Player Journal: Savery reports from Florida

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Hello everyone, Joe Savery coming to you from beautiful Clearwater, Florida and the Spring Training home of the Philadelphia Phillies. I am more than a month into camp now and looking forward to my second stint as a journalist for MiLB.com. I will be writing a journal entry every few weeks taking you through what life is like as a professional baseball player, on and off the field. In addition, in each journal I will try to answer several questions via email at [email protected].

I am here in Clearwater for my first ever Spring Training. After being drafted last June as a left-handed pitcher out of small Rice University located in the great state of Texas, I spent time with the Williamsport Crosscutters in the New York-Penn League before moving on to the Arizona Fall League to play with the Peoria Saguaros. Finishing up in Arizona ended what was an exciting but long year. Recovering from surgery, playing in the College World Series, getting drafted, leaving my hometown and playing my first year of professional baseball were all part of my 2007.

I was lucky enough to be invited to big league Spring Training this year, where I did my best to learn as much as I could about what it was going to take to become a Major League ballplayer. I got to throw several times in games, including one start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. I couldn't have asked for a better experience at camp. I was able to watch and learn from some of the veterans and see first hand the high level of baseball that is being played in the majors. Spending time with those guys was irreplaceable and will definitely help me with my career in the near and distant future.

I have now been in Minor League camp for just over a week now and am preparing for the last few weeks of Spring Training before the regular season starts. I have been working out with the Class A Advanced-level team, but still am not exactly sure where I will be starting my season in the Minor Leagues.

In closing, I am very humbled by the opportunity to play this game at such a high level and thankful for the ability God has blessed me with. Thank you in advance for your interest and please feel free to email me with your questions.