From Phenom To The Farm
Sports
About
"From Phenom to the Farm" is a monthly series presented by Baseball America featuring interviews with former & current professional players that made the jump from high school directly to pro ball, and whose experiences vary across the professional baseball spectrum. Players will chronicle their personal experiences in transitioning from high school graduation directly into the life of a professional baseball player.The competition jump, adjusting to life on their own for the first time, handling money, learning professionalism, and other various aspects that a player encounters on their journey through the farm system. They’ll look back and provide insight on what they could’ve done, if anything, to be more prepared for life as a teenage professional athlete, and their opinions on what organizations should be doing to get the most out of their high school signees.
Episodes
- Daniel Winkler On Sliding In The MLB Draft & Overcoming Tommy John
In this episode of From Phenom to the Farm, Daniel Winkler details his experiences overcoming a significant draft slide and Tommy John surgery on his path to becoming a major league relief pitcher. He also touches on the recruiting process…
- Patrick Copen On Recovery From Comebacker That Left Him Partially Blind
Dodgers pitcher Patrick Copen joins 'From Phenom to the Farm' to discuss his baseball journey, including his time in high school and college, the 2023 draft, and his professional development. He shares his experience of a traumatic eye inj…
- Gilmore Girls Star Scott Patterson On His Career As An MiLB Player
Scott Patterson, known for his role in Gilmore Girls, reflects on his minor league baseball career. He covers his experiences being drafted, playing in the MiLB during the 80s, contract talks with Hank Aaron, a trade to the Yankees, and ne…
- Former Top 100 Prospect Gary Brown On Humble Beginnings, Lessons Learned
Gary Brown, a former Top 100 prospect, shares his career journey on
- Former 4th Overall Draft Christian Colon On His MLB Career
Christian Colon reflects on his baseball career, detailing his path as a high school player, his time as a fourth-overall draft pick, and his experiences in the major leagues with the Royals and Reds.
- Former MLB 3B Wes Helms On His 12-Year Career
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ former big leaguer Wes Helms discusses his twelve-year MLB career. Time Stamps (3:15) Being scouted in high school (11:30) Life in the GCL (14:50) Playing with teenage Andruw Jones (26:10…
- Former Mets INF Zach Lutz On Going From Division III To MLB
On the latest ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ Zach Lutz walks through his unique career path, which involved choosing a Division III college over traditional DI schools, getting drafted by the Mets and dealing with lots of untimely injuries. Ti…
- Danny Graves On Life As An All-Star Closer & More
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ former all-star closer Danny Graves joins to walk through his career in baseball. Time Stamps (4:30) Watching 90s Miami Football (11:15) Recruitment and Early Years at Miami (18:10) 90s C…
- Joba Chamberlain On Rise To Yankee Stardom, 'Joba Rules' & More
On the latest ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ former reliever Joba Chamberlain discusses his high-profile career as a Yankees phenom and more. TIME STAMPS (5:30) Man vs. Food & Gossip Girl Appearances (13:00) Parenting a Baseball Player (23…
- Jonathan Perrin On House v. NCAA Settlement & College Baseball Financial Changes
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ former Brewers righthander and CFP Jonathan Perrin joins to break down the financial changes of college baseball. Time Stamps (3:30) A Breakdown of the New Changes in College Baseball (7:…
- Tommy Mendonca On His College World Series Heroics & Fresno State's 2008 Cinderella Run
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ 2008 CWS star Tommy Mendonca walks us through his career and Fresno State’s Cinderella run. Time Stamps (4:20) Being recruited by Fresno State (and as a punter) (10:00) Slow Start to the…
- Brandon Finnegan On Being The First To Pitch In CWS & World Series In Same Season
On this episode of From Phenom To The Farm, former MLB pitcher Brandon Finnegan discusses his historic path to becoming the first player to ever pitch in both the College World Series and World Series in the same year, plus lots more. Time…
- How Nick Goody Went From Failed Juco Shortstop To MLB Reliever
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ former MLB reliever Nick Goody discusses his humble beginnings as a failed junior college shortstop and the road to making it on the mound in the big leagues. Time Stamps (5:00) Learning…
- Former MLB Outfielder Ian Miller On Running His Way To The Big Leagues
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ Ian Miller joins to talk his journey from speedy college walk-on to big league outfielder. (9:50) Walking On at Wagner College (18:10) Breaking Out in the Alaska League (22:40) Draft Day…
- Former MLB Reliever Drew Storen On Fighting For Saves
Former MLB reliever Drew Storen joins From Phenom To The Farm to discuss a career spent fighting for a closing role in the ninth inning. (3:30) Playing With Future Big Leaguers in Little League (6:55) Experience Playing at Stanford (24:00)…
