P.E.I. pitcher signs pro contract in German baseball league
'It's definitely something I'm going to take advantage of'
J.P. Stevenson is heading to Germany next, hoping to build on a great season in his final year as a college player in 2018.
Stevenson, a 22-year-old from New Glasgow, P.E.I., emerged as a dominant pitcher in a championship season for Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. He kept opposing batters to a .197 average while posting a 10-2 record.
He was pitcher of the year in his conference, first team All-New-England, third team All-American, and MVP in the conference championship series.
"It definitely was my best year. I saved the best for last, I guess," said Stevenson.
It was not enough, however, to attract the attention of any major league teams in the draft. He signed with a pro team in Quebec for the summer while he considered his future.
'Everything happens for a reason'
But while his college statistics didn't capture the imagination of MLB scouts, they did catch the eye of a coach with the Dohren Wild Farmers. After a phone conversation he was signed to a one-year contract.
"Everything happens for a reason, that's what I believe," said Stevenson.
"Whether this was meant to happen I don't know but it's definitely something I'm going to take advantage of."
Stevenson said this will be an opportunity for him to learn and polish his skills. Dohren is an unlikely piece of the German baseball league, with a population of just 1,100 playing in a league that features teams from Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne.
'A pretty good level of baseball'
In 2018 the Wild Farmers finished ahead of all those teams.
"I've heard from a few different people that it is a pretty good level of baseball," said Stevenson.
"Although you're not going to get the thousands and thousands of fans coming out every game. Bigger cities do get some good crowds and they are really passionate."
With success in Germany, Stevenson hopes MLB scouts will give him another look. Some players take strange roads to the bigs, he said, and his dreams of getting into the MLB system are still alive.
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With files from Matt Rainnie