January 25, 2010

Top Baseball Prospect Signed by God's Team

Marc Comtois

I heard about Grant Desme this morning on the radio. He's a pretty good baseball player.

The Athletics picked Desme in the second round of the 2007 amateur draft and he was starting to blossom. He was the only player in the entire minors with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases last season.

Desme batted .288 with 31 homers, 89 RBIs and 40 steals in 131 games at Class-A Kane County and high Class-A Stockton last year. He hit .315 with a league-leading 11 home runs and 27 RBIs in 27 games this fall in Arizona, a league filled with young talent.

But he's picking another team:
Desme announced Friday that he was leaving baseball to enter the priesthood, walking away after a breakout season in which he became MVP of the Arizona Fall League.

"I was doing well at ball. But I really had to get down to the bottom of things," the 23-year-old Desme said. "I wasn't at peace with where I was at."

A lifelong Catholic, Desme thought about becoming a priest for about a year and a half. He kept his path quiet within the sports world, and his plan to enter a seminary this summer startled the A's when he told them Thursday night.

General manager Billy Beane "was understanding and supportive," Desme said, but the decision "sort of knocked him off his horse." After the talk, Desme felt "a great amount of peace."

"I love the game, but I aspire to higher things," he said. "I know I have no regrets."

Good for him.

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Yes, good for him. But too bad he couldn't have stuck it out a little longer with both priorities. Now and in the future, this kind of personal decision would have made a bigger impact if he was an accomplished Major League ballplayer giving it all up.

Posted by: dave at January 25, 2010 6:56 PM

Is he going to be a pitcher or a catcher?

Posted by: Phil at January 25, 2010 9:17 PM

Better to see this fellow put his money where his mouth is than Tim Tebow, who's only playing the God card to launch a political career.

Posted by: rhody at January 25, 2010 9:58 PM

You've got serious issues, Phil.

Posted by: EMT at January 26, 2010 12:03 PM

Come on Phil,
It's obvious. The guys in the locker room were too old.
OldTimeLefty

Posted by: OldTimeLefty at January 26, 2010 9:33 PM
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