JamesKeithley - Yardbarker Blogs

Off Season 2008-2009

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:09:30 -0500

Hey everyone, James Keithley coming back at ya again after a long grueling off season. At the beginning it was nice to enjoy some time off. I got to take a couple vacations and got to relax with family and friends. But after about a month and a half the life of just relaxing came to an end really quick. I really couldn't take just sitting around anymore. It was time to get ready. I broke into the off season really slow still taking a break from throwing just to let my arm rest but my main focus at the beginning was to hit the weights and get stronger. I started out pretty hard with that as my main focus really helped me gain strength through the off season. Once I got a good month in of hard lifting in it was time to start baseball again. I now began to hit 5 times a week really working on my basics again. After the season I had in my first year I knew I had to come out and be hitting better then I did so that was going to be what I worked hardest at in the off season. I still kept up my weight training while doing this hitting and still took it pretty easy on my throwing. As Christmas time came I took another 2 weeks off for family time and another vacation but I knew when I got back there was no room for breaks anymore. It was now gut check time, everyday needed to be devoted to my baseball. Once I got back my roommate Blake Brannon who is in the Dodgers organization started doing this workout at a place called Velocity Sports Center. He came home after the first day so soar and telling me how it's the best workout he has ever done. I knew then this is what I needed to do because it was a training workout directed towards athletes to make me faster stronger and more agile. I am so glad I decided to do this training at Velocity its exactly what I needed to get an edge and be ready for when I go back. I am now working hard everyday just waiting for my day to go back. I report March 13th and it seems light years away right now because I am so anxious to get out there and show how much I have improved and how hard I have been working. I'll be sure to let y'all know how spring training is going but until then have a good one and we'll see ya.

Winding Down

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:44:32 -0500

Hey everybody, James Keithley coming at you again with some more updates up here in the fabulous Vermont. Over the past couple weeks it has definitely been a big change. We have struggled so much to get some wins it has been ridiculous. We went from being in first place in our division to dead last in a matter of 2 weeks. It has been pretty tough on me and the team because it just seems so inevitable of the outcomes of the games now but we still go out and really bust our "butts" to get back on the right track. So I'm hoping that in the last 2 weeks of the season we can turn things around and give a real good finish and finish strong. So as the long season starts to come to an end there are a few things that I am excited about and that I am gonna miss very much as well. It has definitely been a grind coming straight from college call to here. I have basically been going full speed since January so it's going to be nice to have a little bit of a break. I am also looking forward to going back home and seeing my dad again and seeing my girl again too because I have definitely missed having them around a whole lot. But as fun as it is going to be going back home and as exhausted the long season has been, I'm without a doubt going to miss playing up here. I have had so much fun playing and being up here all summer, I know I'm going to be gone for about 2 weeks before I want to come back again. I can really only go so long without baseball in my life. No matter how long of a stretch I go with playing and how I need a break, once I get that break I'm ready to pack up and get going again. As of right now I could be going to instructional league at the end of September but its not totally sure yet. I'll be sure to let you guys know what's going on with that and give y'all an update or two while I'm there. If not, I'll be back home taking a break and then back training at full speed getting ready for next spring training. I'll get back to y'all soon have a good one. This is James and we'll see ya.

