Growing up, many of us have a dream. Kevin Kaczmarski's dream was to play Major League Baseball. This was more than a dream for him – it was a certainty. While his road from Cary, Illinois to the majors had many twists and turns, one thing is for certain – his goal would not be denied.
Following his high school career at Prairie Ridge, Kaczmarski continued his journey at the University of Evansville, arriving on campus in 2010. An injury forced him to miss his freshman season, but instead of looking that as a negative, he used it is a turning point in his baseball career.
"That was a huge lesson – I broke my foot – had felt like I let a lot of people down – myself, teammates and Coach (Wes) Carroll. I really took it hard," Kaczmarski explained. "From there on out – I really wanted to prove myself from there, I buckled down, stopped going out and doing things that would get me in trouble."
He was able to return to the field for summer ball in 2011 and excelled as he embarked on his redshirt freshman campaign in 2012. The 10
th player in program history to earn Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors batted .303 on his way to a spot on the All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team. Kaczmarski upped his average to .339 as a sophomore while earning an All-Conference First Team accolade.
As he prepared for his junior campaign, Kaczmarski and his teammates had some bigger goals in mind. Future first round pick Kyle Freeland and others knew that the likelihood of them getting drafted was very high and this was their opportunity to put a special season together. While those on the outside did not know the amount of talent that the Purple Aces had, those on the inside were well aware. Picked to finish near the bottom of the conference, Evansville went 15-6 in league games on the way to the regular season championship.
"That season was crazy, having Freeland on Friday night was a huge advantage – we knew we would most likely get the win if we could score 2-3 runs," Kaczmarski said. "Every time we took the field, we knew that we had guys who fit the role really well. We had leaders, guys who knew their roll. Our guys in the dugout brought it every day, even if they didn't play. They brought the energy, everyone complemented one another very well."
On May 15, the hard work and effort paid off as the Aces clinched the conference championship with a 1-0 road win at Missouri State. This group was truly a team. Every single player contributed and did their part. While Freeland anchored a strong pitching staff, the offense put up the consistency of a champion. Eight regulars batted .270 or over while seven regular starters were on the field to begin at least 52 of the 55 games.
"For me, winning the conference was awesome, but also surreal at the same time. I was so excited because at that time, I felt like a senior," Kaczmarski explained. "This was such a special group and we knew that this would be our last time playing together. It was awesome for our seniors to have this moment and show that their work paid off. It was also special for our younger guys along with Wes and his staff. We were a family."
"Winning the conference was surreal because I was so happy but looking back I wasn't fully in the moment. I didn't know how to fully enjoy it. I remember putting pressure on myself a lot of that season and not enjoying the simple moments like winning a baseball game or things like that," he continued. "Of course I was so happy to see our team win, the smiles across my teammates and coaches, but for myself, I wasn't in the moment and wasn't able to fully enjoy the conference championship. I learned to play for the love of the game and playing in the moment my next year, in 2015."
As the season came to a close, it was the expectation of Kaczmarski, along with the UE coaching staff, that he would be moving onto the professional level. Throughout the MLB draft, the rounds came and went. By the time the 40-round draft was complete, Kaczmarski did not receive the call he had been waiting for. This was a turning point in his career – and his life. What was next? At that time, even Kaczmarski was unsure.
"That (2014 MLB Draft) was a huge lesson. I had a good chance of going in 2013 and came back with a strong summer in the Northwoods League," he said. "Everyone thought I was going to be drafted, including myself. When it did not happen, I had an identity crisis. I got attached to the idea of being a professional baseball player. Going into the 2015 season, I did not know my purpose or if I even wanted to play. I already graduated and many of my closest friends on the team had moved on."
It is this type of "defining" moment that puts an end to careers and dreams. This was definitely not the case with Kaczmarski. For him – this "defining" moment was a new start on the field and in his life. And like they say…the rest is history.
"The 2015 season was the most fun I ever had – I felt like for the first time in a very long time that I was playing for the love of the game," he exclaimed. "Not getting drafted was a huge blessing – looking back – I know that if I would have gotten drafted in 2014, I would not have made it to the majors. I really used my final season to learn as much as I could from Coach Carroll and my teammates and had a lot of fun doing so."
What was the result of him reclaiming his love of the game? The list of accolades from his final collegiate season include: a NCAA-leading .465 batting average, Louisville Slugger First Team All-American, NCBWA First Team All-American, MVC Joe Carter Player of the Year, NCBWA National Hitter of the Week and many, many more. Sometimes the opportunity to step back and find your purpose can result in unbelievable achievements. After putting an exclamation mark on one of the greatest careers in University of Evansville and Missouri Valley Conference history, Kaczmarski was ready for what was ahead.
The call he did not receive a year earlier finally came for Kaczmarski on June 8, 2015. The New York Mets selected him with the 14
th pick in the 9
th round of the draft. A huge step towards achieving his ultimate goal was taken. He detailed the process along with giving an insight to how much things can change at the last second.
"Going into the draft, I met with several teams. I feel like my best pre-draft workout was with the New York Mets, things really went well with them, but I really did not hear much from them after that. As the draft approached, my agent told me that the White Sox were looking at me in the 9
th or 10
th round," Kaczmarski recalled. "After they did not take me in the ninth round, my agent told me that it was highly unlikely that I would go to the White Sox. He explained that this was a normal occurrence, but I was not sure what would happen after that."
