A Day in the Life: Minor Leaguer during Season

​The first half of the 2017 season is complete (plus a few games.) The Drillers were in the chase to clinch the first half, but couldn’t pull out the wins over Northwest Arkansas. No one wants to clinch the first half anyway…The Naturals clinched the North Division at ONEOK Field and had their champagne shower celebration on the field. It was funny to watch. ANYWAY.
 
During Spring Training, we wrote what a day in the life of a minor leaguer was like so we wanted to do the same for in season.
 
10 a.m. – Wake-up
 
10 a.m. until leave for the field – Eat breakfast, play with Grainger, watch TV, etc.
 
12:45 p.m. – Leave the apartment to go to the field
 
1 p.m. – Get to the field and eat lunch
 
1:30 p.m. – Warm-up on the elliptical and roll out on the foam roller
 
1:45 p.m. – Go see trainer for treatment (knee, lower body stretch, ultrasound)
 
2 p.m. – Front flips in the cage
 
2:30 - 3:45 p.m. – Down time to do NeuroScouting, watch film on opposing pitcher/previous at-bats, play some ping-pong
 
3:45 p.m. – Position players stretch

Photo courtesy of Matthew Christensen - photo918.com

​4 - 4:45 p.m. – Batting practice and infield work on the field
 
5 p.m. – Pregame snack
 
5:50 p.m. – Matt takes a pregame shower then gets dressed for game
 
6:10 p.m. – Front flips in the cage
 
6:35 p.m. – Take the field for stretch and warm-up
 
7:05 p.m. – First pitch
 
10 p.m. – Average time for the game to be over
 
10 - 11 p.m. – Eat, shower, and get treatment and ice
 
12 a.m. – Go to bed and do it all over again the next day

Sometimes you just have to get a quick nap in - Photo courtesy of Jeremy Davis

During the season, Matt has to lift twice a week. If he has a lift day, he’ll get to the field earlier and workout before lunch. If they are on the road and have a gym day, the gym bus usually leaves around 10:30 a.m.
 
The schedule on the road doesn’t change much except the field arrival time is pushed back around 30 minutes to an hour (depending on where the team is) because the home team takes BP and fielding on the field first.
 
For a day game, Matt gets to the field around 9:30 a.m. for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch and 8 a.m. for an 11:05 first pitch. Since it is summer now, there are only four-day games in the second half of the season.

Before the All-Star Break (April 6 – June 25), the Drillers played 76 games in 81 days. The off days came on April 12 and 16, May 10 and 29 and June 5. There were three rainouts, which resulted in double headers the next day. Matt always said to me when we decided I would travel, “You’re going to REALLY see what it’s like when you’re at the field everyday.” The past 81 days have been A LOT of baseball and not much else, but it’s also been a lot of fun. (Except when Matt was in an 0-16 slump; first part of the season…)
 
(Also, minor league players only get paid -*below minimum wage*- for time the game is played. Minor league players are salary, but when all the hours are calculated how much they get paid comes out to only the hours the games are played. But that’s another subject that will be expanded upon when I write a bestseller book one day.)
 
In the first half, Matt played in 59 games, batted .290 with seven homeruns, 14 doubles, one triple, 26 RBIs, 32 strikeouts and 20 walks in 210 at-bats. And he hit his first career walk-off home run! (This will always be fun to watch.)

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​He also played two games in right field and two games in left field. (First time playing outfield in the minors.) He played first base 30 games and third base 18 games. OH and second base for one inning. (Another minors first.)

Let’s see whatcha got second half!

(PS: Check out the VLOG page to see tours of seven Texas League ballparks I made it to during the first half!)

(PS2: I'm married to a position player, and I think pitchers schedules are a-whole-nother ballgame. Maybe I should interview a pitcher to get their day in the life!)