By Richard Torres
July 20, 2008 12:15 am
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The blistered stretch of Arizona highway that greeted Jordan Czarniecki last April as he motored from Tulsa back to Knoxville, Tenn. offered no peace of mind. Instead, the black sea of asphalt served as a callous reminder of an uncertain destination.
Czarniecki refers to the journey as “the long drive home,” a deflating cross-country trek, covering nearly 1,900 miles embarked upon April Fool’s Day week.
Released on March 31 by the Colorado Rockies as Major League Baseball Cactus League play concluded and teams trimmed their rosters for opening day, Czarniecki rode in his car, one of the expendable, left with an air mattress, a memory-foam topper, some clothes and a few dishes rattling around as he sped eastbound, a baffled ex-minor leaguer.
He was a free agent for the first time, and as he recollects, stuck in humility, but far from conceding his lifelong dream as humbled aspiration.
“I remember calling people on the way home from Arizona back to Knoxville, and a lot of people were saying, ‘It was good ride, you know. You played hard and you did a good job.’ They were basically saying, it was over for me, and it frustrated me more than you could imagine,” Czarniecki said. “I knew I wasn’t done. I knew I had a lot of productive years left in me, and I felt like I was swinging the bat better than I was my entire life. I wasn’t done. I was not going to take that and move on with my life.”
Czarniecki hit .280 during spring training and worked out with the Triple-A team in Colorado Springs in hopes of inching closer to the Majors, but after an unexpected move by the Rockies, the former Anderson High School standout lost his roster spot completely.
A shocking development for the 27-year-old outfielder, considering he was coming off his most productive season in the Texas League, hitting .281 with career-highs in RBIs (58), runs (74) and doubles (31) for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.
“I thought I was going to make that (Triple-A) team,” Czarniecki remarked. “Right at the end, we had a big leaguer trickle down to Triple-A, and it kind of pushed me out at the very end of spring training.
“I felt like I had four productive seasons with the Rockies, and you expect to be released when you hit .220, but not when you hit .280. It was a learning experience. It was kind of shocking.”
After spending five seasons with the club that selected him 737th overall in the 2003 MLB first-year draft out of the University of Tennessee, Czarniecki, a speedster on the base paths, proceeded to play the game with first-round intensity rather than dwelling on his 25th round label.
He earned Texas League Player of the Week honors last August and the season prior. He garnered mid-season all-star distinction, an accolade he also achieved in 2004 in the South Atlantic League as a Class-A Asheville farmhand.
Yet, there he was, idle for a week until the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim made an offer. With his promise too difficult to ignore, Anaheim presented a contract, giving Czarniecki a spot with its Double-A affiliate the Arkansas Travelers.
“The Angels called and said they needed outfield help right away, so I took it. They had an unbelievable team put together over here, so I was kind of hesitant to take the job in the first place just because (Triple-A) was where I needed to be. I needed to get to Triple-A or my career was going to fizzle out,” Czarniecki said.
“At the same time, it was probably going to be four to six weeks before my agent could find me another job, so I was going to sit at home for about a month and a half without a job. That’s no good either. My thought process was, I missed a week, so I needed to take it, get in there and play well. I knew if I did the things I know I can do well, then they would have to move me.”
He was right.
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Czarniecki returned to the Texas League as a Traveler on April 11, reporting to Little Rock, Ark., a week into the Double-A season. But despite the familiarity, the 190-pound contact hitter initially struggled to rekindle his timing. Separated from live pitching for two weeks, Czarniecki labored through a 3-for-32 slump before he rediscovered his swing.
“It was hard at first, I can’t say it wasn’t difficult because I struggled badly when I first got to Arkansas,” he admitted. “But I think every season it becomes a little bit easier. Each level you move up, of course there is a little bit of an adjustment period, but the more at-bats you get the easier the game becomes. You become more familiar with what’s going on, with what your swing is doing, with what the pitchers are trying to attack you with. I just think the 400-plus at-bats you get a year can only help you out in the long run.”
Soon after, Czarniecki locked into his comfort zone, relying on his instincts. Through 50 games, the former high school cage rat upped his batting average to .307 with a mere 25 strikeouts in 176 plate appearances.
His hitting prowess was also the result of years of weight-training, according to former high school coach Terry Turner.
When Czarniecki graduated from Anderson H.S. in 1999 at a modest 165 pounds, he was clocked from home plate to first base in 6.5 seconds, foreshadowing his capability to reach base regularly at the next level.
