Jesse Chavez settling in with the Cubs – finally
By Tab Bamford
Jesse Chavez will celebrate the 10th anniversary of his major league debut on Aug. 27. The veteran reliever will hit that milestone in a Chicago Cubs jersey, which is fitting when you walk back through his big league journey.
It has been a long, winding road, but Chavez feels like he’s right where he belongs.
Not Ready
Chavez was drafted by the Cubs out of high school in the 39th round of the 2001 draft. At that point, he probably could have made the jump into minor league baseball as a teenager. But he was self-aware enough to know he needed more seasoning on the mound – mentally.
“I wasn’t ready at the time,” Chavez told La Vida Baseball. “Physically I felt I was ready, but mentally I wasn’t able to handle it at the time. So I went to college for a couple years and came out as a young 18-year-old in a much better place to start my career.”
Chavez passed on becoming a member of the Cubs. He instead took his talents to Riverside (Calif.) Community College, which is now known as Riverside City College, where he played for legendary coach Dennis Rogers.
Rogers was a titan of the junior college ranks, leading the Tigers to three consecutive state championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. What was unique about Rogers, however, was his professional approach.
“There was really no college hoorah for us. It was minor league baseball for us in college,” Chavez said. “The way he brought us up and taught us was basically short season in college. … That helped me the most from me not being ready mentally.”
Chavez was 13–2 with a 1.96 ERA as a freshman and followed that with an 11–5 record with a 1.93 ERA as a sophomore.
In 2002 the Texas Rangers selected Chavez in the 42nd round of the Amateur draft. This time he was ready to turn pro.
The long road to Chicago
Chavez made it to Class AAA by 2006, but he never appeared in a major league game for the Rangers; he was traded to Pittsburgh for starter Kip Wells at the non-waiver trade deadline in 2006.
Being traded would become a theme for Chavez throughout his career.
Perhaps it was fate, perhaps it was irony, but when Chavez first stepped onto a big league mound on Aug. 27, 2008, it was as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Cubs. He threw 11 pitches, striking out Henry Blanco in a solid 1-2-3 inning.
Chavez became a regular bullpen arm for the Bucs in 2009, appearing in 73 games as a 25-year-old. The career carousel was ready to turn on once again when that season ended.
Pittsburgh traded Chavez to Tampa Bay on Nov. 3, 2009. The Rays flipped him to Atlanta five weeks later. His time in Atlanta was only a few months longer. The Braves traded him to Kansas City at the deadline in 2010 in a five-player deal that brought Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth to Atlanta.
All along the way Chavez kept learning from more experienced pitchers. After all, being in the bullpen can be a nerve-wracking position. Moreover, being thrown into a new situation isn’t easy.
“It’s a long game and 162 games is a long season,” he said. “In the bullpen … there’s a lot of adrenaline that gets going when the phone rings – even if it isn’t for you. I’ve been the seventh man in a bullpen and … it can take a toll on you.
“I’ve had some older guys throughout my career help me through some of those long times. Over my career I’ve been able to become more relaxed but finding a way to keep it loose is a good thing.”
Chavez wasn’t done collecting big league jerseys. He was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays and the Athletics, and then traded back to Toronto by Oakland. He signed with the Angels in 2016 and then joined the Rangers as a free agent in February of this year.
In mid-July, with the Rangers looking to the future as the competition in the AL West started to pull away from them, Chavez got the call again. He had been traded to a 10th team in as many years in the majors.
This time, however, he was going to be a Cub.
Being a mentor
Chavez has taken something with him from every stop along the away, acknowledging that “the game is school you never graduate.” Baseball is a game of adjustments, and Chavez is always learning.
He will celebrate another anniversary before that of his big league debut. Chavez will turn 35 on Aug. 21, making him the kind of seasoned pitchers he learned from throughout his career. He’s on a young Cubs team in the middle of a pennant race and is thankful for the opportunity in front of him.
Chavez also knows there’s a responsibility as one of the “older guys” in the room.
“There are guys with more tenure than me in this clubhouse,” he said, noting that Jon Lester and Brandon Kintzler have spent half of their lives pitching a baseball. “Coming into a pennant race you want to fit in as best you can but try not to do more than you did to get here and them to want you.”
Chicago’s bullpen keeps things loose, though. The Cubs’ bullpen has a dance party every time a teammate hits a home run. The team led by manager Joe Maddon enjoys playing the game.
Knowing when it’s time to get to work – and what it takes to succeed – is still critical.
“The dancing is more out there than any bullpen I’ve been in, mostly because of the cameras,” Chavez said. “We’ve always had music in the bullpen or whatever to ease the tension.”
“You want to have the bullpen with as much open dialogue as possible and not push a guy to the side and make him feel uncomfortable – especially a young guy. He’s already bright eyed and bushy tailed, and you just want to make him feel just as comfortable here as he was in Triple-A.
“Obviously there’s a difference between comfortable and complacent, but we want them to be confident and take advantage of the hard work they’ve put in.”
Chicago has retooled its bullpen with a number of additions this summer, including Chavez, Kintzler and Jorge de la Rosa. All of them are working toward the common goal of bringing another World Series title to Chicago.
That is how it all could have started for Chavez 17 years ago when he was drafted out of high school by the Cubs.
“Time flies,” he says. “I’m just trying to fit in as best I can and be the best teammate I can be.”
Featured Image: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images Sport