On one end of the spectrum, there's the riveting highs, the excitement of being in a pennant chase in September and October. No other sport rewards its loyalists like baseball. Sure, patience is a virtue, but 162 games in an era of instant gratification is an eternity. That's why the payoff, if you're fortunate enough to experience it, is so rewarding.
On the other end of the spectrum, there's the struggle of lows. It's real. When your team sends strong signals in the beginning of the season that it's going to be a long one, the enthusiasm from spring turns to helplessness in summer. If this happens quickly after Opening Day, it can be burdensome and taxing.
At 7-13 and in last place in the AL West almost three weeks into the season, the Texas Rangers are not exactly setting the world on fire. The strong winds of a long season are swirling. In these times, you have to dig a little deeper to find where optimism lives. In the case of the Rangers, it's in the minor leagues.
Some (and admittedly myself at times being a University of Kansas alum and big fan of Joel Embiid) like to call it trusting the process. Us baseball nerds simply refer to it as believing in the backfields.
The backfields of spring training were always somewhat mythological to me. I had always read about them on Lone Star Ball, the Newberg Report and most recently The Athletic. This is the place where the prospects live. The place where the scouts hang out. The place where stars are bred — and no one except us zealots knows about them.
I never knew how accessible the backfields were until this year, when my brother @ddal21 and I visited Arizona this past March, in part for spring training. Our friend @dcullers, an unofficial scout and one of the best Rangers Twitter followers (in addition to @TepidP) anywhere, made us aware of the unrestricted nature of the backfields on Friday, March 16. He told us to join him near the spring training facility before the big league game against the Mariners. When a longtime Twitter ally of mine @MPMiddleton12 asked me to document my experience, I thought this would be the proper forum.
My first backfields experience was only a little more than an hour, but it was enough to make the trip to Surprise worth it before the big league game even started. There's no cost associated with taking a trip to the backfields. Just a friendly Rangers staffer lady who welcomed us and knew Cullers from his extensive experience with the proceeding.
Walking up to the backfields is not initially akin to stepping foot into baseball nirvana. For instance, there's no larger-than-life stadium waiting as you approach the entrance. It is not a playoff atmosphere. Not a ton of fans. There are gravel roads. Low fences. Silver bleachers. Making your way to the backfields at first has the feeling of visiting a local park or attending a round robin high school baseball tournament.
Yet, it's much more than that. You make your way in between the two fields where games are simultaneously taking place. Look left and you see Brett Martin, the Rangers No. 15 prospect, on the hill. The lefty throws some heat. A scout with a radar gun is sitting behind home plate on the bleachers. The Rangers are facing ... the Rangers in two separate games. Prospect city. Then it hits you. In a completely different way than Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (yes, I'm still calling it that), this place also makes me feel like a kid again.
You look to the right and see scouts and players in the other bleachers. One of those players is Hans Crouse, the Rangers top pitching prospect and No. 4 in the system. He's listed at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds and looked every bit of 6-4. Tall and lanky, oozing potential.
We ask Cullers what it's like to hang out at the backfields for an extended period of time. He says scouts furiously take notes and Rangers general manager Jon Daniels frequents the area. OK, that's pretty sweet. It's always been a sports life goal of mine to meet JD. My dream sports dinner includes JD and Mark Cuban. Cullers keeps a spreadsheet of breakout players for 2018. One of those breakout players is Michael Matuella:
The big draw, not only for me, but about half of the front office was Michael Matuella. If he can stay healthy, he is every bit the real deal. FB sat a pretty easy 94-96, touching 98. Also threw a few CH around 91 and an NSFW wipeout curve. Here’s clip of one of his Ks pic.twitter.com/pkwanHhBcX— David Cullers (@dcullers) March 22, 2018
Conversation flows freely in the backfields. That's what I love about it. It's a peek into the future and a unique dialogue about a passionate topic for many of us. It's stress-free, refreshing and thought-provoking.
For instance, what is the Rangers outfield going to look like in 2020 when they open the new stadium? Will it be Leody Taveras, Julio Pablo Martinez and Willie Calhoun? What will the rotation look like? Will Crouse develop into an ace? Which of Cole Ragans, Yohander Mendez, Kyle Cody, Martin and Matuella will make it in the bigs?
Right now, we don't know. But we can say we were there where it all started when this wave gets its shot in MLB in the coming years. It will be those times, years from now, that we'll reflect with giddiness and pride. We'll speak about the game romantically, in the kind of way that only baseball can when compared to other sports.
In a way, the backfields remind me of the memorable words of Terence Mann, played by James Earl Jones, in Field of Dreams: "And they'll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game, and it'll be as if they'd dipped themselves in magic waters."
As we prepared to leave for the big league game, one of the minor league players was walking closely behind us. He rolled a baseball like a bowling ball down the sidewalk to a woman he apparently knew. It barely missed and we all shared a laugh, as if we were part of the team.
The backfields experience is one that every superfan should have the chance to witness. I hope I have more opportunities to visit again in the coming years.
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