AUBURN - Some professional athletes get motivation from going undrafted
That's not the case for Ben Zeskind, who went through a disappointing Major League Baseball draft day but doesn't have a chip on his shoulder. As one of the most consistent Auburn players this season, Zeskind doesn't need one.
“I just wanted a chance to play baseball, period,” Zeskind said. “It didn't matter what round I was picked in, I just wanted to come and play. So far I've done pretty well but all the motivation came from me just being excited to be here. I decided to work really hard and that's where it all comes from for me.”
Out of 50 rounds in the draft, Zeskind was finally picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 37th, which turned out to be the next to last player selected on the current Doubledays' roster. It is somewhat surprising, considering the impressive season he had just completed at the University of Richmond. The former Spiders outfielder led in just about every offensive category during his senior year and left the school as the all-time career leader in hits (310), doubles (69) and a tie for the career record in triples (12), which earned him Second Team All-East Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association. The modest Miami native admits that owning those records is nice, especially when one of them was held by a current major leaguer for nearly a decade.
“It sounds horrible, but it was great (breaking those records),” Zeskind said. “The guy (David Reaver) that I passed for the all-time hits record is a good friend of mine, I played with him my freshman year. Some of the other names like Sean Casey, passing him in doubles was really exciting and I did that during the last series of the season. There were things that I wanted to be able to do and it was just another benefit to coming back my senior year. I was just happy to be able to accomplish those things, it was awesome.”
Zeskind was able to have that incredible senior season in Richmond because of something that didn't seem like good fortune at the time. Although eligible to enter the MLB draft after his sophomore season, Zeskind went unpicked two years in a row before the Blue Jays grabbed him in June. Although he wanted to get into professional baseball much sooner than he did, Zeskind focused on the good that came from not being chosen. Last spring, he earned his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. “Even though I was hoping to get drafted earlier, it really did work out for the best,” Zeskind said. “Now I have my college degree and I'm in a great situation with the Blue Jays. I think that how they run things is first class and I'm happy that I'm in this organization and with this team. It's cool because I'm here for baseball and the people in this town are very nice. They love the Doubledays and it's great, I haven't played in front of this many fans in a long time.”
The situation has benefited the Doubledays as well. Out of the 55 games played this season heading into Saturday, Zeskind has taken the field 48 times, second most on the team. He leads the Doubledays with a .281 batting average with 50 hits, which is second on the team. And where does he rank with his minor league team in doubles and triples? First in both categories, with 15 and five, respectively.
“Ben has done well, he's been one of our everyday guys and he's put himself in a position to play as much as he can as long as he stays healthy,” Doubledays hitting coach Justin Mashore said. “He's pretty versatile, he can run well and we'll see where it takes him, but he's been a good addition for us.”
“I just wanted a chance to play baseball, period,” Zeskind said. “It didn't matter what round I was picked in, I just wanted to come and play. So far I've done pretty well but all the motivation came from me just being excited to be here. I decided to work really hard and that's where it all comes from for me.”
Out of 50 rounds in the draft, Zeskind was finally picked by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 37th, which turned out to be the next to last player selected on the current Doubledays' roster. It is somewhat surprising, considering the impressive season he had just completed at the University of Richmond. The former Spiders outfielder led in just about every offensive category during his senior year and left the school as the all-time career leader in hits (310), doubles (69) and a tie for the career record in triples (12), which earned him Second Team All-East Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association. The modest Miami native admits that owning those records is nice, especially when one of them was held by a current major leaguer for nearly a decade.
“It sounds horrible, but it was great (breaking those records),” Zeskind said. “The guy (David Reaver) that I passed for the all-time hits record is a good friend of mine, I played with him my freshman year. Some of the other names like Sean Casey, passing him in doubles was really exciting and I did that during the last series of the season. There were things that I wanted to be able to do and it was just another benefit to coming back my senior year. I was just happy to be able to accomplish those things, it was awesome.”
Zeskind was able to have that incredible senior season in Richmond because of something that didn't seem like good fortune at the time. Although eligible to enter the MLB draft after his sophomore season, Zeskind went unpicked two years in a row before the Blue Jays grabbed him in June. Although he wanted to get into professional baseball much sooner than he did, Zeskind focused on the good that came from not being chosen. Last spring, he earned his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. “Even though I was hoping to get drafted earlier, it really did work out for the best,” Zeskind said. “Now I have my college degree and I'm in a great situation with the Blue Jays. I think that how they run things is first class and I'm happy that I'm in this organization and with this team. It's cool because I'm here for baseball and the people in this town are very nice. They love the Doubledays and it's great, I haven't played in front of this many fans in a long time.”
The situation has benefited the Doubledays as well. Out of the 55 games played this season heading into Saturday, Zeskind has taken the field 48 times, second most on the team. He leads the Doubledays with a .281 batting average with 50 hits, which is second on the team. And where does he rank with his minor league team in doubles and triples? First in both categories, with 15 and five, respectively.
“Ben has done well, he's been one of our everyday guys and he's put himself in a position to play as much as he can as long as he stays healthy,” Doubledays hitting coach Justin Mashore said. “He's pretty versatile, he can run well and we'll see where it takes him, but he's been a good addition for us.”
The Citizens' Say
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