Next Up

About the book project

A common misconception among fans is that professional baseball players can retire after their playing days without the need to transition into other careers. This is far from true for the vast majority of players.

Through first-person player stories about their post-playing career transitions, Next Up will give readers a greater understanding of what players face when they hang up their cleats.

The book will include both players who reached the majors and those who did not. It will also include players who remained in baseball and those who entered completely unrelated careers.

The first sentence of Called Up was, "As a young boy, I did not see major league baseball players as human." The first sentence of Next Up very likely will be, "Professional baseball players are human."

Preview Story

CASPER WELLS

“I have two beautiful children and an amazing wife, and that’s really brought more fulfillment to me than anything film or baseball could have ever provided.”

Casper Wells played professional baseball for eleven seasons, including four in the big leagues, 2010-2013. He currently works in the insurance industry and lives in Arizona.  

Going into 2014, I didn’t have a team. Teams were waiting to see how things played out.

The Cubs saw me down in Venezuela, figured I was hitting well enough, and offered me an opportunity at big league camp in 2014.

I really wanted to build something with the Cubs. I was on that team with a bunch of guys that ended up winning the World Series. I was probably slated to be the fourth or fifth outfielder there, but I hurt my back pretty significantly in one of the spring training games. I couldn't even walk.

It was just a freak situation, but it set me back. Ultimately, I didn’t break camp and got sent down. I went to Iowa and even months later, I felt like I was behind the ball. Obviously, if my numbers and production started flourishing, I would have had an opportunity to go to the big leagues with the club because they needed outfield help. However, I just wasn’t performing to where I was before the injury or before my second LASIK.

I kind of knew the writing was on the wall.

I remember one time specifically sitting at a bar when I was with the Iowa Cubs. I was going to the bar solo quite a bit, eating dinner, and just chatting with the bartender or whomever. There was a lady that asked, “What are you going to do when you're done? You're in Triple-A, what do you have planned?”

I didn't even want to address it. I actually took offense to the question and was like, “Why are you asking this question? I'm going to make it back.” She's like, “Well, what if you don't? What's your plan?” I never wanted to even think about it.

Shortly after, Manny Ramirez wanted to come back and be a player-coach. I grew up a Yankees fan and hated the guy. I remember Marty Peavey was the Iowa manager and he said, “I tried to fight for you. It's kind of beyond my control. I know you work hard, and I think you'd be valuable for this club, but Manny Ramirez has taken your spot.” I'm like, “God, this guy.” But he was a good player. I wish he had just coached and didn't take my spot, but I could have had my spot taken by worse people, I guess.

I went to play independent ball when I got released from the Cubs in Iowa. When I was in independent ball, it was tough to think about crawling out of those conditions with where I'd come from. Being in the big leagues a year before, I wouldn't say it was humbling as much as just disappointing in my mind. It was also emotional for my family. They’re watching you play in the big leagues, and now you're in independent ball the next year. It was a tough pill to swallow.

After that, I trained the whole off season at EXOS here in Arizona to put myself in the best position possible to try and make it back to the big leagues, but I couldn’t get a job with any club.

I called Alex Avila with the Tigers and asked, “Can you just get me to spring training and let me compete?” He said, “We might not have a spot for you in Triple-A.” I said, “I’ll go anywhere. I don’t care. I just want to continue to play.”

I was on the Triple-A roster throughout spring training and then ended up going to Double-A in Erie. I got released a couple months into it. However, I stayed in Erie and was planning to try to come back and pitch. I was working with Mike Henneman, their pitching coach, and he thought I had some stuff. However, I was getting some elbow issues in the Tommy John area so I thought it would be best to go back to my childhood home in Schenectady, New York, to regroup.

Upon my journey back home, as fate would have it, my parents’ house got hit by lightning. I was like, “All right, that’s God giving me a sign that I need to be with home with my family right now.”

I was naive to think I'd be playing baseball forever. I didn’t want to think about something else because it would take my focus away from what I needed to be doing. In hindsight, I should have had some things in mind that I might’ve wanted to pursue, or at least had a few of those conversations. There isn’t a quick transition. I hear it’s a lot like leaving the military. It was like, “See you. Good luck.”

There’s a mourning period.

It’s something you’ve loved and pursued your entire life. I had baseball posters and baseball wallpaper in my room from the time I can even remember. Watching the Yankees growing up, I’d stared at the posters on my walls every night before going to bed, dreaming of hitting home runs at Yankee Stadium.

I had those dreams and aspirations from the time I can remember, and they manifested themselves into reality. You think about those dreams, and how much they’ve been on your mind.

Then, it just stops. It’s done.

There's going to be a mourning much like the death of a loved one. You’ve loved them every day of your entire life, and they're gone one day.

