MLB debut worth the wait for Haynes

Angels outfielder Nathan Haynes stepped out of the batter's box after falling behind in the count, 0-2, in his first Major League at-bat against the Seattle Mariners on Monday.

He had plenty to think about.

A decade ago Haynes was selected 32nd overall in the first round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft by the Oakland A's. He was 17-years-old.

"I didn't really understand the magnitude of what had just happened," Haynes said. "You get drafted and people know who you are. But then you go into the Minor Leagues and people can tend to forget about you."

If anyone understands the sheer vastness of the Minor Leagues, it's Haynes. Since he was drafted, he has played for four different organizations across eight leagues with 11 Minor League franchises.

Haynes underwent eight surgeries during that time. The list includes everything from sports hernias and knee scopes, to torn ligaments in his left hand and a torn labrum in his left hip.

"I always felt like, 'When am I going to get something good?'" Haynes said. "You try not to think that, but after everything I had been through -- all the surgeries, all the different stops in the Minor Leagues -- you almost felt like, 'Is this really worth it?'"

Haynes took a breath outside the batter's box Monday, looked up and saw his face on Angel Stadium's giant video screen. The crowd of 43,352 in attendance pulsed behind him.

"Is this really worth it?"

It was the same question Haynes had to ask himself while playing baseball in the independent Northern League earlier in 2006.

He was unsigned and unaffiliated with a professional club, seemingly light years away from achieving his goal of playing Major League Baseball.

"That's the bottom," Haynes said. "That's the very bottom. But that was my only option. I didn't get a job, I had been injured and I couldn't sign with anybody.

"If I wanted to keep playing I had to go to independent baseball. It was the means to an end. I was just trying to get things together. The Angels promised me that if I went down there and showed them that I was healthy they would sign me out of there."

He did his part, and the Angels did theirs by signing him.

The 27-year-old hit .280 with two home runs, 14 doubles and 19 RBIs during 52 games with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, and his numbers only got better when he was called up to play for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees. In 16 games he drove home 11 runs and stole three bases, bringing his season total to 21.

Haynes credits the Angels organization and a bit of maturity on his part for his improved performance.

"During Spring Training, [Angels manager] Mike Scioscia talked to our [Double-A] pitching coach Keith Johnson. He asked him to stay on me, to let me know to run out every ball or when I hit a single and put pressure on the outfielder.

"I realized that I wasn't playing the game the way they wanted to see me play it, and that if I wanted to make it the big leagues I was going to have to do that. I took that to heart."

Haynes used a bit of that heart when he stepped back into the batter's box Monday, rallying the count back to 2-2.

The next pitch he would see was a slider that Haynes said backed up on him, but he swung through the middle of the zone and made contact. The bat shattered, but the ball found its way to center field while Haynes found his way to first base.

It was his first Major League hit, after a decade playing baseball in the Minor Leagues.

"So it may not be the hard-hit ball everyone dreams about," Haynes said, "but I also didn't ever think I would make it to the big leagues. Anything was better than nothing."

Afterward Haynes retrieved the ball and the game's scorecard. He gave the card to his father, who had made the drive down to catch the game and plans on giving the ball to his mother the next time he sees her.

"My family has stuck by me through the good and the bad," Haynes said. "I owe them the world."

But he also owes himself.

"After the game I realized the journey I had gone through," Haynes said. "All the injuries, all the rehab, all the games, all the bus rides -- everything just kind of came together and hit me at that one point. That's when I realized what I had accomplished.

"Having that one day has made the last 10 years totally worth it."