Life Outside The Game

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:34 -0500

So in all I think if I break up my day, at least 10 hours of it consist of something baseball related. But even though that is true I actually do have a life outside of it that consists of many different things. Even though I am living a life that most people dream of now it's still tough to leave certain things back home. Now if you remember I live in Vermont now but am from Texas so that is a huge change. Where I lived in Texas and played college ball at was about a 10 minute drive from my dad's house. So it was definitely very nice to be able at any point in time call him up and just be like hey pops you want to grab some dinner tonight. So life here without my dad is kind of different and I know its killing him not getting to watch baseball all the time anymore. Another thing important in my life as well are my friends and to leave them out of my life for a while it also rough. I had to just pick up here where I didn't know too many people and basically start a whole new life. I also have a wonderful girlfriend back home whom I love spending so much of my time with and over the last 3 months I was lucky enough to even see her at all but it was only for 3 days and not having her around is definitely something I miss dearly. So as much fun as I am having up here playing ball it's actually a real test of how bad I want it. Even though it's a childhood dream there are many things that you have to sacrifice to try and meet your goals. So if your sitting there wondering if I regret my decision to go pro, the answer is no way! Sometimes as tough as times get you have got to look at the overall goal and in my life I have wanted nothing more in the entire world then play at the big league level. So my outside life has to be put on hold during the season and I'll just have to pick that up when I move back to Texas. If you don't got a dream in life, then your just not living the right way. Til next time this is James and we'll see ya.

On the road

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:38:44 -0500

So here i am again writing you about this unbelievable journey i am on. We made our first trip to Lowell, Massachusetts to play to lowell spinners who are the Boston Red Sox affiliate. All three games were a some of the best games i have ever been apart of. All three games were decided in the 9th inning. The first game was a walk off home run in favor of them, the second was a go ahead home run by us hit by robby jacobsen and the third game was decided by a walk off hit for them. Even though they got the the better end in 2 of the games and took the series, the games were so much fun. Also another big thing was in game 2 i ended up getting my first professional hit and my first stolen base. So it definitely felt good to have an average finally. After these games we then headed back home for a long homestand. The home crowd greeted us with open arms. We hadn't had a winning record but yet we were still playing pretty good baseball. We ended up being 3 and 6 in the first 9 games. Then we finally turned it around and won 7 straight to bump that record around and get in first place in our division. The life on the road so far is actually pretty easy. Every day its the same routine wake up and grab some breakfast. Then after that relax around the hotel then grad some lunch before we gotta hit the field. Once we did that, we just get to the cages to get some early work in then back to the clubhouse to hang out until batting practice. After batting practice had a little bit of a break again and then game time. Then sure enough we repeat the same thing the next day. Now these few trips to Lowell and Tri City weren't too bad because they weren't that long of a drive. But coming up we have our longest trips of all. So in a few days i will be letting you know how those go, could be a rough one going all the way to ohio on a bus. - But until then this is James Keithley once again over and out.

The first days of a pro

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:22:01 -0500

The first days of a pro

The Beginning

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:21:38 -0500

What's going on everybody my name is James Keithley and I was recently picked up in the 2008 draft by the Washington Nationals. I was born in San Francisco, California but grew up most of my life in San Antonio, Texas. After high school I attended UTSA (University of Texas @ San Antonio) for 3 years before now when I entered the draft. I am now currently in Short Season Single A playing for the Vermont Lake Monsters. It's truly funny how I can sit and think back that everything I have ever worked for came down to one day. The day of the draft was anticipated like a little kid waiting on Christmas. I had gotten calls but nothing was a for sure thing but it was still my life long dream coming down to one day. So me and my dad got together on the first day and watched the first couple rounds go by seeing names that I have played against for quite sometime. First day of anticipation goes by and no calls, nothing. I didn't think much of it because they had only gotten through the first 6 rounds. So day 2 started a little early and this was it, it would be today or I would have to wait another year to see if I could get better. This might have been one the most stressful days of my life. All the anticipation built up all day and as the day kept going more and more did I get discouraged that it wasn't going to happen. Once the 30th round hit I had to just get out and go do something because I was pretty upset about it. And sure enough not long later after I get to the field to work out my good buddy, Jake calls me and says hey man you just got drafted. My response was shut up man don't play like that. But it had really happened because now all of a sudden the congratulations came in mass texts messages and calls were coming at me left and right. In that one instant I had realized that my life long dream of becoming a professional baseball player had become true. As a 39th rounder I was not sure about going but in the end I was ready to start my life and get out there and start playing. I'm excited to be apart of this organization and I could not be happier right now knowing that I am that much closer to my life long dream. - Till next time this James Keithley over and out.