at house plate every time hitters confronted Drohan. He had an actual reward for stopping any form of base acquisition, which was proven by his 1.38 ERA and 0.82 WHIP. These stats weren’t only for present, both. They earned him 5 wins—a league-leading 4 coming in April alone—with out a single loss. By that time, a fast promotion to Triple-A Worcester appeared inevitable. Double-A had turn out to be too straightforward for him.

As Drohan’s pitching stats grew to become smaller and smaller, the hype surrounding him solely grew. He shot up Crimson Sox prospect rankings to turn out to be some of the highly-touted gamers in Boston’s farm. Baseball specialists began to think about him among the finest pitching prospects the Crimson Sox needed to supply, particularly amongst his fellow southpaws. Hastily, Drohan was getting extra consideration than he ever obtained in his life.

However that reward comes with huge expectations from others. The stress to stay as much as requirements that prime can overwhelm any participant, regardless of how proficient they’re. However does that stress ever get to Drohan?

“I wouldn’t say that,” Drohan advised Boston.com. “I actually don’t suppose anyone’s going to have larger expectations than myself.”

Drohan considers himself a reasonably regular man. He likes sports activities, he doesn’t believe in superstitions and he’s good at his chosen craft. Certain, he’s among the finest younger pitchers on this planet, however he doesn’t imagine that makes him totally different from every other particular person.

“I’m only a common man, like anybody else,” Drohan mentioned. “[I] simply have my skills in sure locations on this world, like everybody else has their skills.”

However even common guys have distinctive traits. And certainly one of Drohan’s is his hyperfixation on the game of baseball. Whether or not he performs it, watches it or research it, Drohan can’t get sufficient baseball and permits it to take over his thoughts.

“I’m simply captivated with this,” Drohan mentioned. “Type of like, virtually obsessive about it. It’s like one thing you’re all the time interested by. You’re all the time watching baseball.”

It wasn’t all the time that manner although. Drohan’s favourite sport all through childhood was soccer, a love that inspired him to dedicate himself to taking part in quarterback at Florida’s Cardinal Newman Excessive College in tenth grade. At that time, baseball wasn’t even a thought on his thoughts. His father performed in Kansas Metropolis’s system, however the youthful Drohan grew bored of taking part in within the outfield as a child and deserted the game altogether after pitching in his freshman 12 months of highschool.

However issues would change in his junior 12 months of highschool. After a development spurt took Drohan from 5-foot-8 to 6-foot-2 inches, certainly one of his soccer teammates satisfied him to return to the mound. He honored his pal’s request, however he did so with the identical lack of enthusiasm for baseball he had as a toddler. He was simply going by the motions with none feelings.

“On the time, [I] was form of simply strolling out to the sphere like every other common child,” Drohan mentioned, “Tying my footwear and simply going on the market taking part in.”

However by the midway level of that 12 months, Drohan observed that he was making vital enhancements to his recreation. He was throwing the ball more durable and his breaking balls broke very sharply. After that, he realized that baseball—not soccer—was his true calling.

“All the pieces actually got here so naturally,” Drohan mentioned. “It was similar to, ‘Yeah, that is what I’m imagined to do.’”

The Philadelphia Phillies realized the identical factor, and they also chosen Drohan within the twenty third spherical of the MLB Draft in 2017, the 12 months he graduated from highschool. However Drohan declined to play for them, as a substitute selecting to honor the dedication he made to Florida State College. He pitched with the Seminoles for 3 years earlier than he waited to listen to his identify known as within the five-round 2020 MLB Draft. 

And so he waited. And waited. And continued to attend. 4 rounds had passed by with out a workforce choosing Drohan. And because the fifth and last spherical began to wrap up, Drohan started accepting his destiny. He figured his dream of taking part in skilled baseball must be postponed one other 12 months, and so he known as his pitching coach at Florida State to inform him that he would possible be returning.

Simply because the draft was merely a number of picks away from concluding, Drohan heard his telephone ring. It was from the Boston Crimson Sox, who mentioned that they wished to pick Drohan with their workforce’s fifth-round choose within the draft. With none hesitation, Drohan gave them his reply.

“Yeah, let’s do it!”