Showing up for work every day at the ballpark is not a bad gig.
Christ School alumnus William Fleming ‘17 is considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Seattle Mariners’ minor-league system and is currently with their Single-A affiliate in Modesto (Calif.).
“It’s definitely a little wild when you take a step back and realize you are playing baseball for a job. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing,” William said by phone last week.
“You build a routine, and that routine is definitely big. We play six days a week and I usually try to get to the field pretty early on game days. I’m enjoying it a lot and just taking it all in. It’s nice to play with guys from all over, some of them are familiar faces and some are new."
By all accounts, William has the size (he is 6-foot-6, 220 pounds) and the stuff to keep progressing in the minors. The righthander throws a two-seam and four-seam fastball to go along with his changeup and slider.
Every one of those pitches was working Thursday when William made his latest start. He allowed just one hit and a walk to go along with eight strikeouts in six shutout innings. Modesto beat Rancho Cucamonga (Calif), 11-1.
William is only the second professional baseball player in Christ School history – Champ Stuart ‘10 advanced to the Double-A level with the New York Mets before his career ended in 2018.
William graduated a year ago from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in Communication and a minor in Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies. He might not have played four seasons for the Demon Deacons if the pandemic hadn’t happened, but now thinks of it as a blessing in disguise.
“Having that degree is everything to me. A lot of guys decide to leave after three years. Down the road, I think I’ll look back and be thankful that things happened the way they did,” William said.
“My experience at Wake was phenomenal. I grew a lot as a person and a player. Christ School helped me prepare. I played both basketball and baseball in high school. I continued to grow athletically and academically once I could zero in on just playing baseball.”