Follow Me, Top Baseball Prospect Leaves For Higher League

Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men. (cf. Holy Gospel of Saint Mark 1:17)

Grant Desme, a highly touted baseball prospect for the Oakland Athletics organization, decided that he could not fight his calling anymore and answered God by retiring from baseball and to begin seminary training immediately.

A terrific article by Jane Lee of MLB.com.

My emphases and comments:

“Last year before the season started, I really had a strong feeling of a calling and a real strong desire to follow it,” the 23-year-old said. “I just fought it.”

“As the year went on,” he said, “God blessed me. I had a better year than I could have imagined, but that reconfirmed my desire because I wasn’t at peace with where I was at. I love the game, but I aspire to higher things.

“I thought, I’m doing well in baseball, but I really had to get down to the bottom of things — what was good in my life, what I wanted to do with my life. And I felt that while baseball is a good thing and I love playing, I thought it was selfish of me to be doing that when I really felt that God was calling me more [Sounds like the Church has gained a mature and strong man for God!], which took me awhile in my life to really trust and open up to it and aim full steam toward Him .”

Grant Desme just completed a rarity in minor league baseball, he finished a 30-30 campaign, ie, 31 home runs and 40 stolen bases.  He also received MVP honors in the premier Fall League in Arizona (I’m a homer).

Desme, a lifelong Catholic who grew up with a strong religious family in Bakersfield [California of all places! ;)] before attending Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, has just as much respect for the game he’s walking away from — the same game he credits with aiding in his decision.

So now, the brave Desme faces what he says is a 10-year path to becoming a priest while studying at St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County [Norbertines!] beginning in August.

May God continue to bless him and keep him on the straight and narrow!

_._

To read the complete article by Jane Lee of MLB.com click here.

To learn more about the Norbertine Saint Michael’s Abbey in Orange County click to their website here.  For the Wikipedia entry click here.

To learn more about the Norbertines, ie, Order of Canons Regular of Premontre, also known as the Premonstratensians or White Canons (in Ireland and Britain) click here.