Baseball Player Magazine

Back in 2006, the last thing on Joe Esposito’s mind was playing professional baseball. As a junior pitching for New York Institute of Technology, the Mineola native dreamed of working for the Fire Department of New York after graduation. 

Who knew that a few years later, Esposito would be completing his third season in the minor leagues, with the chance to play next season for a major league team. After starting with the Baltimore Orioles organization and getting bumped around in the minors, Esposito is currently signed with the Philadelphia Phillies organization.

It has been a long few years since his pitching days at NYIT. BPM had an opportunity to speak with the minor leaguer. 

BPM: What did you major in when you were in college? Also, what did you want to do after college?

JE: Business Administration, and Marketing. I just went to school because you had to, to play baseball. But I’ve always wanted to be a city fireman.

BPM: How did you get your offer to play in the minors?

JE: Well, it didn’t happen until I was a junior in college. I never thought about playing professional baseball and then I hit my junior year and my college coach, Bob Hirschfield, was like ‘Joe you have a really good opportunity to go play professional baseball.’ He said ‘would you be interested in that?’ I said yeah, how do you say no to that, it’s always a dream of a kid to hopefully make it to the big leagues, so that was the first step. It just worked out that after my senior year; I was offered a contract to play.

JE: It’s just one of those things where you have to give it a shot and it just worked out that I’ve been successful enough to keep moving up the ladder. It’s just one-step at a time. I don’t see any reason to stop yet, but it’s great and I am getting closer to where I want to be.

BPM: And what is your goal?

JE: My goal is to eventually pitch in the major leagues. I feel like that has to be everybody’s goal in the minors.

BPM: Where did you first start in the minors?

JE: I started in Aberdeen, Maryland, a New York Penn League [team affiliate]. My first game actually was in Staten Island against the Yankees, and I ended up pitching the first game. My whole family was there, and I actually got the win. I don’t think you can write a better script for me to come back home and pitch my first professional game.

BPM: What has been the best and worst part about being in the minor league system?

JE: The best part is just having an opportunity. You never know what can happen. If it clicks one day, you have an opportunity to get that shot. The worst thing is being away for six, seven months out of the year. It’s a grind. It’s a lot of competition, which is not only between other teams but within your own team because you want to be the best guy.

BPM: Were you waiting to hear your name get called up or promoted to a high minor league system this past summer?

JE: They always say in baseball it’s not how you start, but how you finish because the season is so long. Teams want a guy that can produce all year, so when I was fortunate this year to do exceptionally well at the end of the year, I just got offered a contract for next year to go back to spring training. I’ll  have a shot to play with the double A, triple A team out of camp. That’s what I was hoping to do this year; get an opportunity to come back next year to show my value.

BPM: You began the 2010 season at the Baltimore Orioles spring training facility and now, you are currently with the Phillies. What exactly happened that you made it to the Phillies?

JE: I went through all of spring training with the Orioles and I asked for my release because I was not making any progress.  With my numbers statistically I should have been promoted each year, which is the regular [for a minor leaguer]. So after that I got a offer to playfor the Long Island Ducks. I went out there and played for a month and a half, and then the Phillies contacted me and were interested in signing me, giving me an opportunity. I signed with them and pitched down in Florida, the Clearwater Threshers team, and it worked out well. I kind of made a name for myself and it worked out.

BPM: Were you nervous?

JE: Yeah. I still get nervous every time I have to pitch. I think that the day you don’t get nervous is the day you might have to consider hanging up your cleats.

BPM: Best game you ever remember playing in?

JE: It was a game we lost in high school. We lost in extra innings. I pitched and had twenty-one strikeouts.

BPM: Added pressure being in the minor leagues over college?

JE: Yes there is, but that’s one of the things you learn as you get older. Baseball is a game. It’s a day by day thing. You have to have a short-term memory. When you consider everything-yeah, you have to produce in order to move up. You have to be able to deal with it.  If you have a bad day clear it from your mind and start over, and get back after it.

BPM: How did your parents feel when you told them that you wanted to play baseball and nothing else?

JE: My dad was my high school coach. He was always a baseball guy, always pushing me. I went to a local college so it was nice forhim to come and watch me play. I told him I might have this opportunity and he was ecstatic. He comes and watches all my games.

BPM: What do you tell younger players in high school trying to make it?

JE: I do a lot of lessons now with kids and I’m coaching a team, the Long Island Storm team, trying to give back knowledge that I gained from the game. I tell them for the most part ‘have fun.’ That’s the main thing I’ve always tried to do because sometimes it gets hard, but if you’re not having fun why are you doing it. Obviously, you need to work at it, it’s a sport.