Royce Huffman waits for his big league chance
Now in his 11th season of pro baseball and seventh straight year in Triple-A, Huffman keeps hitting everywhere he goes and keeps hoping he'll finally get rewarded with his first callup to the major leagues.
"Obviously I love playing the game," Huffman, 32, said. "Obviously I'd like to make it to the major leagues, but I just love the game. I love coming out here with the guys and having a good time. Playing to have fun and playing for my teammates, I just think the bigger things will fall into place."
Huffman was drafted by his hometown Houston Astros in the 12th round of the 1999 draft. He had been an All-America baseball player, and WAC player of the year, at TCU, along with being Horned Frogs' punter for four football seasons.
He has played for the Padres' and White Sox' Triple-A teams the past two years, after playing his first eight years in the Houston organization.
Oklahoma City is the fifth city he's represented in Triple-A, having earlier played for New Orleans, Round Rock, Portland and Charlotte.
"Having no big league time," he said, "it's just one of those things where I don't want to say I'm frustrated because all I can do is control what I'm doing on the field. A lot has to do with being in the right place at the right time and having luck on your side.
"Unfortunately, it hasn't gone that way for me in my career. But would I do anything different? No, not a chance. The people I've met and the people I've played with, those are the reasons why I keep playing."
With that upbeat attitude - and his career batting average of .294 - it's easy to understand why RedHawks manager Bobby Jones is happy to have Huffman on his team.
"He's a typical veteran guy," Jones said. "He knows how to play the game and goes about his business. He knows what he's got to do and he does the little things.
"I think he's going to be a big influence on this club. He's a good guy to have on the team."
Huffman came close to being called up by Houston during the 2004 and 2006 seasons. In'04, he was a Pacific Coast League All-Star, leading the league in games and ranking second in hits. But the Astros needed a middle infielder, and Huffman has primarily played first and third base.
In '06, the Astros also thought about calling up Huffman, but his left hand was broken six days after the All-Star break.
"It's been like that throughout my career," Huffman said. "It's been one obstacle comes and then another, but you've just got to move on. If you take care of little things, the big things will fall in place, and that's kind of the way that I look at it on a day to day basis."
Huffman, his wife Haylie and their children - son Trace, 4, and daughter Presley, 2 - reside in the Houston suburb of Missouri City, Texas.
Royce and Haylie Huffman are both TCU graduates. His degree is in finance, hers in fashion promotion.
"I don't know how much longer I'll play," Huffman said. "My kids are at an age now where they need to be in a stable environment, but they enjoy watching me play, too. They enjoy the game as much as I do. It's on a year to year basis that I play.
"There's no doubt that the game is as fun as now as it's ever been. Granted, it's a little more work for me to get my body ready to play now than it was when I was 25, but I'm still out here because it's so much fun. I enjoy every aspect of it."
There will come a time, of course, when Huffman's hitting and hoping will end. But he doesn't know when.
"I have no idea what's going to happen," he said. "I'll cross that bridge when I get there."
He has worked some off-seasons for Staubach Co., the commerical real estate company owned by Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach.
"I've got my degree and I've got some contacts," Huffman said. "I don't know, but I've thought of doing a couple different things after I stop playing baseball. I may stay in the game. I'm not sure about coaching, but maybe front office work, because right now I don't know if I want the travel and being away from the family so much, especially right after I stop playing."
For now, Huffman will center his attention on hitting and hoping and helping the RedHawks.
"As long as I've got a uniform on," he said, "there's still a chance."