Sunday Morning Chat Part II: Texas Rangers First-Round Pick Lewis Brinson

In Part II of our interview, I spoke with Lewis about the days leading up to the draft, how he reacted to hearing his name called in the first round, and his first purchase after signing. Enjoy…

HSBN: Tell me a little bit about the week before the draft. Which teams were contacting you, and did you have a feel for which team would ultimately pick you?

LB: There were a good amount of teams contacting me. Probably the main teams were the Brewers, the Rangers, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Diamondbacks, the A’s and the Padres were kind of the main teams because that was in the range I was supposed to get drafted into so to speak. But it was mostly those teams, and I didn’t really know what team was going to pick me, but I knew it was down to maybe three ultimately and the other teams were just waiting for maybe a later round if I didn’t get picked. So I mean, it was down to maybe three teams, I would say the Rangers, the Diamondbacks and the Brewers. So I mean, it was down to them, but I had no idea who was going to pick me, no really set one that was going to pick me.

HSBN: So draft day arrives. Take me through where you are, who’s around you, what is going on in your head before the draft starts.

LB: Draft day, that was a great day. Woke up, took BP, threw and came back to the house. Everybody shows up. I had a little draft party or whatever and Gomez was there and all my friends and a couple of guys on the baseball team were there. I was kinda iffy about, and almost backtracking in my mind all the magazines and all the sports writers and all that. “He might not get drafted until the second round because of his high school season…” and blah, blah, blah…I’m like man, this could be a disaster, this could be really bad, man. All this stuff could be worth nothing, and it was, it was all these doubts in my mind. I’m like, “Dude, stop worrying. You know what’s going to happen and you know your abilities and so these teams, so I mean, everything’s going to work out the best and I mean…

HSBN: So your mind is racing basically [laughing].

LB: Yea, basically. I was trying to calm myself down, and I was in my mom’s room all night and taking phone calls and talking to my agent and seeing what he was thinking, who he was talking to and what he had a feel. So I mean, like you said, my mind was racing that day, all day.

HSBN: As the names are being announced, you see Albert go to the Cubs from down in Miami. Later in the first round, you saw Nick from Archbishop go to the Reds. What’s the thought process at that point knowing your name was likely the next one called from South Florida?

LB: Aw it was, it was exhilarating to see those guys that I played with, seeing those guys I played against, get drafted high, really high by good teams. And, it was really cool, it’s like, wow three guys from South Florida get drafted in the first round. So I mean, it was kinda exciting to maybe know your name was going to be called next and one of those teams. And, I really felt good for those guys, really proud of those guys for getting drafted as high as they did because they deserve it, nobody else deserved it but them. So, it was pretty cool to know that maybe three guys could get drafted in the third round from South Florida, or first round rather from South Florida.

HSBN: Take me through when the phone rang and how that call went with the Rangers or with your agent, however you found out the news.

LB: Yeah, right before that 20th pick was going to the Brewers, and I thought they were going to pick me because they were high, they’re high on the list and they didn’t end up taking me so, I was like, “Oh man, what’s going to happen now?” Then maybe, they had that time limit, I don’t know how much time they have, but halfway into that time limit, they called my agent called me. [He] said, “Listen, Lewis, Rangers are going to pick you next, pick 29. They’re not messing around. They don’t want to lose you to another team with the competition around. They’re going to pick you right now. Just get ready. Tell everybody, and I’ll talk to you after you get picked.”

[I] hang up the phone. My heart’s beating five million times a minute and, I’m just breathing all heavy and I’m like, “Oh my god, oh my god. My mom, Gomez and there were a couple other people, my uncle was in the room. Like, “What! What! What! What just happened?” And I’m like, “The Rangers are gonna pick me next pick. Troy just called me, they’re picking the next pick. And as soon as I said that, Bud Selig came up and announced my name and, the whole room went crazy. And uh, just…just that feeling and that phone call. I almost had a heart attack after he told me. It was the best feeling so far.

HSBN: What exactly is that feeling like? When you hear the commissioner of Major League Baseball call your name on national TV?

