BURG Sports Network

Burg Sports Network

Interview by Michael Ferrara

 

Shawn Camp was a catcher at Robinson Secondary School, in Fairfax Virginia.  He then went onto catch for George Mason University.  While he was at George Mason, he changed paths to pitcher and was drafted by the San Diego Padres. He played pro-ball from 1997-2014 with the San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies.  I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Camp recently learning a lot about how the career of this Major League Baseball Player came to be a reality. 
 

A big part of him becoming a successful baseball player came from his biggest role model, his dad.   Mr. Camp explained, how his dad "was such 
an inspiration for me...I never really had to want for anything, going out to play catch with me, getting me what I needed to succeed."  He always felt the support and belief his dad had for him.  He explained "he never missed a game in my entire career...in my 18 years in professional baseball, when I was in the minor leagues he sat by the computer when I was in the big leagues he got the MLB network and watched every game."  He felt that his father allowed him to be himself, never pushing him, his dad loved the sport and wanted Shawn to love it too.  His Dad, he felt "never let me give up."  He said when he was living in Alabama and in the minor leagues and still had not made it yet, he thought about it being time "to hang up my spikes" but his dad told him "if you want to give it one more year, i'll support you financially, just give it one more shot, you never know what’s gonna happen."  He decided to give it another shot and "4 or 5 years later, he said "I wrote him a check for an undisclosed amount of money and he tore it up and he said one day you’ll remember that when you have kids."  A great story he really felt showed the support and confidence his dad had in him which made an obvious impact. 

The High School coaching staff he played for made a big impact on him as a kid as well.  He feels that sometimes kids feel that if a coach is hard on them there is a different reason behind it and they take it personally when it's actually trying to bring out the best in the kid.  This can especially be true when they recognize the kid has talent.  He still keeps in touch with them today feeling that they were good people and good influences in his life.

In addition to the coaching staff at his high school he said growing up his favorite player was Cal Ripkin "he was my role model as far as a baseball player" he said and he got a chance to meet him at spring training 2012 or 2013 and stated "for the kind of player he was just as nice and as humble as he could be." which is always nice to hear.  

Moving onto George Mason University he said it was "an awakening for me"  saying when he is working with kids, playing and coaching them he says "you have no idea in life as far as what position you are going to play."   In speaking with him it is easy to see what he is saying about being open to change.  He went into Mason as a catcher but he said "I couldn't hit, when I got to college, I just couldn't hit."  College was just different.  He went into the coaches office and asked if he could just focus on pitching.  He ended up doing just that.  He stated he went "in as a two way player, that was one of the reasons I went to Mason" (a two way player is a player who can pitch and play another defensive position well) and that being a two way player was "very difficult."  Stating "I owe catching to my pitching career because I could see the game from both sides and I paid attention to details."   Although he loved catching in high school he ended up loving pitching while he was at Mason, which became the course of his Major League career. He felt Mason was "a great experience" and still has a great relationship with the college today.

He was then drafted by the San Diego Padres and remembering what that was like he said "I got a call from my agent at the time...I was sitting in my parents bedroom, I got the call and I was ecstatic, I think my parents were more ecstatic because they gave me college money on top of my signing bonus. You just feel great, you feel like you have accomplished something in life that you never dreamed of."  Even after having what he said was a "horrible junior year in college" you just never know what will happen and what will come to be.  When you get into minor league baseball it is definitely an "uphill climb." He felt that being in the minor leagues the biggest lesson he learned was "patience."   He thinks it is important for players to understand you are a 19 or 21 year old kid, you’re out on you own for the first time, there are long bus rides "sometimes you’re eating  mostly sandwiches and cold pizza," you really just have to have patience and "a lot of self discipline." He said he learned that you have to take care of your body and take care of yourself or it can be really easy to "get pushed out of the game."  It is your responsibility to learn communications skills with people you don't know.  There is so much more "than the physical side of baseball, it's the mental grind, that's the thing that can push people out." Taking care of yourself both on and off this field is extremely important.  This again went back to having great parents and coaches earlier in his life teaching him values that would help him succeed and make it through the minor league.  

