Pictured: Frank Herrmann, left, is having plenty of fun and
success as a professional baseball player. He was called up to the
Cleveland Indians on June 4, 2010.
Contributions from Justin B. Hill, MLB.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Former Harvard pitcher
Frank Herrmann has been called up to the Major League and will be
pitching for the Cleveland Indians this weekend. The Chicago White
Sox will host Cleveland on Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the
Tribe returns home for a seven-game homestand with the first four
coming against the Boston Red Sox.
Before getting the call, Herrmann was having a masterful season
at AAA Columbus as a relief pitcher for the Clippers. Going into
Wednesday night's game, RHP Frank Herrmann had pitched 27 2/3
consecutive scoreless innings. For the season, Herrmann is 3-0 with
two saves and a microscopic 0.31 ERA in 28 2/3 innings. He has
allowed just 15 hits and eight walks while striking out 22.
His latest stint came in a 4-3 win against Louisville on
Memorial Day when he struck out the side in a scoreless ninth
inning en route to a victory. Herrmann is clearly on the radar
screen for the Cleveland Indian's top minor league affiliate.
Back in the summer of 2005, Herrmann's connections at
Harvard brought him to Hawaii, where the big right-hander figured
would be a good place to spend the summer playing baseball.
"I said, 'Wow, living in Hawaii for six weeks for free, what an
opportunity,'" he recalled thinking.
Playing baseball in Hawaii wasn't nearly the opportunity that
opened up for him after his summer there ended. For Herrmann
impressed an Indians scout, who took Herrmann's name to higher-ups
in the organization. They decided the right-handed prospect was
worth the investment.
They talked dollars with Herrmann, and when the Indians agreed
to let Herrmann, an economics major, return to Harvard in time for
fall classes, the two sides settled on a deal with a bit more than
pocket money as his signing bonus.
"It was an amazing whirlwind of events how it all happened,"
Herrmann said. "If one thing went wrong, if the Indians had said,
'No, you can't go back to school your next fall,'" Herrmann, 23,
wouldn't be working his way toward the big leagues.
Yet Herrmann will be quick to say his road to a professional
baseball career was more circuitous than it might seem. As an Ivy
Leaguer, he played ball for Harvard, and his sights were on
investment banking.
He had a soft spot for baseball. He still loved it - his summer
in Hawaii proved that. But the reality of what Harvard was
preparing him to do should outweigh his love of the game, family
and friends told Herrmann. The smart move, they said, was to take
his Harvard degree and then chase the money on Wall Street.
Herrmann didn't listen to them.
"For me, it was a no-brainer," he said. "You get an opportunity
to have, arguably, the best job in the world -- that's making it to
the Major Leagues."
The thought doesn't seem so farfetched these days. His dreams of
a life in the bigs are growing clearer and clearer as he moves
through the Minors.
"He's strong -- he's extremely durable, and he's got good
fastball ability," said Ross Atkins, Indians farm director. "He's a
guy who put his fastball on the plate, has durability and a lot of
athleticism -- a big, strong kid."
"Overall, I'd take this over any job," Herrmann said. "I play
baseball for a living. Not many people can say that."