Fortunately for Kaczmarski, he did not have to wait very long. Five picks later, he was officially part of the Mets organization. Within a week, he was hard at work training with his first team – the Kingsport Mets. The team is the Rookie affiliate of the Mets and are part of the Appalachian League. Located in Tennessee, Kingsport is roughly 90 minutes northeast of Knoxville. Only two months removed from his senior campaign at UE where he led the nation in hitting, Kaczmarski began his pro career right where he left off in college. With a .355 batting average, he led his league in hitting, but also used that time for personal growth.
"My time in Kingsport was more of a learning experience; there was not much around that area, it was just about baseball. It was just a bunch of guys working to achieve the same dream," he said. "That reminded me of what it was like going to school for the first time – I did not know anyone, so I really used that time to learn about myself."
He advanced to A ball in 2016 before spending the entire 2017 season with the AA Binghamton Rumble Ponies. That is where Kaczmarski says that he saw a huge jump in the talent level. He explained what the competition level was like at each level.
"There was a big adjustment from High A to AA. At the lower levels, there are guys with a lot of talent, they are blessed with fire arms, but they are not as polished," he detailed. "When you reach the AA level, it is obvious that those guys know what they are doing and how to get you out. At AAA, around 80% of those guys have been in the show. They really know their craft – they may not hit 98 miles per hour, but they can throw a fastball at 92 that will paint the corner and get you out."
Kaczmarski had a strong season in Binghamton as he finished with a .274 average in 128 games. The Mets rewarded him with an invitation to Spring Training in 2018 before starting the season with the Las Vegas 51's of the Pacific Coast League at AAA. Shortly after the spring, he had surgery that required roughly 6-8 weeks of rehab. His season debut came on May 25 and he would go on to hit .392 over his first 22 games. Playing that well and being one step away from "The Show", Kaczmarski knew that his time was coming. On June 22 – his time official came.
"It was nuts! After being in big league camp to start the year, I knew that I could be called up at any time. In mid-June, guys at the big league level were dropping like flies due to injury; Jay Bruce went down and I knew that could present an opportunity to be called up," Kaczmarski recalled. "After 4-5 days, I did not hear anything and really did not think much about it, but the way it happened was really special."
"Our AAA manager (Tony DeFrancesco) called our team into a room and started talking. He explained that our first baseman (Dominic Smith) was named the organization's Defensive Player of the Month, but he was called up to New York a week prior. He said that since he could not present the award to him in person – Kevin and Drew Smith will have to take it to New York for him."
That moment is one that every baseball player dreams of – he made it to "The Show". Kaczmarski and his teammate Drew Smith would take a red eye from Las Vegas to New York that night. After leaving at 11 p.m., the duo would arrive in New York at 7 a.m. the next morning. Following a quick nap, it was off to Citi Field. While Smith and Kaczmarski were teammates in Las Vegas, their history started a few years earlier. Smith was a pitcher at Dallas Baptist and, ironically enough, was the final pitcher Kaz would face in his college career.
"I remember opening the door and walking into Citi Field with Drew. With him playing at DBU, we faced each other in the conference tournament in 2015," Kaczmarski said. "It was just three years later and we laughed when we looked back. Now we were making our big league debuts together."
"When you get to the show, it is a different deal – you are pampered, there are professional chefs and the players are more laid back. I had worked with those guys in spring training, but now I was there with them."
His big moment came on June 24 against the Los Angeles Dodgers when he walked onto the field to pinch hit. In a career that had several ironies, this was no different. The first major league batter he would face was Rich Hill. Hill began his career with the Chicago Cubs, just minutes away from Kaczmarski's home.
"Walking to the plate for that first at-bat almost felt like a video game or an out of body experience. You are in a big league stadium and there are people everywhere," Kaczmarski exclaimed. "Facing Rich Hill was nuts – when I was about 13 years old, my dad ran baseball clinics and Hill made an appearance there. He signed a photo for me wishing me the best of luck. Now – 14 years later - I was making my MLB debut against him."
He saw action in four games with the Mets before returning to Las Vegas in mid-July. As the calendar turned to 2019, the outfielder suffered an injury in May and began to think about what was ahead of him.
"Making it to the majors was really cool, but I do not look at it like that – it is more about how it helped me grow. It matured me, led me to what my purpose was and gave me the chance to meet some great teammates, coaches and friends," he said. "After I got hurt in 2019, I realized that I had a different calling. I will always be grateful for baseball and how much I loved playing it, but those were not the right reasons to keep playing. I feel like I had a different calling."
Kaczmarski is back in the Chicago area and has done some blogging and writing, but says that right now he is loving life. He also continues to follow the Aces baseball program and could not be happier for the recent renovations to German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium. When asked about the field – his first word was "Epic!".
"It all starts at the top with Wes – he bleeds purple and orange. Jake Mahon was one of my first roommates and I had the chance to be in his wedding. Those guys have so much love for the game and get the best out of their players," he added. "I am so happy that they got the field, Wes has been wanting it for a long time. He is a unique college coach. For me, he is a player coach and almost what you would call a minor league coach. Very ego-free. Some coaches do things based on pure ego but he is not like that. With me – he let me be and that was huge; but he did chime in when I needed it. Jamey (Carroll) was also one of my mentors. The entire Carroll family is just awesome."
"I am grateful to be part of the UE family. At Evansville and with Wes and his staff – it is bigger than baseball. It is truly family."
It is that sense of family that allowed Kaczmarski to achieve is dream and regain his love of the game.
