Former Horned Frog first baseman adjusts to minor leagues
By Jordan Blum
Skiff Staff

Small rural towns, tiny stadiums, and even smaller cramped buses is where time is spent during the long trips between ballparks.

Such is the life of a ballplayer with a professional rookie league team.

“It’s like a movie. It’s just out of ‘Bull Durham’,” former Frogs’ first baseman Walter Olmstead recalled his roommate saying the first time they toured Billings, Mont.

Drafted in the sixth round of the June amateur baseball draft, Olmstead has played for the Billings Mustangs, the rookie league affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds in Montana ever since.

Olmstead was TCU’s highest drafted player from last season and said he chose to go pro after his junior year because the opportunity was too great to pass up.

“I regret not getting to play in the new stadium,” Olmstead said. “But I just couldn’t turn down being drafted so high.”

Olmstead said it’s a definite culture shock going from Texas to Billings, a town where the team’s greatest competition comes from cities like Missoula, Mont., Casper, Wyo. and Medicine Hat, Alberta.

“It’s rough being away from family and friends, especially since I’ve been playing ball almost non-stop since January,” he said. “But it’s been a great experience. I had a week of practice with the Reds and I’m fulfilling a dream of playing pro ball.

“The community has really accepted all the players and the camaraderie and traveling with the team is great.”

With the regular season for Billings finishing up, Olmstead and the Mustangs began the first round of the playoffs Thursday. Olmstead finished the season batting just below .200, but he was among the team leaders in home runs and was hampered after he injured his cornea by keeping his contacts in too long.

Mustangs field manager Rick Burleson said he sees promise in the young first baseman.

“Walter’s got a lot of potential,” Burleson said. “He’s a strong hitter with a lot of power, and he’s just got to work on improving his contact and cutting down on strike outs. But he’s got a lot of time, and he’s improving.”

TCU head baseball coach Lance Brown said he’s heard Walter has struggled with the transition, but that he’s got plenty of time to improve.

“(Olmstead) is having a hard time making the adjustment from aluminum to wood (bats), and is suffering a little because of it. They’re not unhappy with him though. He’s working hard down there, but they just want that average up.”

Olmstead said after the season, he will have just about a week to visit friends and family. However, after that it will be back to baseball as he participates in an instructional camp.

But Olmstead says it’s all worth it to have a shot to play in the big leagues one day.

Such is the life of a minor league baseball player.