Jarred Cosart among a trio of Marlins playing with chip on their shoulder
Miami Marlins right-hander Jarred Cosart hears the noise and uses it as fuel.
Cosart noticed it in little league when he made the All-Star team as a right fielder but the coach's kid played shortstop. They told him he wouldn't pitch in high school, so he got on varsity as a freshman.
"I think it's -- not prove people wrong -- but I hear a lot of the outside stuff, a lot of people saying, 'You can't do this, this or this,'" Cosart said. "I think it's motivation to show people that I can perform to what I think I can perform to. No one else's opinion matters, but when you hear enough of something it's pretty motivational."
The Philadelphia Phillies took a chance on the Clear Creek High School (Texas) product in the 38th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft as a flier pick despite Cosart telling teams he would go to school if he didn't get chosen in the top three rounds.
Philadelphia followed him around all summer, and the day before the deadline, the Phillies made an offer he agreed to based on how they projected he could perform.
"It takes pressure off of you," Cosart said. "When I first signed I wasn't a prospect or anything like that. I was just playing baseball and enjoying it. And then first couple years go by and you start learning how to cope with the prospect status and all that stuff. I think it took a lot of pressure off of me. I don't think a lot was expected of me. They gave me a substantial bonus because of what they projected I might be. That's all it is when you get drafted because there's a lot of guys that never pan out. It's always a possibility."
Cosart, 24, has been dealt twice since then -- from the Phillies to the Houston Astros and from the Astros to the Marlins, this past trade deadline. He is 5-7 with a 2.84 ERA in 16 starts with the Marlins after going 10-8 with a 3.57 ERA in 30 starts with the Astros.
He isn't alone in having a chip on his shoulder. For every first rounder like Christian Yelich, or anointed superstar like Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, there are thousands of guys who fly under the radar.
Second baseman Dee Gordon, selected in the fourth round of that same draft out of Seminole Community College in Sanford, Florida, saw the Los Angeles Dodgers lose and regain confidence in him before eventually trading him away in less than five years.
In 2011, Gordon hit .304 with nine doubles, two triples and 11 RBI in 56 games as a rookie. The next season, his average dropped to .228 in 87 contests. He saw action in only 38 games in 2013 before his breakout All-Star campaign in 2014. Over a career-high 148 contests, Gordon batted .289 with 24 doubles, two homers and 34 RBI. He recorded major-league highs in triples (12) and stolen bases (64). And yet, the Dodgers decided to sell high on Gordon, sending him to Miami and replacing him with upcoming free agent Howie Kendrick.
"In '12, I got my job taken and it was an uphill fight from then on for two years," Gordon said. "If you can do that and become a major leaguer ... every day I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to."
That's because Gordon, 27, didn't play baseball full time until signing his professional contract. Despite his father, Tom "Flash" Gordon being a major leaguer, he didn't pick up baseball until his junior year of high school.
As a minor leaguer, Gordon faced guys with several years' worth of experience over him. Still, he didn't let it get to him or shy away from the competition.
"That's not an excuse because you've got to put your pants on and spikes and play anyways," Gordon said. "It's no excuse. You've got to go out there and play hard. Just work hard. Work hard and good things will happen. Prepare for them."
Like Cosart, left-handed reliever Mike Dunn faced the tough decision of whether to sign with a ballclub trying to sway him from school.
Prior to 2007, an organization retained the rights to sign a player until one week before the next draft, or until the player entered or returned to a four-year college on a full-time basis. Baseball referred to it as the "draft-and-follow" procedure.
Out of high school, Dunn got selected in the 14th round as an outfielder. As a freshman at the College of Southern Nevada, it was as a first baseman. Following that season, he told organizations that if he wasn't taken in the top-10 rounds, "don't waste your pick."
The New York Yankees chose him in the 33rd round and signed him nearly a year later, not knowing whether he would come up as a first baseman, outfielder or pitcher, something he hadn't done since high school.
When he signed in 2005, Dunn played that half season as an outfielder. By May 2006, he found himself on the mound. At the time of his selection in the draft, the organization asked him what path he wanted to pursue.
"It's something I always knew I had a chance just being left-handed," Dunn said. "My senior year of high school I honestly didn't know what I was gonna be drafted as. I had a good year pitching and I knew I was left-handed. I don't know what teams want. The Yankees pretty much said they wanted me to pitch, but because I was a position player they wanted to give me that chance, and I always knew if it wasn't going to work out pretty soon, I could ask to be on the mound. It wasn't my decision at the time. They made the call. I can't be mad because it worked out."
Unlike a true conversion, Dunn already knew pitching mechanics, what pitches to throw and how to get guys out.
Later this month, Dunn will turn 30. Through parts of seven big-league seasons, he boasts a 20-20 record and a 3.41 ERA in 324 major-league appearances.
"I felt like I had to prove myself every step of the way," Dunn said. "I had to find my way onto the field. I was a position player, converted pitcher, didn't take anything for granted. If I had a jersey on my back that's all I wanted. I wanted to go out there and compete. And it felt like maybe you put a chip on your shoulder, but you grind it out and show them that you can play the game."
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com
