Field of Dreams

From neighborhood playing fields and local high schools to professional baseball draft picks, it’s been a Field of Dreams for these baseball players who grew up in Buzz neighborhoods. 

Josh Blum (The Emery/Weiner School)

Only three years removed from his high school playing days, pitcher Josh Blum is still making history for his alma mater, The Emery/Weiner School Jaguars. The 21-year-old was selected by the New York Mets in the 16th round of this summer’s MLB Draft, becoming the first-ever Emery graduate to be drafted into Major League Baseball. 

“It was truly awesome. Being drafted to play baseball was one of the best moments of my life,” said Blum. “I was with my family and a few of my lifelong friends on draft day so we all celebrated together. It’s also super cool and an honor to be the first Emery/Weiner player to get picked in the MLB Draft.”

Before being drafted, Blum was a standout relief pitcher in college baseball for the USC Trojans.

“For Josh to be selected as high as he did is really special,” added his father, Marvin Blum. “We knew Josh wanted to go to a big city like New York and it all fell into place. It’s been a dream come true for all of us and it’s significant for the school and our entire community. The funny thing is that we have a photo of Josh from when he was a five-year-old playing for the New York Mets team in the Bellaire Little League, and here he is, once again a New York Met.”

As a standout senior for Emery/Weiner in the spring of 2021, Blum signed to play college baseball for the USC Trojans. It was in his recently completed junior season that Blum truly rose to the forefront as a Major League prospect having posted a 1.87 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 33 innings as the Trojans closer out of the bullpen. 

As a six-year-old Little League player, little could Blum have imagined that 15 years later he’d be suiting up for the New York Mets.

“I think a big part of my development has been the coaches and teammates that surrounded me at USC. We all stuck together with a goal of playing in the post-season and being a solid team in the PAC-12 Conference. I think all the work on and off the playing field has paid off.”

As he looks back at his high school days, ironically, it’s a football play that perhaps stands out most for Blum, with Blum having caught the game-winning touchdown pass in the Jaguars 2019 state championship victory in six-man football. “I still love seeing that video and it’s one of my favorite all-time highlights. My quarterback Doran Yustein threw me the game winner.”

But all touchdowns aside, the business at hand is winning games on the baseball mound for the New York Mets organization. “I love being a relief pitcher and playing in big situations. I’m just super excited about getting to work and playing for the New York Mets,” added Blum.

Former Episcopal Knights pitching star Tanner Witt has conquered major hurdles en route to becoming a 14th-round draft selection by the New York Mets. It was a day of joy and celebration for Witt after signing to play pro baseball for the Mets.

Tanner Witt (Episcopal High School)

Just two rounds prior to drafting Blum, the New York Mets selected another local pitching prospect in Episcopal High School alumnus Tanner Witt. A Class of 2020 Episcopal graduate, Witt went on to play four collegiate seasons for the Texas Longhorns.

“I was throwing a bullpen session the morning of the draft and my dad was with me with his eyes and ears glued to the phone. It wasn’t until the drive home when I got a call from my advisor to let me know I was going to be a New York Met,” said Witt. “We got home and then watched the official announcement unfold with my mom and girlfriend. It was special.”

Witt put forth a sensational freshman season for the Texas Longhorns before suffering a major arm injury in his sophomore season.

At the University of Texas, Witt quickly emerged on the scene in a phenomenal freshman season – even pitching in a pair of Texas victories at the College World Series. But, shortly into his sophomore season, Witt underwent major arm reconstructive surgery that would sideline him for the rest of his sophomore season and into much of his junior year. Fortunately for the Longhorns, Witt returned to the lineup in time to pitch for Texas in its Big 12 Championship clinching victory over West Virigina at the later part of that junior season.

But as fate would have it, shortly into his senior season, Witt underwent a second surgery to remove scar tissue, which effectively ended his four-year collegiate career at Texas. “Injuries, of course, aren’t a lot of fun,” said Witt. “But I learned a lot through it all and I’m a big believer in everything that happens for a reason. I just had so many great people supporting and encouraging me through the process. I couldn’t be where I am now without the help of my family, teammates, coaches, and so many others. I’m so grateful to everyone. As hard as it is to come back physically, it’s just as tough mentally. There’s just so many ups and downs when you’re going through rigorous rehab.”

As a big-time national prospect for the Episcopal Knights in 2020, Witt is wearing the blue jacket after firing a one-hit shutout in a big SPC victory over the rival Kinkaid Falcons.

“What makes us the utmost proud is how Tanner’s handled the long and difficult road to his comeback,” said Witt’s mother, Lori Witt. “Through it all, Tanner has stayed true to his belief that he would come out of this on the stronger side. Tanner went from being a first-round draft prospect to a freshman All-American at Texas to uncertainty about his baseball future after the injuries. But he has always stayed positive and just had a gift for keeping a level-headed perspective on everything. His path has really been a whirlwind, but in the end we’re all thankful for the exciting opportunity that’s ahead for Tanner.”

Witt is certainly extremely excited as he embarks on a professional baseball career. “My arm is healthy and feels great. I’ve been throwing on the mound for several weeks and had no problems at all. I’m ready to work with everyone in the Mets organization and continue to chase my dream of playing Major League Baseball.” 

After a magnificent collegiate career for both the University of Pennsylvania and Texas Aggies, it’s now off to the Chicago White Sox for former Memorial Mustangs catcher Jackson Appel. Appel proudly signs to play for the Chicago White Sox as a high sixth-round draft pick of the big-league franchise.

