C.R. Kernels reliever Evan Sanders enjoying unlikely pro baseball career

CEDAR RAPIDS — The beauty of minor league baseball in Class A is seemingly every kid has a story. Evan Sanders of the Cedar Rapids Kernels has one that's pretty good.

The relief pitcher threw the ninth inning of his team's 6-2 loss Tuesday night to Burlington at Veterans Memorial Stadium and gave up a run. That actually lowered his earned run average in four games since being sent here from Minnesota Twins extended spring training.

It hasn't been a smooth ride for the 23-year-old left-hander, but you've got to cut him some slack. He is getting acclimated to professional baseball playing at a higher level than would most guys with his lack of experience.

'It's been pretty rocky here, but as long as they're willing to stick with it, I'm willing to keep after it as long as I can,' Sanders said.

The Oklahoma native played two years of junior college ball in his home state, one year at Division II Southeastern Oklahoma State and one at D-II Arkansas-Fort Smith. He didn't throw well enough as a senior at Fort Smith to get attention from MLB teams and was going about his post-college life, working on a ranch.

But watching the World Series in October got his baseball juices flowing again. He started getting back into shape and throwing, after not picking up a ball in about eight months.

'In February, I went back to Fort Smith, my college, and the Twins were there watching a couple of their guys,' Sanders said. 'My pitching coach knew the scout in that area and told him about me. He said he'd take a look, but I wasn't really expecting anything. I just kind of wanted to see where I was, thought maybe I'd try and play some (independent) ball. I threw a bullpen for him, and he seemed pretty interested.'

After initial contact, Sanders didn't hear from the scout again for over a week and thought that was the end of it.

'I thought 'Well, nice try, I guess,'' he said.

But his phone rang one day soon after, he answered, and it was the scout. Sanders was asked if he wanted to sign a contract with the Twins.

Umm, yeah, he did.

'That was probably the best news of my life,' he said. 'It was really kind of one of those 'I wasn't supposed to be here' kind of deals.'

He went to spring training less than a month later, got held back in extended, as you'd expect, and eventually got the call to go to Cedar Rapids, which wasn't what he expected. He figured he'd start out at Rookie-level Elizabethton.

Sanders threw a fastball Tuesday that was consistently 91 miles per hour. Lefties have pitched for a long time with less stuff than that.

'My realistic goal (in spring training) was to hopefully get up here by the third or fourth week of August, for the end of the season,' he said. 'When they told me I was coming here, I was pretty shocked. I didn't play at a big college, so at first, this was kind of overwhelming. But the overwhelming part is gone now. It's getting easier. Now I just want to hurry up and get everything fine tuned. Help the team and the organization out.'

The Kernels (41-35, 2-3 second half) fell behind here after four innings, 5-0, and never came close to catching up.

Colton Davis got a spot start and suffered the loss, allowing five runs (three earned) in three innings. Cedar Rapids began the season with six starting pitchers and would prefer to go with that number, but really doesn't have a half-dozen starters on the roster.

Thus, the spot starts. It's all in an attempt to preserve innings for the five regular starters: Tyler Wells, Clark Beeker, Sean Poppen, Domenick Carlini and Eduardo Del Rosario.

Beeker went into Tuesday's action leading the Midwest League in innings. Poppen was second, just one inning behind him.

The teams play again Wednesday afternoon at 12:05.

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