STARKVILLE –Through his 36-year life, Roy Oswalt has played for many professional teams, but only one label has fit: He’s a Weir, Miss., guy.
“I remember growing up in Weir and not having a bunch of big leaguers around town, and as much as I can give back to those folks is what I need to do,” Oswalt said. “I always tell them that if I can come from a town of 500 people and make it to the bigs then you have a wonderful opportunity here to be looked at.”
Oswalt is at the point in his life when it’s critical he gives back because he has accomplished so much. On Saturday as the guest speaker for the Mississippi State’s baseball team’s First Pitch Banquet, Oswalt thought it would be a perfect time to repay the state and communities that supported him regardless of the professional jersey he wore in his 12-year professional career.
Oswalt sounded like a player considering retirement, but he declined to confirm what decision he was “leaning one way” minutes before he spoke to hundreds of MSU fans at the Palmeiro Center. With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report for spring training as early as Thursday, the 163-game winner said he likely will have to decide this week about his plans for this season.
“I have some options to go back and pitch if that’s something I want to do, but I don’t which way I’m leaning,” Oswalt said. “If I decide to play, I’m going to go through the full year. It’s hard to come in to a season 60 games into it when guys have a head start on you.”
Three years ago, Oswalt left the Philadelphia Phillies to tend to his parents’ house in the Choctaw County area after a tornado hit. Oswalt’s National League Championship Series MVP trophy was destroyed when the house was leveled. Weeks later, Oswalt was using an orange bulldozer to clear out damage of his parents’ house and other nearby neighbors homes. The bulldozer, which Oswalt said he still has, was given to him by Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane after they made it to the 2005 World Series. Oswalt still keeps the pictures of the tornado in his phone to remind him of where he comes from and the people he is connected to.
Oswalt’s baseball career started in Weir. Local legend has it Weir High School created a baseball program with the purpose, at least partially, to have a team so the then 5-foot-10, 150-pounder could have a place to pitch.
In high school, Oswalt’s fastball reached the mid 80s, but his small frame scared off major college scouts, including those from MSU. The Astros drafted Oswalt in the 23rd round after he spent a season at Holmes Community College. To keep him away from an eventual scholarship offer from MSU coach Ron Polk, the franchise presented him with a $500,000 signing bonus.
“I was told by MSU coach Pat McMahon that I would love being the guy to hold the ball on the mound for the final game of College World Series,” Oswalt said, “especially since MSU has never won a College World Series, but I was sure rooting for them last year.”
In less than five years, Oswalt went from having no instruction, no team to play for, and being told he was too small to being a professional pitcher.
“I set my mind a long time ago that being a pro ballplayer was going to be my career, and that was the key,” Oswalt said. “It really was that simple because when you have 30 kids in your class at Weir, it’s considered a long shot.”
The three-time All-Star has spent the last two seasons with the Texas Rangers and the Colorado Rockies. He spent the final months of the season making spot starts to get the clubs through the final four months of the year. Oswalt has spent the past two spring seasons throwing bullpen sessions at Dudy Noble Field with former MSU catcher Mitch Slauter.
Oswalt needed a human backstop, but it was a chance of a lifetime for the 21-year old Slauter, who signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Jan. 22.
“It was a pretty cool experience getting to catch a guy that is a former Cy Young Award winner, and that’s been in a few All-Star games,” Slauter said in 2012. “It is one of those experiences you will be able to share with your kids someday.”
Current MSU closer Jonathan Holder said he learned so much about what it means to have a professional approach by sitting on a bucket and watching Oswalt go through a bullpen session. Holder, a preseason All-America selection by numerous media outlets, set the MSU season and career record for saves last season, but he said Saturday his command is still nowhere near the perfection Oswalt demands of himself.
“You can see his reaction to missing a pitch by just like six inches, which seems like nothing to a normal person, but he get really angry about it,” Holder said. “You learn very quickly how precise and perfect you have to expect yourself to be if you’re going to be at that level for that long. It’s an eye-opening experience.”
Now in the twilight of his pitching career, Oswalt is undecided which direction he will take in baseball when his playing career is over.
“Getting to come home and do things like this is the best thing,” Oswalt said. “I just felt like when they asked me to do this it would be a good opportunity to share my experiences and things I’ve learned over the years.”
Follow Matt Stevens on Twitter @matthewcstevens.
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