Jackson Appel (Memorial High School)

After helping lead the Texas Aggies to the championship final of the College World Series, former Memorial Mustangs catcher Jackson Appel is himself heading to pro baseball as a sixth-round draft choice of the Chicago White Sox. “I was at home with my mom and dad for the draft and we were ecstatic. It was one of the most special moments in my life. It’s something you dream about and it now becoming a reality is pretty cool,” said Appel.

As a graduate transfer this past season at Texas A&M, Appel hit for a lofty .331 batting average with 10 homers and 41 homers. Appel had spent the previous three seasons at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was an All-Ivy League selection for the Quakers baseball team. While at Penn, Appel also received his undergraduate degree from the prestigious Wharton School of Business. “Academics was one of the big reasons I went to Penn, so to get my degree from the Wharton School of Business is pretty awesome.”

As only a sophomore at Memorial, Appel became the team’s starting catcher and held that position for the remainder of his standout high school career.

“Jackson’s story is pretty amazing,” said his high school baseball coach, Jeremy York. “For us at Memorial, we inserted him into the starting lineup when he was only a sophomore when our star first-string catcher got hurt for the season. Jackson remained our starting catcher for three years and did a phenomenal job. Jackson was only about 165 pounds back then and really wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school, but he dedicated himself to the weight room and got bigger and stronger. I’d say he’s a self-made baseball player and Jackson’s baseball IQ is also off the charts.”

“At the high school level, I have to give credit to Coach York and his staff for believing in me,” said Appel. “I developed there and then Coach John Yurkow at Penn took a chance on me. Or, as he recently called it – an educated guess. Then, getting to A&M I continued to grow as a player under some great Aggie coaches. Of course, none of this would have been possible without my parents who took me everywhere to play at baseball tournaments since I was a little kid.”

After transferring from Penn, where he was an All-Ivy League selection, Appel helped lead Texas A&M to the College World Series National Championship Game.

“When we first started this journey, we simply wanted Jackson to make the Memorial High School baseball team, which isn’t easy by any means,” said Appel’s father, Eric Appel. “[Jackson] now getting drafted is really a dream come true for all of us. We’ve enjoyed and loved every minute of the journey.”

As for this past baseball season, where his Aggies came within one win of the College World Series national championship, Appel describes it as the most fun he’s ever had playing baseball. “I love all the guys and my one season at A&M. It was such a blast. I would have loved to have stayed for one more season but getting drafted in the sixth round was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

From Bellaire High School to Rice University and now the Houston Astros, there’s no place like home for pitcher Parker Smith.bIt all came full circle for Smith right after he signed to play for the hometown Houston Astros.

Parker Smith (Bellaire High School)

Draft day couldn’t have been any more special for former Bellaire Cardinals pitcher Parker Smith, who was selected in the fourth round by none other than the hometown Houston Astros. 

“Going into the draft, I couldn’t have predicted the Astros would be picking me,” said Smith. “It was a real cliffhanger. The Astros called me about five minutes before my selection to let me know they’d be drafting me. I didn’t tell my parents, so we were all at home watching the draft on television and it was a big surprise for my family when my name was announced. There were smiles, laughter, and tears of joy.

Even as a youngster growing up, Smith had a stockpile of Astros gear while cheering on the hometown team.

“It’s every kid’s dream to play for the team they grew up cheering for their whole life. I grew up in the golden age of Astros baseball. We went to a lot of Astros games over the years and now I get to wear the Astros name on my chest and jersey, which is special. Plus, I don’t have to get rid of all my Astros gear, which is a nice bonus. I’m all stocked up.”

“It really was a big surprise for us when the Astros called,” added Smith’s mother, Sandy Smith. “They weren’t even on our radar. I’m just so proud of Parker for all the hard work and perseverance he’s put in to get to this point. It’s just amazing and overwhelming.

“We were fortunate enough to go to all of Parker’s home games at Rice, which was wonderful and now we may be looking at the same opportunity down the road with the Astros. We already have the Astros gear, so I guess we just need to get Smith printed on the back of the jerseys.”

Smith grew up playing baseball in the Bellaire Little League before going on to play for Bellaire High School. “I’d say my best memory at Bellaire High School was pitching in both of our victories over our rival Lamar my senior season. I ended up being recruited late in my senior season by Rice University, which was undergoing a coaching change. It ended up turning out great with Rice hiring Jose Cruz, Jr. to be the new head coach. Coach Cruz is also a Bellaire graduate so that was an awesome turn of events. I’d say I definitely made the right decision to go to Rice especially when you add in the academics.”

After playing in the Bellaire Little League as a kid, Smith kept Bellaire on his jersey while suiting up to play high school ball for the Bellaire Cardinals.

In his second season at Rice last year, Smith had a career high in strikeouts in a memorable pitching victory over nationally ranked and previously unbeaten Texas Tech at the Minute Maid Classic in Houston. “That was definitely one of my highlight games on the mound at Rice,” said Smith. 

Then, after a tremendous junior season, Smith put himself in a great position for his selection in the MLB Draft. “This past season certainly was my breakout year. I had a lot of strong outings. Now with the help of the Astros I’m dialed in and ready to get to work to hopefully get to the big leagues as soon as possible.”

When Parker does get there, it’ll undoubtedly be the sweetest of homecomings for the hometown kid.