His hitter’s eye sharpened over time, as did his strength.
“His senior year is when he actually started to blossom at the plate. As a junior, he probably hit around .290, but he had the speed. His athleticism, though, didn’t really start to show until his senior year. As time went on he got better and better, obviously,” Turner recalled.
“He was always a contact guy with great speed. He would hit those gap shots for extra bases and turn it into extra bases. Anytime you can run as well as Jordan can run, you got a chance. Obviously, with that speed, defensively he’s not going to hurt anyone, and he’s a threat to steal. (His advancement) is probably always going to come down to how he’s hitting.”
With Arkansas he kept his on-base percentage above .400, which played well into the organization’s hitting philosophy, a mild contrast to the Rockies’ more predominant focus on power, though that was never a factor, according to Czarniecki.
“Each organization is different. It’s just like changing jobs in the business world, but at the same time it’s the same game. You got out, played hard, you learn the little difference and play your game. That’s what you have to do,” he explained.
“If you try to change your style of play and play into what they want, I think you’re going to hinder yourself. You have to do what you do. I feel like I can hit some home runs. I’ll hit 10 to 15 home runs every season. At the same time, I can’t go up there and just starting taking a bunch of pitches and get out of my rhythm and not look for the first-pitch fastball that I love to hit. You have to play your own game, and hopefully it is a fit, and hopefully it is what they’re looking for.”
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When Czarniecki answered his phone last April, the second chance he had hoped for came, thanks to Anaheim farm director Tony Reagins’ immediate team need.
But there was a catch.
It meant he had to play his home games at Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock, the same venue where the Drillers tragically lost a member of its baseball family, hitting coach Mike Coolbaugh on July 22, 2007, whose shocking death jarred a nation.
“When I got called and they said, ‘we need help in Double-A,’ that was the first thing I thought of,” Czarniecki recalled. “That’s where the Coolbaugh tragedy happened.”
A late-round draft choice like Czarniecki, Coolbaugh gained the respect of his players instantly with his inarguable passion for the game.
Hired to fill in for Orlando Merced as hitting coach on July 3, 2007, Coolbaugh, 35, held the Southern League record for RBIs in a single season, but more vividly, according to Czarniecki, he was a positive spark for many of the young, starry-eyed prospects.
“He was a great guy, a family man and a great coach, too. He really got me rolling last year the two weeks’ time he was there,” Czarniecki said. “He had a positive style, and he really wanted us to do well. It was just a great feeling having someone in your corner pulling for you that hard and trying to make you the best player you could be. Talking hitting with him everyday is something I won’t forget.”
Coolbaugh was killed in the ninth inning of Tulsa’s 7-3 loss to the Travelers when a line drive hit by Drillers catcher Tino Sanchez struck him in the neck while he was standing in the first base coach’s box.
The foul ball’s impact caused fatal damage to Coolbaugh’s left vertebral artery, resulting in a brain hemorrhage, which killed him less than an hour later. It was the first fatality caused by a baseball in a professional game since 1920.
The tragic event compelled MLB general managers to install a league-wide rule requiring coaches to wear helmets on the field, beginning this year.
“It was tough going back over there (to Dickey-Stephens). I’m not going to lie. I thought about him every day I walked out there,” Czarniecki said. “Honestly, when he got there (in Tulsa), I started turning my season around. I was struggling the first half last year. All the credit is due to him. He got me where I needed to be.”
The healing process was a slow one, said Czarniecki. Fortunately, for those involved, the team’s family atmosphere offered solace.
“They gave us a couple days off, thank goodness, to help clear our minds. We got to fly down to his funeral. American Airlines chartered a jet for us and flew us down to San Antonio. I think that helped. It helped the guys mourn his loss, but at the same time help us get through it,” he said.
“Baseball players, they’re family to one another. We’re on the road together all the time, in the clubhouse together all the time, and we pull on one another. Some days you’d have a good day. Other days you’d have a terrible day, but each one of your teammates would pick you up. It wasn’t easy, but we managed to get through and make it the best situation we could have made it for such a tragic event.”
Nonetheless, the memory remains along with the reality of how an innocent toy can quickly turn into a deadly weapon.
“They’re trying to make it safe for the coaches, which is a good thing. It’s scary, you know. There was a ball hit the other day, and it was just a screamer down the line. It just missed a couple of kids. I think a fan reached out and slapped the ball down,” Czarniecki said.
