Thursday, May 24, 2012

From the Gridiron to the Diamond: The Jarrad Page Story




by Kevin Zeni

Since enrolling at UCLA in 2002, it was football that took care of Jarrad Page. Football paid for his four years of schooling and gave him a paycheck for six NFL seasons. But now, Page has returned to the very first sport he ever played as a child, the game of baseball.

Jarrad, who played the safety position for the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, was exposed to baseball at an early age, enabling him to develop a love for the game early on.

“I always loved playing baseball,” Page said. “When I was young, my parents took me out to tryout and play and I started playing tee-ball at the age of four-years-old.”

“Baseball was always number one growing up,” he added. “I didn’t wind up playing football until the end of eighth grade, heading into ninth grade. Before that it was all baseball, then I picked up basketball, and then I finally started getting into football.”

The former Bruin took well to football, earning him several scholarship offers before ultimately choosing UCLA to play both football and baseball.

“I knew all along that I was going to college to play both sports. Football paid for the scholarship because it’s the big-money sport on campus, but I definitely knew I was going to school to play both sports,” Jarrad stated.

While in college, the 6’1”, 225-pound safety and center fielder had to balance the load of excelling on the football field, the baseball diamond, and in the classroom.

“It was difficult, to be honest. I never really went out,” said Page. “A lot of guys would go out in the city, but I never did that in college because I thought it would hold me back from playing pro ball. I just didn’t have time for that stuff with football and baseball, and then you add in school. Especially with baseball, it was harder because you’re on the road more. You could be gone four or five days on the road playing games, so it took more focus to stay on top of all of your stuff for school.”

Despite those challenges, the San Leandro, California native excelled on all fronts, leading to him being drafted in the seventh round by both the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL draft and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the MLB draft, following his senior season in 2006.

“I had some time before I had to make a final decision,” Jarrad said. “After I was drafted by the Chiefs, I went into training camp and pursued that option. Once I worked out there and met with the coaches, they told me that I had a strong possibility to be starting and playing a lot as a rookie. That affected the talks I was having with the Angels and I ultimately decided to go with football.”


Despite success at the NFL level, Jarrad still used baseball as a way to stay in shape during the offseason. Whether it be hitting in the batting cage, tracking balls in the outfield, or playing a pick-up game with friends, Page kept himself prepared in case he chose to switch to baseball.

Then, on March 1, 2012, Jarrad explored that option at an open tryout with the Los Angeles Dodgers at their Spring Training complex in Glendale, Arizona.

“(Dodgers Assistant General Manager) De Jon Watson invited me out for it,” said Page. “I had worked out for the Dodgers previously and I was planning on going out to Arizona to work out with them again this spring, so when De Jon called I just came out a little early.”

After early rounds of batting practice and fielding and pitching drills were used to narrow the competition, Jarrad moved on to the next level, which put him in game action with the remaining workout hopefuls. Page believes one play in particular allowed him to stand out in that game and earn him a minor league contract.

“I hit a triple that one-hopped the wall in left field batting left-handed, which I think impressed them a lot. After being off for so long, to perform against live pitching was one of the biggest things that stood out to them.”

After consulting with his family, Jarrad took the Dodgers offer and began preparing for a career back in baseball.

“The Dodgers were definitely a great opportunity considering I’ve lived in Woodland Hills the last 10 years,” Page stated. “It’s pretty cool for this to be happening in LA.”

Upon joining the Dodgers, Jarrad reported to minor league camp during Spring Training and played well enough to earn an assignment to their Advanced-A affiliate, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, in the California League.

Despite being a 27-year-old former NFL player, his predominantly younger teammates took well to the veteran.

“It felt like I just fit right in,” Page said. “Nobody made it uncomfortable. I was just one of the guys.”

While other NFL veterans may not have fit in quite as well and adjusted to the new environment, Jarrad admits that there hasn’t been a significant change in his lifestyle since embarking on his minor league journey.

“As long as I continue to do a good job taking care of finances, everything will be good,” he stated. “The only thing that’s different now is that I work literally everyday.”

Through his first seven games played, Page has collected just one hit in 21 at-bats (as of May 24), leading some to speculate that forgoing football may not have been the wisest decision. However, Page says that he hasn’t quite given up on the idea of returning to football if the right opportunity presents itself.

“The end of July and August is when training for football really gets down and dirty. My agent has still been talking to some football teams since I’m an NFL free agent.”

“Working out by playing baseball is something I’ve done before,” he added. “The only difference now is that these guys are competing at the highest level. The competition is what makes it fun. It’s great going against guys that belong to major league organizations because you know those teams think enough of their players to have them playing here. If I wanted to, I could just workout at the gym, but it’s just not the same as going out and competing everyday.”

No matter what sport Page ultimately sticks with this summer, his desire for excellence will remain intact.

“Every time I take the field, I want to be the best that I can be,” he stated. “That never changes no matter what I’m doing.”

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