By Mark Gregory
@Hear_The_Beard
Pat Cashman and Sean Renzi first took a baseball field before they were even in junior high school.
That friendship lasted and the two played together for Plainfield North in high school.
Even through college, the old teammates worked out together and now they are again on the same team.
Cashman and Renzi were selected two rounds apart by the Sox.
Cashman went in the 30th round, the 896th overall selection, while Renzi was the 956th overall selection in the 32nd round.
“This has always been something that I always dreamt of and never thought it would actually come true,” Cashman said. “Even up to a few years ago, I wasn’t sure it would happen, so when it actually did happen, it was pretty awesome.”
The moment he was drafted, Cashman knew he had one former teammate with the Sox as former Southeastern Louisiana University outfielder Jameson Fisher was a fourth round choice of the Sox. While Cashman was on the phone with the organization, his former high school teammate, Renzi, was also selected by Chicago.
“This is a brand new level for the both of us and to have someone that you know – and I had two when I got here – it makes it feel like you really aren’t that far away from home,” Cashman said.
Renzi said the two even worked out together the weekend of the draft.
“Throughout college, we always kept in touch and last year we were home doing internships so we played catch almost every day in the summer and we were actually playing the Friday of the draft on the high school field,” Renzi said. “It is really pretty cool that we have played together since we were 12 years old and now we have a chance to be roommates at the professional level and that is really cool.”
Unlike a lot of day two and three draftees, Cashman watched every pick waiting to hear his name.
“My family and I all watched it together and it was a pretty cool moment,” he said. “We were all watching the draft and it really dragged on and it was sucking the life out of me, so when I finally went, it was a great moment.
“I got a call from the White Sox guy in the 26th round and he was letting me know it might happen soon, so then we were really locked in every time the Sox picked. When the 30th round finally came they finally called my name. I know I started going crazy, right as they started to say my name, my mom started crying, my dad and my brother gave me a hug and my brother’s wife was crying. It was really a perfect moment that we couldn’t have scripted.”
Renzi was nowhere near the TV or a computer when his name was called.
“I tried to not watch. I just went hiking with my girlfriend and then we went to a movie and the scout that had watched me in Michigan called while I was in the movie theater to tell me congratulations,” he said. “I just didn’t want to be too stressed out about the situation.”
Neither of the two were Sox fans growing up, but Cashman said they were always ready to make the switch.
“I was a Cubs fan, but (Sean and I) always said growing up that if the White Sox ever take me, I’m a White Sox fan,” he said. “So, I am a White Sox fan now.”
All Renzi wants to do now is pitch in the Windy City.
“(Growing up) I was a Cub fan, but I was never one that hated any Chicago team, so that was cool being picked by a hometown team because it was cool that you were picked by some of your friends and family’s favorite team,” he said. “The goal is to get back home and play in Chicago.”
Renzi earned being drafted after going 5-7 with a 4.70 ERA at Central Michigan University as both a starter and a closer his senior year. He struck out 75 and walked 49 in 82 1/3 innings. He finished his CMU career 12-11 with a 3.98 ERA.
His 75 strikeouts was sixth in the Mid American Conference, while batters hit just .239 against him for the season.
While in college, Cashman went 4-4 with a 5.26 ERA, striking out 52 batters in 51.1 innings pitched. He started 11 of his 14 appearances.
Cashman appeared twice out of the bullpen in rookie ball before suffering shoulder tendonitis, which he hopes he will return from soon.
“Right now it is a job, so I know I can’t do what I am supposed to do, but I have to do whatever I can to get back to the spot where I can,” he said. “This is part of baseball. I am taking the whole thing seriously and they are very understanding, but at the end of the day, you don’t want to be sitting out three weeks to start your career.
“From the day you start playing baseball it’s the same thing – the way you play stands out, but it is also the way you go about it when things aren’t going your way and how you carry yourself and how you work. It is the same at this level. Even if I am not playing, I can show them that I am dedicated to get back as soon as possible. That kind of stuff stands out to them – they keep it in mind when they are making cuts or whatnot.”
Renzi is also in the bullpen at the Arizona Rookie League and says it’s great to have a familiar face in camp with him.
“I was just ecstatic that I was going to have the opportunity to play and had the chance to do something that I wanted to do since I was really young,” he said. “There are guys that make it to the majors from every round and once you have the opportunity, you can show that you have the ability to play at the next level and move up through the organization.
“Right now I am relieving, but that could change at any moment,” he said. “I am just really going with the flow and doing whatever they want and accomplish what they want to see out of me. When I get my chances, I just try to go in there and get outs and put the team in a position to win. One of my favorite parts of the bullpen is just trying to shut it down. Especially if you are coming in with someone else’s runners on base, it is a big source of pride being able to stop the other team from scoring when they already have runners on second and third with no one out.”