Tampa, FL — Castleton native and Maple Hill High School graduate Jaime Schultz saw his childhood dream come one step closer Friday when the Tampa Bay Rays signed the right-handed pitcher to their 40 man roster.
Schultz, drafted in the 14th round of the 2013 MLB Draft, spent that season with the Hudson Valley Renegades before playing for a handful of other minor league teams in the Rays’ farm system. He never really doubted that this day would come. “When I first started I was struggling a bit, but everything kind of set in place. There was always something driving me and something to look forward to.”
The High Point University graduate had gotten a heads-up that this dream may be actually happening, but as he said “It’s baseball, so you never know. I was sitting with my phone by my side all day. When I heard the phone ring and saw who it was from I was pretty relieved, and stoked at the same time.”
After telling his girlfriend and the rest of his family, Schultz phoned his high school baseball coach, Rico Frese. “He’s worked really hard to get to this point. People don’t realize how hard it is to get to this level,” said Frese. “He’s been blessed with natural talent, and he’s not only a great competitor but a fierce one.”
Frese credits Schultz with helping the school to its first-ever state championship win in baseball, back in 2009. “He was tremendous. He was a centerpiece from a pitching standpoint and gave us a chance to win every time he went out there. Teams were done the moment they saw him,” Frese went on to say.
Schultz is now the first and only Maple Hill High School graduate to make it onto a major league team’s 40-man roster. As a result, the pitcher will be able to move back and forth between the majors and minors more freely, with less yellow tape.
From here, Schultz will continue with his offseason work (working out, running, etc..) before spring training comes around in February. His next milestone will be trying to make it onto the team’s 25-man roster, ensuring a full-time spot with the major league club.
Schultz will report to spring training with the rest of the team’s pitchers and catchers in early February before they kick off their spring training schedule on Friday, February 24, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. against the Manasota Twins in Fort Myers, FL.
-Dylan Rossiter(@ByDylanRossiter)
