Ep 80: September callup with former MLB pitcher Eric Surkamp

It was unbelievable….What kind of life is this?

Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio has produced a ton of great athletes. Ken Griffey, Jr. and Barry Larkin perhaps two of the greatest Crusader alums. A self-proclaimed top-50 Moeller High grad joins us for episode 80 and shares some stories about his own great career, life in the minors and majors, and playing with stars.

Eric Surkamp was a 6th round pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2008 after a really solid career at NC State. Eric and Tim talk about how his high school experience at Moeller really set the tone for his athletic career and prepared him for ACC baseball. Playing with and against elite talent helped Eric raise his own level of play. He went from a high school state title game with teammate, and future big leaguer, Andrew Brackmann coming in to close out his start to facing Matt Wieters at Georgia Tech and Buster Posey and Florida State in the ACC the next year.

You have to believe you are better [than everyone] just to have the

confidence to go out and do it

Eric and Tim talk about Surkamp’s entry into professional baseball after the 2008 draft. Eric had a great deal of success in the minor leagues. After 3 productive years in the minors, Surkamp debuted in the majors with the Giants in 2011. Eric shares what it was like to go from waiting for a start in Akron in Double-A ball to starting a game for the Giants two days later. Tim and Eric discuss his first time on the mound and facing Jose Altuve and getting locked in a airplane bathroom by Pat Burrell.

Surkamp shares some of the behind the scenes aspects of life in the minors and the big leagues. He played for the majors and minors with the Giants, White Sox, Dodgers, Athletics, Rangers, and finished his career in Korea. His career included minor league titles, call-ups, scraping by on minor league checks, major league paydays and hanging out with Jose Canseco. Baseball fans are going to love this week’s insider look at the life of a ballplayer. One of the most unique parts of his story is moving from the Rangers to the Korea Baseball Organization and living through an interpreter.

Episode 80 is a great baseball story. Eric Surkamp’s career is an authentic look at the life of a professional ballplayer. Eric and Tim talk about going from a kid growing up with a dream to play in the big leagues, through the highs of a first start in the show to the lows of a Tommy John surgery and his career ending across the ocean.