I was mourning the game of baseball, and I was upset I wasn't still playing.

I'm sure most ballplayers go through a phase where they don't even want to watch baseball. Then, you have a period of identity. You realize you’re more than a baseball player.

However, businesses don't see the value in you or any transferable skills, even though there's a lot of intangible aspects – team comradery, competitiveness, hard work, determination. There's a bunch of intangibles. But those aren't tangible in terms of sales numbers and business experience, so it doesn't translate to the business world. So, you’re learning the business world after you're done with baseball.

I'm 39 years old and played 10 years of professional baseball. So, I really view myself as a business professional that's 29 years old. That helps me, especially when I see buddies that are much further along.

It's tough. A lot of my buddies who I played with are still going through it. You’ve got to alter your priorities and focus. I try to focus on my family and my wife. In baseball, I was just focused on myself.

Meeting my wife afterwards helped. I don’t know how guys do it. A lot of guys, if they meet their wife when they’re playing, they’re known as the ballplayer. There’s a certain persona and lifestyle. Not only do you have to deal with that yourself, but when your significant other has a certain perception of you as the athlete and that’s not you anymore, it can have a strain on the relationship.

It's tough to get rid of that lifestyle because it is awesome. You’re in private jets flying to different cities, you’re eating the best food at the best restaurants, you’re meeting celebrities, and you’re getting invited to the best things. Then, suddenly, it’s gone. It’s like, “You don’t like me anymore? I’m not cool anymore because I’m no longer on TV?”

There’s an adjustment. It’s not only tough for the athlete but it’s tough for their significant other and family as well.

I never wanted to even think about it. I probably should have at least had conversations with some people about what they were doing after baseball. I didn’t have anything set up. I didn't have a family business. I didn't have an idea outside of my major what I wanted to do once I went back to school. If I had conversations with other people about what they were doing, it might've been a little easier transition for me. However, I’ve learned a heck of a lot in a bunch of different industries, and we are where we are right now, so I have no real regrets.

I didn’t have a job in baseball and needed to do something, so I went back to school. I wanted to keep moving. I went back to get my degree at Towson University in Maryland, and bounced around a couple careers when I got out of school.

I was a film major and before I met my wife, I was either going to Georgia or California to pursue film, either on the production side or acting side, or a little bit of both. I was fully committed to doing that and taking that chance. I figured, “I’ve already played in the big leagues so I might as well take a chance doing this too.” That was my mindset.

However, I met my wife and I’m very fortunate for that. I’m not regretful that I’m not in Hollywood by any means. I have two beautiful children and an amazing wife, and that’s really brought more fulfillment to me than anything film or baseball could have ever provided.

I’m glad for the situation I’m in now. Everything happened for a reason.

From the recommendation of my old roommate when I first went to school at Towson, I went into medical sales. He’s an orthopedic doctor. I figured, “He’s smarter than me so I’ll listen to him.” I took his advice and did some 1099 orthopedic sales for a while. It was tough getting doctors to meet with you on post operative devices but with my experience there, it allowed me the opportunity to get a job selling in the hospital systems back in Arizona.

One of the other reasons I moved out to Arizona as quickly as I did was to form a recruiting company. My partner and I started it in Maryland and branded it Major League Consulting. We tried to help athletes transition out and find jobs once they got done playing, because there’s a need for it.

We found a lot of challenges within that. As previously referenced, a lot of employers didn’t see tangible assets. We’d get a resume from a ballplayer, and they’d say, “Well, he has no sales experience, so we can’t hire him.”

We were getting a lot of positive feedback from the players. I was getting resumes from people that needed help, but there weren’t a lot of companies that were willing to invest in ballplayers and see the value that ballplayers can bring.

We got linked up with a large insurance company and were moving pretty well. I got a couple of guys jobs with them. We were doing it on a retainer basis and were hoping to reach the point where we could talk about some amount of money that would be fair to bring certain numbers of athletes over to the company. However, when we pitched it, it just never came to fruition.

We thought we’d have more opportunities here in Arizona. However, I had a falling out with my partner, and it became too difficult. Then, COVID happened, and everything got put on the backburner.

I worked on that for a couple years, but it was a side job. It couldn’t be my main job because it wasn’t bringing in any revenue. There are a couple other guys here doing it, which is great to see because there is a need for it.

As far as my job in medical sales, I linked up with a company based out of California and my territory was Vegas and Arizona. However, when COVID happened, I couldn’t get into hospitals at all, so I had to transition from there.

I did some residential outdoor landscape design, but I’d only get paid when the jobs were complete. I’d sell the jobs, no problem. I had sold over a million dollars’ worth of residential construction projects over 18 months. However, with supply chain issues and subcontracted work, most of them weren’t going to get completed for two years. It was a tough situation.