LB: It’s, it’s a feeling of, your dreams are coming true. And, it’s a feeling of opportunity and it’s a feeling of greatness and a feeling of accomplishment and so to speak so far. And it’s all of these feelings are going through your body and it’s…wow man, this is happening right now. First-round draft pick by the Texas Rangers. Couldn’t get picked by a better team, by the way. And it was just, it’s unbelievable. Just to know that half of your dream so to speak, half your dream is coming true, so far. You only got a couple more steps and you’re in the big leagues. So, I mean, it all starts right here.

HSBN: At what point in the night, or maybe even later that week or a couple weeks after, did you realize that not only were you a first-round draft pick about to live his dream, but you were about to also come into a big payday?

LB: [chuckles] It kinda hit me a little bit when I went to Arlington. It didn’t hit me, it didn’t hit me until I went to Arlington that I was getting paid a little bit. But until I saw the check and I saw all the contracts. I was like, “Wow,” ‘cause my agent told me that day of the draft like how much money they’re gonna give me. Like oh man, that’s a lot of money. But it didn’t hit me until I got that pen in my hand, and I’m signing the contract, I’m like, “Oh…my…God! That’s a lot of money. But…and I’m 18, why are you giving me this money?” But it didn’t, it didn’t make sense to me…all that. It happened so fast. The draft, Arlington, and going out to rookie ball, it happened so fast. So it really didn’t have time like to settle in and kinda soak it all in. And like, man, you just got drafted, first round, all this money, your dream is coming true. So it really didn’t set in until I guess I put that pen on that paper and signed that contract.

HSBN: What was the first thing you bought when you got your bonus check?

LB: Ah, first thing I bought…a pair of shoes. I’m not gonna lie, a pair of shoes, Nike’s that I have right now, kinda a going-out shoes. But a pair of shoes was the first thing I bought when I got my first half of the check. And then when I got back home, I bought a car. So I guess the first big thing was the car that I bought after I got home for the off-season.

HSBN: How hard is it for someone your age, I mean you see a lot of kids your age who come into this type of money that get caught up with the girls and the fame and the money disappears quickly. How hard is it for you to stay on a budget and to keep yourself grounded with the financial end of it?

LB: It’s not hard ‘cause when you’re like I was with my mom and have a mentor like Gomez and even with my dad, and all the people surrounding me and taught me and “Listen, don’t waste your money. Let’s just save it. You’re gonna make more. You want to have money so that you could live a long time after you’re done with baseball and your kids are supported if you got kids and a wife and stuff.” So, and I’ve seen, again comes back from watching so much TV and all these guys wasting all their money and draft picks that get six, seven million dollars and they just blow it all and have nothing.

So, and I didn’t get all that, but I got a good amount. And I’m like, I don’t want to waste all that man, that’s, that’s kinda a gift like so to speak like starting off. And you just got to conserve it. And at first it was, I went on a shopping spree. Bought a little, bought a new wardrobe so to speak but, other than that, I mean, I have a financial guy so, they help me with all my money situation and handling it, putting it here, putting it there and giving me spending money and money to eat and stuff to buy me nice things ‘cause you know I earned it so.

HSBN: So how ‘bout the social aspect of it? How do you keep from getting caught up in that end of it and you know going down the road with the girls and everything else that could get in the way of what you’re trying to accomplish?

LB: It, I mean, I just exit all that out when it’s time to exit out. I got, like I said, I got one goal and that’s getting to the bigs, playing 15 seasons, 20 seasons maybe if I’m lucky, in the big leagues. So I mean, if that means, if maybe hooking up with one girl or talking to a girl or getting in trouble with a fight or something at a club, some stupid thing like that, I mean, I’m not trying to make that the end of my career. That’s not how I’m… that is supposed to happen nor is it how I want it to happen. I’ve seen way too many stories of guys getting caught up in all that mess. They just get drafted. They think they’re all big and famous in the first round and they get caught up. And they don’t end up making it, so I’m not trying to be a statistic. I’m not trying to be one of those guys.

In Part III tomorrow, Brinson talks about life in the minors…

Leave a comment using your facebook account!