The path to the MLB isn’t the same for every player. Some will spend a year or less in the minors while others will toil away in the lower leagues before realizing their dream.
For Boston Red Sox infielder Jamie Westbrook, it was the latter. He spent 11 seasons in Minor League Baseball before getting the call that he was making the jump to the big leagues, and when that call came, he shared the moment with his parents.
“My dad’s like, “what’s wrong? What’s wrong?” because I was crying. I’m like, “I’m going to the big leagues,” Westbrook told MassLive’s Katie Morrison-O’Day. “They just started running out of the store, it was nuts. I got on a flight that night. You always envision how that call is gonna go and who you’re gonna be with and whatnot. That was a cool moment.”
The 29-year-old benefitted from the Red Sox’s injuries and got a chance to play in 11 games and hit .222 with a .749 OPS before being sent back down to Triple-A Worcester, but just because he hasn’t found a permanent home on Boston’s roster yet doesn’t mean that this was important for him.
“I think the biggest takeaway was that the feeling that I had in my gut that I was a major league player was true,” Westbrook said. “To have that validation, have it be solidified, not just believing it, but it actually being fact, has made all of the journey completely worth it…
“Still in the back of my mind, I had this weight on my shoulders because I wanted it so bad. I think is going be awesome to just enjoy playing and not stress out way too much, and to know [I’m] going to be fine and [I’m] good enough and all of those things that I’ve believed.”
Considering how the Red Sox’s luck has been this season with injuries, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Westbrook back in Boston again at some point this season, and everyone knows he’ll be ready if his number is called.
