Brett Lorin’s Journey and Life After baseball

Link to original article on Prime Time Sports Talk : https://bit.ly/2Qejchy

Brett Lorin is a name that may not be familiar to many baseball fans. Lorin was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the fifth round of the 2008 MLB Draft. The California native never appeared in a major league game but spent time in the Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Arizona Diamondbacks organizations. He retired in 2015 but has a unique story.

Before Seattle drafted Lorin, he had a breakout year at Long Beach State. In 15 games, he posted a 2.61 ERA and struck out 31 batters. The righties’ impressive season put him in a good position entering the draft to receive a call he would never forget.

“In the months leading up to the draft, I felt like I moved up every time I pitched,” said Lorin. “Draft Day was stressful as the first few rounds went by. I ended up going in the fifth round, and it was great having my family around. I was glad an organization took a chance on me.”

After spending a year with the Mariners, Lorin was traded to the Pirates during the 2009 season. While with Pittsburgh, he appeared in 62 games across three levels and struck out 212 batters. During his time with the Pirates’, Lorin, played with Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco.

“I was with Marte in Low A, and you could just tell,” said Lorin. “He is great in centerfield, and he could flat out hit. Once he figured it out mentally, he was good, and he had a lot of pop. ”

Playing Alongside Trevor Bauer

In 2011 Lorin was traded to the Diamondbacks, where he was one stop away from the majors. He appeared in 19 games for the Diamondbacks Triple-A affiliate and posted a 3.34 ERA. The right-hander also played alongside Trevor Bauer, who has become one of baseball’s top pitchers.

“He was a highly-touted top-three pick,’ said Lorin. “He thinks about the game differently and was one of the first guys to embrace not doing things the old way. One thing that stood out was how he embraced analytics and unorthodox training methods. You knew he had the stuff to be special early on.”

In 2015 Lorin made 53 appearances in the Independent league before retiring from baseball. While his last appearance was six years ago, he has already noticed some major changes in the game.

“When I retired, there were some guys starting to throw in the upper 90’s regularly,” said Lorin. “Now, to be in the bullpen, you have to throw 95 plus. It’s crazy how hard these guys throw. Throwing 100 used to be rare, and now every team has at least one guy in the bullpen that can.”

Lorin and life after baseball

Over the past year, Lorin has stayed involved with baseball. The former fifth-round pick started a podcast called “Too Tall Sports Podcast.” On his show, he has interviewed athletes and professionals in the sports world. As Lorin has grown his network, he has shared unique stories from across the sports industry.

“It’s been fun so far,” Lorin said. “The podcast has allowed me to connect with people outside of my network like sports writers and sports psychologists. I’ve enjoyed doing it, and if I could turn it into a job and get some sponsors, it’s something I would want to do.”