Hart alumnus Tyler Glasnow knew he was coming home two months ago when the Tampa Bay Rays traded him to his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers.
Glasnow made it all the way home last week, when he stopped by his alma mater, Hart High School, and met with the baseball program.
The Dodgers pitcher had some of the Hart players starstruck but the Indians warmed up after realizing the ace is just like them.
“Tyler’s a really down-to-earth kid,” Hart coach Jim Ozella said. “In many regards, he’s very much just like all of our kids. It’s awesome for our kids because here’s a player, who was in their mitts, doing it just like them years ago, and was very successful. They see that, they realize that maybe their dreams can come true as well.”
Glasnow gave a ton of advice to the Hart players, but reiterated to the team that the game is no different at every level.
“He talked a lot about understanding that the game is no different at the high school, college or the professional level. He says the game doesn’t change. The only thing that changes is the venue. It was a consistent message and a lot of the kids asked him about, ‘How do you deal with adversity?’ He said, ‘A lot of the same stuff that coach is talking about. One pitch at a time, one play at a time, one out at a time, one inning at a time or one game at a time. If do that you’re gonna be pretty successful.’”
The 6-foot, 8-inch right-handed pitcher was drafted out of high school in 2011. Glasnow was still unsure of his baseball future before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“He’s a guy that has really made his way in professional baseball and you have to understand that he had only one college offer,” Ozella said. “He’s had a lot of struggles, not everything’s been smooth. We often say to our kids, there’s no straight line to success, and he’s a perfect example of that. He’s had a lot of challenges and he’s just rolled with those. It’s a great example for our kids.”
Glasnow spent four years in the minors before being called up to the show in 2016. The Hart graduate was traded to the Rays two years later and was named American League Pitcher of the Month in his first month of action for Tampa Bay.
The pitcher can now set up shop back home as Glasnow is set to be in Los Angeles for quite some time after signing a five-year, $136 million contract with the Dodgers.
Hart’s season continues with Easton Tournament play while Glasnow gears up for the season in spring training in Glendale, Arizona.
