The Baseball Odyssey of Chase Lambin

The life of a minor league veteran can be difficult. You never know if your dream of reaching the major leagues will ever occur, or if you will lose your spot each day. This has to especially be true when one is in their early to mid 30’s, existing as a minor league veteran without even that September call up to look back upon. Will it ever happen, or are you destined to remain on the outside looking in?

That is the type of life that Chase Lambin has lived over the past eleven years. After being drafted by the Mets in the 34th round in 2002, he went back and forth between AA and AAA before heading to the Marlins system. Then, his baseball odyssey began. From the Marlins, he went to Japan for a season, then to the Nationals, to the Twins and then back to the Marlins. Without a contact at the start of 2013, Lambin found himself playing for the Sugar Land Skeeters before ending the year with the Omaha Storm Chasers in the Royals system.

Lambin, now at age 34, is once again a free agent. With each year that passes by, that dream of reaching the majors becomes further and further away. He has not been a prospect for some time now, but he has kept going, playing all over the field and doing whatever has been asked of him. In fact, Lambin has even pitched in a game, earning a victory in his only appearance on the mound.

With 1157 games in the minors at this point, not including his time in Japan, it may be fair to wonder why Chase Lambin has continued to toil in the minors. Simply, it may just be that love of the game. Baseball has a way of just becoming a part of your life; it gets in your blood and stays in your mind during the cold winter months. Like an old friend, baseball is always there when you need, just waiting to return with the warmer weather.

Like the rest of us, Lambin just seems to love the great game of baseball. However, unlike the rest of us, that love is manifested by his dogged determination to one day make that elusive dream a reality, to one day reach the bright lights of the major leagues and take his turn on the big stage.

Until then, Chase Lambin will continue to chase his dream for as long as he is allowed to. Maybe, one day, that dream will someday come true.