Ex-Indy Leaguer Beats Best MLB Lineup

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Trivia Question of the Week (submitted by Pete H.)

The answer will be revealed at the end of this email! Look for the ⭐ emoji.

From Near-Retirement to Beating MLB’s Best

Adam Oller was selected in the 20th round by the Pirates in the summer of 2016.

By November of 2018, he was released.

His pro baseball career appeared over after two short years.

But Oller refused to quit – he had to fight to keep his dream alive.

He spent time in Australian winter ball and the independent Frontier League before getting another chance with an MLB organization.

But Oller struggled with the mental side of the game.

“That’s something I’ve dealt with in the past – not being confident enough in myself,” Oller recalls. “Thinking I don’t deserve to be here. I think everybody goes through that.”

He landed with the Oakland A’s at the start of this season and made his MLB debut in April.

By the end of June, he was sent back down to Triple-A.

Again, his back was against the wall.

“At the time, I was upset,” Oller says. “Looking back, I’m glad they did that.”

“It forced me to get out of my comfort zone and trust myself, and I did…It led to me being where I’m at now to where I trust what I’m throwing and anyone behind the plate.”

Last week, Oller notched his first big league win over the fearsome Houston Astros.

It was years in the making. And while he faced several roadblocks, Oller never gave up on himself.

“It goes back to all the stuff in between. All the ups and downs through the Minor Leagues. The long hours in the offseason working. To finally get to this point, it goes to trusting yourself.”

SOURCE: Martín Gallegos // A’s Beat newsletter

🗞️ More Inspiring Stories

1. He went from D3 hoops to the NBA G League. We sat down with Eric Demers for an exclusive interview. [Joker Mag]

2. “I couldn’t even sit up in a wheelchair”. After getting hit by a truck, this Connecticut teacher has defied all odds to run again. [WTNH News 8]

3. Born without fingers in her left hand, Zoe Wood is the only girl on her Little League baseball team. She hit 2 homers in one game this season and dreams of playing Major League Baseball. [ABC News]

4. From being one of the smaller kids on the diamond to the NL’s reigning Cy Young winner, Corbin Burnes has come a long way. [MLB.com]

5. 616 players were picked in the 2022 MLB Draft. But there's hope for those who weren't selected. Here are the best undrafted free agents in MLB history. [Joker Mag]

6. "A label doesn't define you.” Told he wouldn’t even be able to attend school, Justin Steinberg has become a multi-sport athlete in the Special Olympics. [ABC 7 News]

7. “It’s never too late to be somebody else.” Taylor Lewis went from troubled youth to defensive lineman on the Arkansas Razorbacks.

🔆 Amateur Spotlight

Brittany Apgar loves to prove people wrong.

“When I was in my mother’s womb, they did an ultrasound, and they could see that I was going to be deformed with my arm not making it past my elbow.”

She’s had 12 surgeries to help make her arm more functional.

“I have multiple scars from it,” Apgar said. “It’s just to gives me more of an arm, so I have a chance to be more of a normal kid.”

Inspired by one-handed MLB pitcher Jim Abbott, Apgar is now a rising sophomore on the Greensboro College softball team.

She played 31 games in her freshman season, scoring 13 runs and stealing 13 bases.

“If I can give the inspiration that Jim Abbott gave to me to another kid, we can make this world a better place and more accepting.”

SOURCE: Mike Lacett // Fox 46

Do you know a youth, high school, or college athlete who has overcome the odds? Reply to this email to submit their story to be featured in a future Amateur Spotlight.

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💪 The Underdog Mentality

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⭐ Trivia Answer:

D) Springfield Isotopes

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Til next time,Tyler