 

The big league he felt was a "completely different animal."  You can have a great few months and then by July you are exhausted.  Life keeps going players marry, have children, they are away from their homes and families a lot and it takes a toll. When you are in the major leagues you are "being scouted every game by other teams that are playing you" not everyone is aware on how it all works.  There are video rooms, pre-game interviews, travel, a lot more that goes on in the majors vs the minors.  Mr Camp feels that he made it to the big leagues because he " was always on time, always did the right thing, I treated my coaches well, I didn't make a jerk out of myself, I respected the game and I worked hard."  He felt that he prepared well for spring training which was something else that was very important.  There was a lot of tests, run tests and shape tests and both physical and mental strength were needed to move onto the next level of play.  When it comes down to it, he said, "it's a business and their not gonna pay you to just be ok."  During this time he said "it is very hard not to think about failure" understandable in competitive sports.  

 

He got the offer to the big leagues being asked "how would you like to go North with us?"  He said he sat there in disbelief, they told him they made the team and he said "i cried like a baby"  at that point he was just feeling that everything he has worked for he had finally accomplished.  He made the opening day roster as a Rookie.   In playing in the majors, he remembers "it was so loud" to pitch in the minors, you play for 75-100 people, this was now fifty-five thousand people "in all blue."  He felt having great teammates at the time made a huge difference to his whole experience as well.

 

In talking ballparks, Toronto was his favorite park to play in, when asked why he said, "I love the fans in Canada. You know everybody thinks if you play for Canada you’re Canadian but I love Toronto, just because I felt like that was my home for my career."   He felt that the Canadians are "unbelievable people" who love their athletes, "they love them and support them, if you have a bad game and you walk around town they pick you back up."  He loved the ballpark and felt they had a great infield team as well.  He pitched well in Toronto.  Friday night in Fenway, although feeling "pitching at Fenway is not the most ideal place because everything is right on top of you, it takes a couple of years to understand the ballpark.  Friday night at Fenway is probably the best night baseball city-wise ballpark."  My least favorite was Chicago (White Sox) He felt he just "couldn’t get an out there."

 

A pitcher faces hard hitters Manny Ramirez Mr. Camp says was  "hands down" the hardest hitter he ever faced of the right handed batters saying "he constantly made you feel like you had to pitch him differently."  As far as left handed batters he says Jocobee Ellsbury gets his vote for the hardest to face.  

He felt he was a "tough out."  These guys he felt were "both just tough."  The biggest strikeout he had was against Adrián Beltré at Fenway, 5-3 game (he was winning) and a 3-1 count...saying he has a feeling some people are still wondering why he threw "back to back change-ups" first one bringing him to a 3-2 count and the second striking Beltré out.  He said he could feel his heart beating so fast because bases are loaded, 8th inning, 3-1 count, "the odds are really not in your favor" but the pitch choice was the right choice that day.

 

Historic stadiums were very different experiences.  Wrigley he felt was a little tough, the wind was something he had to deal with as a pitcher.  He liked Wrigley and said that was the place he had the best opening day at but that wind was tough.  He really enjoyed the "old" Yankee Stadium much better than the current new one.  In the old one he felt the feeling that the "greatest players that have ever played this game have played in this ballpark."  The new one he feels is "nice" but the older one still is the one he feels has the nostalgia.  Going out of the tunnel with guys like Mariano Rivera he said, "the place just has the feeling of man this is great." He said it's great he can "go back and tell my kids, I played in two of the most historic ballparks there ever was."

 

Now that he is retired, he started the Shawn Camp Pitching Academy.  He enjoys working with kids watching them learn and watching them develop.  He felt that learning from good coaches in his early days really helped him develop his successful career.  The Academy is local so he is able to be close to family and friends while continuing to do what he loves.  He teaches not only baseball skills but discipline and structure which helps in other aspects of the lives of these athletes as well.  He feels seeing a kid first come to the camp and "watching them grow" is extremely fulfilling and you get this feeling from the passion he has when talking to you about it.   For more information on the Shawn Camp Pitching Academy you can visit their website at: http://www.shawncamppitching.com/   An athlete and a career in sports takes a lot of hard work and dedication and in speaking to Mr. Camp for this interview, we can certainly see why he ended up with such a successful career in Major League Baseball.