Every year at the start of a new MLB season I indulge myself on a baseball book binge and I've racked up quite a library. My latest purchase was 'Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit' by Matt McCarthy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
'Odd Man Out' follows our author McCarthy through a year in the Angels minor league system, from being drafted out of Yale to joining his new team-mates in the sleepy little town of Provo, Utah. McCarthy leaves college a decent left handed pitcher on a terrible Yale team and joins an eclectic bunch of largely southern, tobacco chewing Americans and wild "Dominicans", even if most them aren't actually from the Dominican Republic. There's racism, steroids, locker-room pranks and long bus rides all included within McCarthy's book and it all makes for a very interesting read. The locker-room dynamics between the American players and the Spanish-speaking Dominicans is pretty shocking in this day and age, how two ethnic groups can go so far out of their way to avoid each other, despite being a supposed "team" on the field.
The events in the book take place in 2002 so it's been a while but most fans will recognise the famous names McCarthy played with, like Bobby Jenks, Casey Kotchman, Erick Aybar, Alberto Callaspo etc. Apparently there's been some controversy concerning the validity of McCarthy's words, some statistical errors here and there, or a player mentioned when he hadn't yet joined the club. In any case, it doesn't effect the quality of the book and how well it reads. Naturally it's not all going to be 100% factual, there's going to be some room for embellishment, there always is in memoirs.
It's fascinating to read how McCarthy, a low draft pick who signed for the minimum $1,000, interacts with the high draft pick guys like Joe Saunders who signed for millions of dollars, yet still find themselves in the exact same position as McCarthy to start the season. Obviously both men are treated very differently by their fellow players, coaches and organisation higher-ups as the season progresses. Saunders is babied and taken care of, making sure his precious arm isn't misused, thus inciting jealousy and contempt from the majority of his team-mates.
My favourite part of the book was probably the build-up to McCarthy getting drafted out of Yale. It was really interesting to read a player's opinion, especially a highly educated and likeable guy like McCarthy, on the draft process. It was exciting to read about all the different scouts showing up to watch his games, how over-the-moon Matt and his father were when they got the news the Yankees invited him to a try-out. Over the course of a few weeks McCarthy's world was turned upside down, flown thousands of miles away from his home in Florida and left to fend for himself in the Mormon town of Provo, Utah with a bunch of strangers. Quite the culture shock.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and raced through it, finishing it in under a week. It's an easy page-turner and an amazing look into the world of professional baseball, how the dream of playing ball isn't necessarily what you'd expect. The minor-leagues seem like a brutal battle-ground and I have a bit more respect for the major leaguers I watch on TV who made it through. The majority of them must have went through some tough times in the minors, far away from friends and family, and have obviously earned their place at the top level, even if some of them still suck in our eyes.
Up next I have Kostya Kennedy's '56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports' and I can't wait to start it. I've been meaning to read a DiMaggio book for ages and couldn't decide between Kennedy's and Richard Cramer's 'The Hero's Life'. I made the decision to go with Kennedy's based on some great reviews and I'll be starting it later today. I can't wait!
Rating: 5/5
Thanks for reading.
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