- Former MLB Pitcher Tyson Ross On Playing For His Hometown Oakland A's & Team USA
Phenom To The Farm returns with former MLB pitcher Tyson Ross, who discusses getting drafted by his hometown team, the up-and-down nature of Triple-A life, Team USA, dealing with injury and more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.co…
- Former MLB Pitcher Matt Wisler On Life As A Journeyman Reliever
Former MLB pitcher Matt Wisler joins the podcast to discuss his life in baseball. After achieving success coming out of the 2011 draft, Wisler bounced around the big leagues as a journeyman reliever before settling into key bullpen roles w…
- Jimmy Serrano On Defying The Odds To Reach The Big Leagues
Few players follow Jimmy Serrano's path to the majors. A short righthander, Serrano walked on at Mesa Community College after graduating high school with exactly zero scholarship offers. Yet 10 years (and one position change) later, he rea…
- Iowa State Rep. J.D. Scholten On His Incredible Return To Pro Baseball
Former college pitcher and Iowa State Representative J.D. Scholten joins the podcast to discuss his career in politics and improbable return to the mound for the Sioux City Explorers. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Pri…
- Justin Masterson On How Food Poisoning Changed His Career
Justin Masterson joins the podcast to discuss his path to the big leagues, including how an untimely bout of food poisoning altered his career path forever. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://red…
- Derrick Loop On Finding His Baseball Home In Mexico
Derrick Loop joins the podcast to discuss the long and winding road through professional baseball that led the 40-year-old to finding a successful career in Mexico. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: htt…
- Travis Snider On His Rapid Ascent To The Big Leagues
Travis Snider joins the podcast to discuss his rapid ascent to the big leagues and subsequent struggles, big league food culture, his thoughts on the word "bust" and his post-career journey working to change youth sports. Advertising Inqui…
- Pat Venditte On Becoming A Switch Pitcher
On this episode, Pat Venditte discusses becoming the first switch pitcher of the 21st century, the extra work involved with using both arms, deciding how to face switch hitters and "The Pat Venditte Rule." Advertising Inquiries: https://re…
- Stephen Schoch On His Viral 2021 Regional Postgame Interview
Former UVA closer Stephen Schoch joins the pod to discuss h aving one D1 offer out of high school, his e xperience in the transfer portal, his viral 2021 regional postgame interview, odd summer jobs, weird guys in bullpens and why the Cape…
- Mike Lieberthal On Being An Undersized Catcher
Longtime Phillies backstop Mike Lieberthal joins the pod to discuss surviving as an undersized catcher in the minor leagues, sitting behind Darren Daulton and Benito Santiago, facing Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux, having a front row seat to t…
- Nathan Kirby On Dealing With Multiple Surgeries As A Pro
Former UVA and Brewers lefthander Nathan Kirby joins the pod to discuss pulling his name out of the 2012 draft, throwing a no-hitter in college, closing out the 2015 CWS and dealing with multiple surgeries as a professional. Advertising In…
- Kevin Cron On Going From The Bigs To Playing In Japan
Kevin Cron joins the podcast and discusses setting the Arizona high school record for home runs, turning down the Mariners as a third-round pick, playing in the 2014 CWS at TCU, going from the big leagues to playing in Japan and more. Adve…
- Josh Kusnick On Being A MLB Agent
Former MLB Agent Josh Kusnick joins the latest episode of 'From Phenom to the Farm' to discuss becoming an agent as a college student, signing future big leaguers out of junior college and why he doesn't like the draft. Advertising Inquiri…
- Jesse Goldberg-Strassler On Two Decades In Pro Baseball
Longtime Lansing Lugnuts broadcaster Jesse Goldberg-Strassler joins the podcast to discuss his two decades working in all levels of pro baseball, crafting a broadcasting style, his 2022 big league call-up and seeing great players like Bo B…
- Clinton Hollon On His Journey Back To Sobriety
*Trigger warning for drug abuse* Former Blue Jays farmhand Clinton Hollon joins the podcast to discuss going from second-round pick to life as a drug addict, and how he’s working his way back to life and baseball. Advertising Inquiries: ht…
- Jeremy Affeldt On Struggling To Find A Big League Role
Former Giants LHP Jeremy Affeldt joins the podcast to discuss s truggling to find a big league role, how to pitch in Colorado, Giants World Series runs and facing star hitters in the postseason. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com…
- Dominic Cotroneo On Broadcasting Baseball
Dominic Cotroneo currently handles stats & research on the Brewers broadcast and hosts their postgame call-in show. On this episode, he discusses s tarting in broadcasting as a high schooler, how calling pickleball or water polo can he…
- Brian Reinke On How Parents Can Help Their Kids Succeed In College Baseball
Brian Reinke is the head baseball coach at Galveston College. He talks s ports parenting in the upper levels of amateur baseball, the mental preparedness needed to succeed in college and how parents can help, the dos and don'ts for parents…
