The life of a Major League Baseball player is exhilarating. The opportunity to play baseball at the highest level in front of packed stadiums in different cities every night all while getting paid to do so is a dream come true for Gilroy’s Chris Gimenez — but it’s not without sacrifice.
The MLB season is seven grueling months long — 162 games in addition to Spring Training. It’s a lot of time spent traveling, training and — the toughest of all — being away from your family.
On top of all that, the risk of injury is ominously present. For Gimenez, the 2013 season has been a combination of all of the above, culminating in a rollercoaster of emotions for the Tampa Bay Rays catcher. His low point being injuring his right hand forcing him to miss out on games and then into rehab with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate Durham Bulls (N.C.). Now he’s back at the peak of his season, coming off a Triple-A Championship with the Bulls and rejoining the big leaguers on Aug. 31 who are currently making their own championship push in the AL Wild Card race.
“The ultimate goal is to be here as long as you can,” Gimenez said. “Any time you’re able to be here is really just a blessing. Not too many people have the opportunity to do the stuff that I get to do. It’s one thing that I’ve really kind of learned from is not to take advantage of things like this and really try to enjoy everyday you have up here because you never know when it’s going to be your last.
“Spending a lot of time the last two years in Triple-A has really made me have that extra bit of respect for it.”
It’s taken countless hours of dedication and work for Gimenez to get to this point. On game day, he shows up several hour before the first pitch in order to get in a workout. From there, he spends 15-20 minutes in the batting cages before heading out to field to toss the pigskin around with his teammates. After football, Gimenez gets loose with some stretching before batting practice — which becomes highly competitive whether you’re in the cage or fielding the balls. After BP, the team mentally prepares by playing cards or listening to music — anything from Bob Marley to metal to country depending on the mood that day.
The Rays are a band of brothers, picking each other up when they’re down and celebrating their accomplishments — especially if those result in another ‘W’ in the record book.
Following a win, the scene in the clubhouse is blissful chaos. Gimenez said there’s handshakes, hugs, blaring music and smiles stretched wide across his teammates’ faces. This experience and the memories being created here leave him thankful everyday that he has the chance to be a part of it.
“This team and this organization is such a class act,” Gimenez said. “The amount of fun that we have, I’ve never experienced anything like it. I can relate this team to like being in Little League again — minus the snacks after the game — we have so much fun.
“There’s just a ton of fun stuff going on. It’s a little, what one would consider, out of the ordinary for a Major League clubhouse to look like. That’s the way we like it around here. We’ve got such a good organization and we’ve won a ton of games because of that.”
But all this comes at the cost of being away from his family — his wife Kellie and almost 2-year-old son Jace — for long periods of time. While he treasures the time he gets to spend with them, each time he leaves it gets harder and harder.
“I try to cherish those moments at home a little extra because I’m not around all the time,” Gimenez said. “I want to be there for my son and my wife and not have her stressed out. It is challenge, but at the same time I’m doing something that I love to do and it’s taking care of us and our family. It’s also given us an opportunity to travel to a lot of different places that not a whole lot of people have been to before.”
Visits home to Gilroy are few and far between. Living an entire country away makes it extremely difficult to be involved in his family and friend’s lives — all of which still live in Gilroy and the Bay Area. Luckily Gimenez is able to Skype with them often to allow his family to watch his son grow up even if they aren’t able to see him face-to-face.
A trip home may not be too far off if the Rays are able to keep their playoff dreams alive. The team could end up playing Oakland — who clinched the AL West Sunday — to cap off a wild year for the 30-year-old catcher.
“We’re right in the thick of things again,” Gimenez said. “Everybody has their part and they have to play it. It really is just so much fun. I hope to God that we get into the playoffs because you never know, you might not get there again. Anything can happen.”
The amount of fun that we have, I’ve never experienced anything like it. I can relate this team to like being in Little League again — minus the snacks after the game — we have so much fun.”
