But I loved sports and always had a passion to get better. I played football, basketball and baseball at Alhambra High School and graduated in 2000 after playing at the Oakland Coliseum in the NCS Championship game. I was unrecruited by 4 year schools, so I chose to attend Sacramento City College to give myself a chance to develop. At Sac City, I was taught hard work, discipline and mental skills that would help shape the rest of my baseball career. I dealt with an elbow injury for my first 2 years and only pitched 30 innings over the next 2 years because I was simply 8th or 9th on the depth chart on teams that had 12 players drafted.

Again, after junior college, I had nowhere to play the following year. My coaches at Sac City helped get me on a summer ball team in a wood bat league in Illinois. I jumped at the opportunity and at 22 years old, this is where I blossomed. I took my pitching to the next level and finished the summer with several schools recruiting me to play for them the following season. With every top school haven awarded all of their scholarship money already, tuition played a factor in my decision of where to attend. My final 3 choices were Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and LSU. After one conversation with then-pitching coach Troy Buckley, I knew I wanted to be a Dirtbag!

Because of transfer requirements going to a Division 1 school, I needed to take 21 upper division credits in my first semester at Long Beach, on top of 6am weight training sessions and a full practice schedule. Rather than be overwhelmed, I learned how to manage time effectively, prep meals in advance, and use any down time to study for the 7 classes I was taking. This discipline was incredibly valuable, and I finished the semester with a 3.7 GPA and was awarded a full scholarship for my tuition in the spring semester by my coaches.

I utilized the skills I learned at Sac City to manage a challenging academic workload and rigorous training and practice schedule. I thrived on the discipline that was required to succeed. That year, I played on a team that was nationally ranked and led all of Division 1 baseball in ERA. With 5 future MLB players including Troy Tulowitzki and Evan Longoria, we had an amazing group of talent. The season ended in disappointment, losing at home in the Regionals. But along with 8 other draftees, I was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 6th round of the 2005 draft.

I climbed the minor leagues with the Brewers, ultimately reaching AAA Nashville before being traded to the SF Giants for then-2nd baseman Ray Durham. I spent 2 years with the Giants in Fresno before being released in Spring Training 2010.

Rather than this be the end of my journey, I tapped into the resiliency I learned in college, as well as seeking out the best sports performance coaches and physical therapists I could find. Over the next 6 years, I went on a whirlwind tour playing ball in 6 countries, including 3 years in Japan, before my elbow finally had enough and I needed Tommy John surgery in 2015.