- Aiden McIntyre On How Parents Can Help Their Kid In-Between Lessons
Former A's righthander Aiden McIntyre is a pitching instructor and content creator. He discusses how parents can help their kid in-between lessons, the importance of developing a player's own work ethic, how to make the car ride home a pos…
- Lane Adams On Sports Parenting
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ former big league outfielder Lane Adams joins to talk all things sports parenting, including red flags, dealing with failure and how to handle the car ride home. Advertising Inquiries: ht…
- Chuckie Fick On Dos And Don’ts Of Sports Parenting
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ Chuckie Fick returns to talk over some dos and don’ts of sports parenting. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
- Ryan Lavarnway On Leading Division 1 In Hitting, Converting To Catching And More
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm’ Ryan Lavarnway discusses his journey from the Ivy League to the big leagues. He talks finding motivation from coaching, working to stick behind the plate as a professional, and the joys of…
- Bryce Fehmel On Converting To Pitching, OSU's Back To Back Trips To Omaha & More
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ former MiLB righthanded pitcher Bryce Fehmel joins to discuss his career. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
- Trey Wilson On The MiLB Broadcaster Grind, Broadcasting Multiple Sports & More
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm’ Richmond Flying Squirrels broadcaster Trey Wilson joins to walk through his journey through MiLB from the play-by-play booth. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy &…
- Looking Ahead At The 2024 Hall Of Fame Ballot With Matt Eddy
On the latest episode of From Phenom to the Farm, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy and podcast host Kyle Bandujo took a look at the first time eligible players on the 2024 Hall of Fame ballot, how they stacked up as prospects, and their chance…
- Richie Shaffer On The Difference Between A Hitter And A Swinger & His New Book 'The Slugger Journal'
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm’ Richie Shaffer returns to talk mentally elite hitting and his new book, ‘The Slugger Journal.’ Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/…
- Colby Halter On His Experience In 2023 CWS And Hopes and Expectations For His Pro Career
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ former Florida infielder and new A’s draftee Colby Halter joins to talk through his college career and expectations for life as a professional. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.co…
- Jim Morris On Making 13 Trips To The CWS And Two National Championships And Much More
Hall of Fame Miami and Georgia Tech coach Jim Morris walks through his storied college baseball coaching career. He talks recruiting future big league All Stars, his thoughts on the transfer portal and NIL, and how he pitched A-Rod on help…
- Aiden McIntyre On Making His Debut In Triple-A, Adding 10 MPH As a Professional To His Fastball & More
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm’ former A’s farmhand Aiden McIntyre joins to walk through his journey in going from junior college walk-on to firing 95mph fastballs. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Pri…
- Ryan Ripken On Growing Up The Son Of An MLB Legend, Transferring Out Of An SEC School And More
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ Ryan Ripken joins to walk through his career in pro baseball. Growing up the son of a legend, rediscovering his love for baseball in junior college, and filling us in on where the best pl…
- Jake Lindgren On Choosing Mississippi State Over An Offer With The Cubs, Undergoing Two Tommy John Surgeries & More
Jake Lindgren on turning down a tempting offer from the Cubs to go to Mississippi State, making it to the show less than a year after being drafted, mentally dealing with two TJ surgeries and much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redci…
- Jared Koenig On Going From The Pecos League to the Big Leagues
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm’ Padres lefthander Jared Koenig joins to walk through his career from the Pecos League to the big leagues, getting drafted but not being offered a contract and much more. Advertising Inquir…
- Burl Yarbrough On MiLB Changed In The '90s, His Four-Decade Long Career & More
On the latest episode of ‘From Phenom to the Farm,’ San Antonio Missions president Burl Yarbrough joins to walk through is career in a MiLB front office. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcir…
- Ryan McGee On The 2008 College World Series, Life As A MiLB Intern & More
ESPN senior writer Ryan McGee joins the podcast to discuss his life as a MiLB intern, and a trip down memory lane in covering the 2008 College World Series. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://red…
- Jonathan Perrin On The New Minor League CBA, What The Beginning Of The Season Is Like & More
Jonathan Perrin touches on what Opening Day and the first few weeks of breaking camp are like for minor leaguers, how the new CBA will help players and much more. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https…