Garrett Schlecht just became one of those guys.
The guys who, for the rest of their lives, can say “I was a professional ballplayer.”
Schelcht, the 2011 Waterloo High School graduate who helped the Bulldogs to the Illinois Class 3A state tournament this spring, signed a deal with the Chicago Cubs Monday night after they took him in the ninth round of the Amateur Draft in June. With the signing bonus, the deal came out to $355,000 over seven years.
Schlecht will forego the scholarship waiting for him at Middle Tennessee State University.
“It has been my dream since I was a little kid to be a professional baseball player and I am finally living the dream,” Schlecht said. “I just can’t wait to get out there and show them what I am made of. All the work that I put in to get this far is all paying off for me. I couldn’t be happier with the results.”
Schlecht’s mom heaved a sigh of relief when the whole ordeal of Garrett’s future was finally sorted out and came to such a positive conclusion.
“I don’t even know how to describe how I feel,” Melissa Schlecht said. “I guess because it has been such a long road, it has been really tiresome. There have been a lot of things that we have had to do, a lot of sacrifices we all have made.
“We gave everything we had and gave him all the tools he needed to succeed, but he had to be the one to use them. We are very happy for him. I can’t tell you how happy we are.”
The decision to sign with Chicago was ultimately a pretty easy one. As the Schlechts waited for the Cubs to make an offer, they settled on a number they could live with that would make up for the time Schlecht spends in development, trying to make his way to the Show.
“School was important and we decided that he was going to have to be compensated for his school value,” Melissa said. “We decided that there would also have to be a price included in the signing bonus that made up for him missing out on his college years, that 18-21 age range.
“Anyone can go back to school, but you are never going to be 18 years old again and it’s not the same. We wanted to make sure that the money he got was going to make up for that experience.”
Schlecht will leave on Friday and head for rookie ball in Mesa, Ari., for a few weeks, then return home before heading for the instructional league, also in Mesa, in September. In the offseason, the Cubs will provide a to-do list for Schlecht to follow, including detailed nutrition and workout plans as well as baseball-specific training. The Cubs will follow his progress through the offseason, checking in every other week, until he heads for spring training in Mesa next March.
Over the weekend, Schlecht got his first taste of being part of the organization. The Cubs invited him to the game against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium Saturday, where he was treated to a walk-through of the visitors clubhouse, watched batting practice and met several of the players.
“Meeting all the players and seeing how they take batting practice, and seeing how big they are compared to me, is motivation for me to try and get that far and get that much better,” Schlecht said. “It proves that I have a long way to go still and a lot of work ahead of me.”
Schlecht’s father Jim played with Cubs pitcher Randy Wells on the dominant Waterloo Buds team in the Mon-Clair League. Wells took the younger Schlecht under his wing over the weekend and took his time to show him the ropes and talk him through some of the things he can expect going forward.
“He just told me to keep my head on straight, work hard and work every day,” Schlecht said. “He told me to keep that tunnel vision and if I work hard, it will all pay off in the long run.”
Schlecht will head into his brief stints of ball as this summer and fall unwind, then it will be on his shoulders to follow the schedule the Cubs set forth for his offseason workouts.
This is just the first step on the long road to the Big Leagues, but the nerves have yet to hit Schlecht.
“I am pretty calm right now,” Schlecht said. “This whole process hasn’t even really hit me yet, but I am sure it will soon, as I get down there and get going.
“As of right now, I am excited to get down there and show them what I am made of.”
