San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Thatcher is a member of an elite fraternity of men: un-drafted college baseball players that still find a road to the big leagues.

“I knew I wasn’t done playing baseball,” said Thatcher as he reflected back on the end of his college career at Indiana State University in 2004. Thatcher admitted that he was not expecting to be drafted out of college. “I didn’t have a very good senior year. I never even got a phone call once the season was over. I never really heard from a scout.”

Undeterred, Thatcher was determined to pursue his baseball dreams. One of his coaches at Indiana State had played independent ball in the Frontier League for the River City Rascals. His coach arranged for Thatcher to get a tryout a few weeks after he graduated.

Thatcher remembered, “I packed my stuff in the car and headed to St Louis, it is about a five hour drive. I didn’t know if I was going to stay or head back the next day.”

Later in the day, Thatcher’s unlikely journey to the Big Leagues began. “I showed up before the game with four or five other guys who were told to just show up.” Thatcher explained, “That is how independent ball works. There are guys showing up before the game all the time for a tryout.”

The River City Rascals’ Head Coach was Randy Martz who pitched for the Chicago Cubs in the early ‘80s. After Thatcher’s tryout Martz told him, “We want to keep you on the team. Come back tomorrow because we have to release a guy.”

Technically Thatcher had just become a professional baseball pitcher. However, he probably could have made more money by picking up the recyclables left behind in the Rascals parking lot than by playing in the games. “I showed up the next day and my contract was $600 for a month.” Fortunately, he did not have to pay rent. “That night I was sitting in the bullpen and a guy came up to me and said we are your host family for the summer. I still keep in touch with them.”

Thatcher also had the support of his parents. “I had already graduated from college, I had a degree, but I didn’t have any money to my name. My dad told me, ‘If you really want to do this, I will support you financially.’ I am so grateful to my dad for giving me the opportunity to play independent ball.”

Thatcher pitched well for the Rascals. He had 2.98 ERA in 42.1 innings of work. At the end of the year the Rascals coaches had a private meeting with each member of the team. “I still remember that meeting. They told me, ‘If you come back next year and continue to do what you are doing now, I guarantee that you will get a contract with a major league ball club.’”

That winter he worked out to stay in playing shape and used his Indiana State degree to work as an intern at an insurance office where he filed papers. “I wore a suit and tie everyday and realized I didn’t really want to do that.”

Thatcher came back to the Rascals the following season and pitched well enough to be on the league’s All-Star Team. In that game he had three strike outs. The following day, Martz called him to his office and told Thatcher, the Milwaukee Brewers wanted to sign him to a minor league contract. “At that point that is all that I wanted. To say that I played minor league baseball, that I had signed a contract associated with a major league team.”

The following day he flew out to Helena, Montana where he joined the Helena Brewers, an advanced rookie ball team in the Pioneer League. There he found himself surrounded by 18- and 19-year-old high school drafted players. “I knew this was my one shot at it because they didn’t have any money invested in me at all.”

Thatcher made the best of his opportunity. He appeared in only six games for the Helena Brewers posting a 2-0 record with a 3.52 ERA in 21.1 innings. Then Thatcher was promptly promoted to Hi A ball for the Brevard County Manatees in the Florida State League skipping Low A ball entirely. He finished 2005 with the Manatees appearing in 7 games with a 0.00 ERA in 9.0 innings. At this point Thatcher believed he had a shot. “Going into that winter I knew I had proven myself a little bit to the Brewers.”

Thatcher started the 2006 season with the A Ball West Virginia Power in Charleston. After 26 appearances and a 2.43 ERA he was advanced back to the Hi A Manatees where he posted a 0.29 ERA in 16 appearances. Thatcher then jumped to AA packing his bags and heading to Alabama to play for the Huntsville Stars. He finished 2006 with the Stars posting a 1.69 ERA.

At the start of 2007, Thatcher was invited to the major league spring training camp for the Brewers. He did not make the club and started the season back in AA with the Stars. There he was on fire, posting a 0.55 ERA in 14 appearances and 16.1 innings.

This earned Thatcher another promotion, this time to the AAA Nashville Sound. Now he was just one step away from the big leagues. Thatcher appeared in 24 games posting a 2.08 ERA before the phone call that he will never forget.

After a day game in July, Thatcher had plans to go fishing when he got a call from Frank Kremblas, his manager. Kremblas casually informed Thatcher that he could not go fishing. He then told Thatcher why. “You have been traded to the Padres and you are going to the big leagues tomorrow.”

Then Thatcher did the obvious: “I called friends and family and told them, ‘I am going to be in the Big Leagues!’” Thatcher found himself immediately thrust into a playoff race in 2007 with the Padres and he performed outstanding. For the remainder of the year his ERA was 1.29 in 21.0 innings.

Reflecting on 2008 Thatcher said, “Baseball humbled me pretty quickly.” Thatcher had been working with a personal trainer in the off-season. He worked out hard and believed that he came in ready to go for 2008. But it was not to be. Admittedly, he started off poorly and lost confidence. “Sometimes I got on the mound last year and I felt like I had never pitched before. It was frustrating because I knew I could pitch. I had proved it, but I wasn’t getting the job done.” A few months into the season, Thatcher was sent down to AAA Portland Beavers to regain his confidence. Thatcher said, “I was disappointed, but that is part of baseball.”

Most importantly, he did not give up. For the remainder of 2008, Thatcher performed well in Portland and his ERA was 2.77. Then in the off-season he played winter ball in the Dominican Republic.

Thatcher started 2009 back in Portland where he continued to throw confidently with an ERA of 1.29. Meanwhile, the Padres were on a horrible streak, losing 20-24.

On May 15 Thatcher was called back up to the Padres. He immediately helped the Friars go on a 10-game win streak, not allowing any runs during that stretch.

Through all that Thatcher has persevered and achieved, clearly he has the right attitude and work ethic to not only succeed in the Big Leagues, but also to be successful in whatever else he does with his life in the future.