Then, a recruiter reached out about insurance.

I think the common joke amongst the industry is that insurance finds you, you don't really find insurance. My dad owned an insurance agency in upstate New York growing up. I recall him having flexibility and maintaining a good lifestyle for us. He didn't miss any of my baseball games, and our quality of life was there for our family. I talked to my dad, and he thought it would be great for me.

Insurance affords me the opportunity to provide for my family and get where I want to be. Also, it’s recession proof to a certain degree. When things are bad, from inflation to COVID, things are actually good for insurance from a producer and brokerage firm standpoint.

I also like establishing relationships and being able to build on those relationships. From annuities to renewals on insurance programs to protect a business’ risk, I like maintaining those relationships. It’s not just a one-time transactional job, but more of a consultative job in which I’m acting as an extension of their business.

You caught me at an interesting time because I just accepted a new job offer and gave two weeks’ notice to my boss. I'm still in the same field of commercial insurance, but I'm leaving to go to another insurance company where I’ll be calling on larger commercial accounts.

I think the last company I was with was like the minor leagues and I was in Triple-A. Now, with this opportunity at my new company, especially with the size of accounts I'm going to be calling on, it's kind of like going to the big leagues. I'm going to relish the opportunity and not take it for granted, especially with the state I'm in. It’s time to see what I’ve got.

I think the confidence I gained through baseball has helped my business experience most. During the interview process for the position I’m entering, the CEO asked, “Are you going to be comfortable in front of CFOs and heads of companies?” I said I’ve been in locker rooms with a-list celebrities and athletes. Heck, I sang karaoke in front of Kid Rock, Sean Penn, and Uncle Cracker in Detroit. I don’t really get intimidated by people because I’ve been around a lot of really famous people that you see on TV all the time. I think baseball instilled confidence that I can go into a room and have a conversation with anyone.

Baseball also brought me validation. I was a 14th round draft pick and then made it to the top 1% of the industry. They can’t fill a major league stadium with how many major leaguers there have been in history. I’m in elite company and carry that, knowing I’ve done something that I strived my entire life to do, and had some success doing it. It was short lived in my mind, but I don’t discredit anything I’ve done.

I try to bring that same mindset and confidence into my current career. I’m looking to try and be on the top of the leaderboard in this profession as well.

Being a former major leaguer makes me feel like if you dream it and believe it, you can achieve it. I always wanted to be a baseball player and I did everything to put myself in a position to make it to the big leagues. I think having some success throughout my baseball career gave me the confidence to feel like I can do anything.

I think it’s a good thing to instill in my kids too.

My family and I are in a good mental, physical, and spiritual spot. We’re really blessed for this time.

I want to be conscious of the work-life balance in relation to what career opportunities I have. I also want to be able to balance and support my wife’s career. She’s in medical sales and super motivated with her career, so we can kind of push each other.

However, goal-wise, family is always first for me. If I'm ever putting my career before my family, then I'm not doing it right in my mind. Not being there for my kids and seeing them grow would tear me apart. I don’t want to miss my kids' events. I think it’s important for me to be there.

I follow a lot of social media accounts that talk about the importance of early child development, being there, and being present. I’ve seen posts about people's regrets on their deathbeds. It’s usually not spending more time with family and dedicating their life to work. For older generations, that was kind of it. You worked to provide. You didn’t always see the full value of being there for your kids because you had to work first. I'm glad that society's changing in that regard.

I get asked all the time, “Why aren't you involved with baseball as a coach?” I think I would be a great coach and mentor but it’s the lifestyle. I want to be there for my family. With the schedule and all the travel, I couldn’t be away for that long. It was fine when I was playing, and even fun. With a family, I don’t want to do that again. My son and daughter are where my time’s going to be allocated most.

However, baseball is still an important part of my life. I got involved with the Miracle League of Arizona when I first moved here. It’s for kids, and even adults, with special needs. They get to play on a baseball field and they're just so happy in that moment playing baseball. There’s so such fulfillment for them.

One of the representatives for the organization reached out to me when she saw I was in town and asked me to come over and volunteer. My wife and I went over there, and we got to chaperone one of the players for a day. After that experience, I vividly remember my wife and I just sitting in a car and having some tears for probably a good 10 to 15 minutes.

It's still really emotional for me when I see the players because there's such joy there. In the back of my mind, I know they're not going to be afforded the same opportunities from an athletic standpoint, and it just makes me emotional thinking about that. I said if I ever have an opportunity in my career to be able to be part of a nonprofit, this would be it.

I’ve been a board member there for a couple years and I just love it. They have them around the country, so you might have heard of them. It’s a phenomenal organization and they continue to grow. We’re really excited about the future of the organization.