Travel Baseball Teams in North Dakota

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MLB Players from North Dakota

On March 31, 2014, a young man from North Dakota made his MLB debut. He's Seth Rosin, and he is one of two North Dakota-born players listed as currently active by Baseball Almanac. The other is Travis Hafner.

There are sixteen Montana-born players who have made MLB rosters in the state's history. Other recent major leaguers are Chris Coste and Darin Erstad.

Seth Rosin

Seth Rosin was born in 1988 in Fargo. As a child, he was a Little League pitcher in the Shoreview Area Youth Baseball Organizaton (http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=468975).Later, he was on the team at Mounds View High School.

Rosin declined a 28th round draft pick in 2007. He opted to play ball for the University of Minnesota. He made the All-Big Ten team -- twice.

Rosin was a 4th round draft pick in 2010 when he was 21. He was traded more than once during his time in the minor leagues. The Augusta Greenjackets, San Jose Giants, and Reading Phillies were among his minor league teams.

There were some tense days leading up to his MLB start. He traveled with the Dodgers to Australia, hoping to make his debut (http://kstp.com/sports/stories/S3384109.shtml). Instead, he soon found he was no longer a part of the Dodgers organization.

But he did find himself in uniform on Opening Day 2014 He's a Texas Ranger!

Travis Hafner

Travis Hafner was born in 1977 in Jamestown, North Dakota. He played tee ball when he was little. He also hit rocks on his parents' farm (http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2013/02/hafner_looking_to_shine.html).

As a child, he reportedly wrote an essay about his desire to be in the Big League. Little League, Babe Ruth League, and American Legion baseball were all steps along the way; in American Legion, he sometimes played shortstop.

At Sykeston High School, his sports were track and basketball -- there was no baseball team.

Hafner played for the team at Cowley County Community College in Kansas; he was recruited to play by Dave Burroughs. He did well at college, earning JUCO World Series MVP. He was also selected as junior college All-American. Back home, he played for the Jamestown Merchants, a local amateur team.

Hafner was a 31st round draft pick in 1996. He put in time with Savannah, Charlotte, and Oklahoma City and made his MLB debut in 2002 at age 25. In 2007, he won the Roberto Clemente Award.

2014 finds him recovering from a shoulder injury and taking some time to figure out if there will be more pro baseball or if he'll be retiring from play and taking on some other role in the baseball world (http://www.jamestownsun.com/content/unsigned-hafner-concedes-playing-career-could-be-over).

Learning from the Pros

It has been said of Hafner, "He came from a little town in nowhere and followed his dream to somewhere (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1105147/index.htm).”

There are plenty of youth out there with similar dreams. Youth sports are partly about dreams. They are also about learning team skills and resilience and seeking to be one’s personal best.

Rosin told a reporter from MLB.com: "I have to compete every day, be physically and mentally ready every day... I just have to think a day at a time and not worry about the next day or a week ahead about what might happen (http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp)."

A passion for baseball can help one overcome obstacles. Hafner has said he likes to hit baseballs even in his offseason, selecting baseball over other entertainment.

But academics are also important. Hafner was the valedictorian of his graduating class.

“If you work hard, good things will happen, he says, “I will never be in a situation where if I fail I can look back and say, ‘If I’d only worked harder’ (http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Hafner/Hafner_mysay.html).”

Travel Baseball Teams in North Dakota

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