Sandberg back where it all began
By john • Jul 12th, 2008 • Category: hudson valley renegades, jared sandberg, minor leagues, tampa bay rays, top story
It’s no surprise to see him in the dugout. After spending parts of 3 seasons in the big leagues and 12 years pounding around in the minors Jared Sandberg has made a change.
Known more for his last name of Sandberg the nephew of hall of famer Ryne Sandberg has decided to call it a career after a rare eye condition has gotten worse over time.
Those circumstances would be called RP - retinitis pigmentosa. It has robbed him of some peripheral sight and left him with tunnel vision.
Nowadays Jared, 30, can be seen in the dugout of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ Single-A New York-Penn League the Hudson Valley Renegades.
Speaking on his time coming through the minors Sandberg stated “Expectations were definitely high. They expected me to be better than I was. But there were some outside circumstances that wouldn’t allow me to do that.”
It was just 10 years ago that Sandberg was a member of the club, now he’s the hitting coach.
“I’m ecstatic,” Sandberg said. “It was a great place to play. The fans are great. It’s a great area here in New York. I have a lot of good memories from when I played here. And to start my coaching career here, I’m excited to come back and be a part of the Renegades’ organization and help these kids further their careers.”
Sandberg always seemed destined to be a coach. During the last few years he could be seen helping youngsters develop their skills and even started a clinic in his hometown of Olympia Washington.
“It’s difficult any time you have health issues like that, especially when it ends my playing career, something I really loved to do,” Sandberg said. “Maybe all those 12 years of playing experience were meant for me to be a coach and use those experiences as a coach.”
The Renegades season started in late June and are currently 13-10, their batting average ranks second in the 14 team league.
john is the main author and owner of this blog.
Email this author | All posts by john
