Alright, so today I got totally sucked down a baseball rabbit hole. It started simple, ya know? Saw someone mention “Mitch Farris baseball” in some random online forum comment thread. The name rang a vague bell, like maybe I’d heard it ages ago, but couldn’t place it. My brain just wouldn’t let it go. Who was this guy? So, I decided to dig.
First thing I did, obviously, was punch “Mitch Farris baseball” into the search bar. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. Figured it might be some local legend or something obscure. But bam! Results popped up, mostly about his minor league time. Okay, interesting start.
Then I started clicking around. Found out Mitch Farris was actually a real deal professional pitcher. He got drafted – that’s a big deal right there. Happened back in the late 70s, seems like ancient history compared to today’s game. The Philadelphia Phillies picked him. Picture this: young guy, probably fresh outta high school or college, getting that call. Must’ve been insane.
Here’s where it gets wild. His journey wasn’t straight to the big show. Nope. He spent years grinding it out in the minors. I’m talking:
- Starting in rookie ball, probably some tiny town field.
- Working his way up through Single-A, then Double-A.
- Finally landing in Triple-A, the last stop before the majors.
Can you imagine that grind? Bus rides, small crowds, cheap motels, just hoping for that shot. He spent like eight seasons down there! That’s dedication, man, or maybe just stubbornness. Had some decent years, records showed he could pitch. But that big league call… it just never seemed to happen for him. I kept digging, looking for stats, stories… nada.
Eventually, I pieced together his career story looked something like this: Drafted with hope. Spent most of the 80s bouncing around different minor league teams under the Phillies umbrella, putting up solid numbers year after year without ever getting promoted to the main squad. Talk about frustrating! Imagine being that close for nearly a decade and the door stays shut.
From what I gathered, his pro career wrapped up sometime around the mid-80s. No fanfare, no big send-off, just… done. Went off the baseball map. Wonder what he’s doing now? Probably teaching kids or running a store or something completely unrelated. That’s how it goes, right?
This whole deep dive kinda hit me. Here’s a guy who put everything into baseball, got to the doorstep of the majors, and just… stayed there. Never made it past Triple-A. It’s a reminder how insanely tough breaking into the big leagues is. So many good players never get that moment under the lights. Mitch Farris is one of those stories. The baseball world is full of ’em, hidden in old stats and forgotten box scores. Glad I found his.