Interview with Spencer Mraz, RHP in the Texas Rangers Organization

November 28th, 2023

This week I conducted an interview with professional baseball player Spencer Mraz. The 6’10 RHP played for several different travel ball organizations in northeast Ohio before going on to pitch at the University of Miami. He had much college success, posting a career 3.92 ERA in 160 IP before he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 33rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft. He has spent the last four seasons in the Rangers minor league system.

Q: How did you get into baseball?

A: I started playing baseball the first year you’re able to join a league. My parents put me on a coach pitch/tee ball team and from then on I fell in love with the game.

Q: Was it your plan to play in college? What did the college recruiting process look like for you?

A: I honestly never thought I was going to go to college at all let alone with a scholarship to play baseball. My recruiting process was different than most people I’ve talked to. I went to what I thought was going to be a small PBR Ohio event in Columbus, it turned out to be one of the biggest scouting events they offer. There were 125 college and 35 professional scouts sitting in the stands. On the way home from this event my phone was blowing up with calls and texts from colleges wanting me to come take a visit at their school. After visiting about 15 schools I received my first scholarship offer from Miami University and once that first offer came all of the offers started pouring in. Over the next 6-7 months I received about 25 offers from schools all over the country except for Kent State which at the time was the school I wanted to go to. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I genuinely believe attending Miami University was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Q: What is your favorite memory from each level of baseball (high school, college, pros)?

A: My favorite memories from each level are all pretty similar. Riding the bus, going from hotel to hotel, playing in different cities/states/countries creating memories and friendships that last a lifetime.

Q: How did the draft process work in terms of communicating with professional teams and scouts?

A: During my sophomore year in college I was pitching well and I started to get calls from agents that wanted to represent me in the draft. Over the course of my junior year I had interviews with around 25 of the 30 MLB teams and filled out questionnaires for them. It was a really exciting time especially because I went into college not thinking getting drafted was a reality. Once I hired an agent they began negotiating draft contracts regarding picks and signing bonuses with every team that was showing interest.

Q: Can you describe where you were or what you were doing when you found out you were drafted? What did it feel like?

A: I’ll never forget it. I was at my house at the time with my family and friends watching it on tv. I was getting phone calls from my agent and teams throughout the day negotiating final details on a bonus and the final phone call I took was the Texas Rangers telling me they’re taking me with their next pick in the draft. I hung up and about 5 minutes later I heard them call my name and saw my picture go up on the screen. It was a huge weight off my shoulders. I don’t care what anyone says, the draft process is full of stress and nerves for everyone involved. With that being said, at that moment my dream of getting drafted by a Major League Baseball team came true and I can’t even describe how good it felt.

Q: What does the day-to-day life of a minor league baseball player look like?

A: Everyday we would get to the field around 11am-1pm depending on if we had a lift that day or not. We would normally start the day with some conditioning and then us pitchers would get our throwing in. We’d grab some lunch and then have our daily meetings discussing the other teams lineup and where the weaknesses were that we were going to attack. And then everyone would either do their own thing or play cards/ other games until about an hour and a half before the game starts. We’d play the game and then go home ready to repeat it the next day. It’s very repetitive if I’m being honest.

Q: What is the biggest takeaway you saw that separated good players from great players?

A: A lot of people will tell you that the hardest workers are going to be the best players on every team. I can say without a doubt that’s not always the case because some people are just born with “it”. What I did notice is the best players have a routine and they are religious about it. Outside factors don’t matter to the best of the best, they control what they can control and they’re very confident in their abilities.

Q: Professional players travel all over the country. What were some of your favorite/least favorite places to travel to? Why?

A: To be honest they were all fun, not all of them were great places to play at but I never really disliked anywhere specific. My favorite place to play was definitely Charleston, South Carolina. Every game we played was sold out and the fans were electric. We were the away team so we were getting chirped the whole time but that’s part of the fun. We also had a streaker both times we went there… just a wild atmosphere to play in.

Q: Have you considered becoming a coach?

A: Yeah I have and I most likely will at some point. I just don’t know where or when yet.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: Right now I’m deciding if I want to take one of the contracts I have offered from a couple teams. If I don’t my plan is to use my degree to become an athletic trainer or something along those lines.

Q: I saw that you have your own real 99 card in MLB The Show. How exactly did you get the card? What is it like playing as yourself in a video game?

A: Every player that’s affiliated with a Major League team is eligible to get their own 99 overall card. I talked to one of the creators of The Show. He created my card and had it put on my diamond dynasty roster. It was another surreal moment the first time I played as myself in the game… until I promptly gave up a walk-off home run in my first appearance. I thought it was hilarious but yeah it is a really cool thing to have.