“No one really realizes how dangerous it is. The fielders have gloves on. Third base and first base coaches sometimes are closer than 90 feet from the hitter with nothing to protect themselves. Sometimes the fans are 50 feet away behind the dugout without a screen. They have no idea how important it is to pay attention during these games. I still flinch like crazy. I’ll jump when there’s a ball smashed into the stands. I think I will for the rest of my life after what happened.”
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It was June 24, and Czarniecki had more than baseball on his mind. With the Double-A All-Star break approaching and a handful of off days ahead, plans were in motion.
Czarniecki’s fiancé, Blaire, was en route from Knoxville to Little Rock, and some friends were scheduled to fly in to see a game with the Travelers ready to host a three-game set against the Midland Rock Hounds.
Then, suddenly Czarniecki’s phone rang, and everything changed.
“My fiancé was driving from Knoxville. She just got to Memphis, which is two hours away, and I got the call,” Czarniecki said. “I got the call that I was going to Triple-A, so I had to call everyone and let them know, go ahead and cancel your flight.”
Moved up to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees after outfield injuries opened a position with Anaheim’s Pacific Coast League team, Czarniecki was branded the new starting left fielder, though he had only played around 20 games there previously.
Through the minors he mainly fielded center and right on occasion. But as the former Anderson American Legion state champion joked, “if they want me to pitch, I’ll do it, as long as I can hit, too.”
“It’s exciting. I had been battling for three years to get out of that Texas League. I put together some pretty decent seasons over there, and just never did get the opportunity that I was looking for,” he said.
“You play hard. You work hard every single day. You show up for early work. You stay late and study what’s going on, and you just want that opportunity that you feel like you deserve. It finally happened for me.”
Since the call-up, he hasn’t wasted time getting acclimated to both a new position and the speed of the game. In 14 games, the right-hander owns a .314 batting average and though he didn’t log a hit in his first game, the second night he vanquished the jitters with his first, which he topped on the third night with a home run.
In 51 at-bats, he’s crushed three four-baggers and connected for two doubles and triples to go with 10 RBIs. Another step in the right direction, according to Czarniecki, who began his baseball voyage a decade ago when he left Madison County for the University of Louisiana Lafayette on an academic scholarship. Shortly after, he moved onto Osceola-Walton Community College, eventually making his way to the Southeastern Conference as a Volunteer before finally going pro.
“Now, it’s time to produce up here. You just can’t be happy with being here and hit .200 or you’re going to be right back to where you were or out of a job. You have to do the things you have to do to stay up here,” he said. “You can’t be content at Triple-A.”
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On July 4, Czarniecki celebrated the holiday in front of a capacity crowd at the Bees’ home of Franklin Covey Field. Starting in left field, the six-foot, one-inch Czarniecki went 1-for-3 at the plate against the Tuscan Sidewinders.
In the stands, several members of his family and friends cheered him on, including his father, Lani.
“There were 15,500 people in the stands,” Jordan recalled. “That’s by far the most I’ve ever played in front of. The roar’s a little bit louder. That adrenaline gets going a little bit. I can only imagine what playing in front of 40,000 must feel like.”
“It was amazing,” Lani added. “It really was.”
But it’s far from a conclusion, said Czarniecki, who intends to stick with what he does best – persevere.
“The Majors ... that’s what I was looking for, but at the same time you never know. That’s one thing I’ve learned in this game. If you worry about those things, you’re not going to play well. Let things fall as they may,” he said. “I’m playing until this game’s not fun for me anymore. Until that time I’m going to battle it out and do everything I can to get to the big leagues.”
“Jordan is the kind of kid you have to root for because he’s just a great kid,” Turner added. “He was a great student in school, a very respectful young man, and he would go out of his way to improve his game. He would do whatever it would take. I’m really proud of him.”
And, if necessary, when the call does come, he’s more than willing to drive the nearly 600 miles to Anaheim for an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Alexandria’s JD Closser and Anderson’s Adam Lind for a shot to play in the Big Leagues.
“I shipped my car out here. I made sure before I did. I asked them if I was here to stay. They said, ‘Yeah, the plan is for you to play pretty much every day,’” said Czarniecki, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business management while also working his way up the minor league ladder.
“Who knows what will happen? You can’t worry about it. You just have to take care of business, and let those people, who make those decisions, make them.”
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