We often focus on the players but the minor league coaches are also trying to work their way up. Kevin Welch, is the strength coach at Salem this year but he has roots in Indiana and the Terre Haute News did a piece that gives some insight into his life as a minor league coach.
How did he get there?
“I applied to all 30 major league teams and the Houston Astros were the first to call me for an interview,” Welch said.
What got him the job?
Later, he took a job as a high school assistant softball coach in Iowa. Later still, he was hired as a softball pitching coach at Butler University, saying, “that’s where [baseball] started. I instituted a strength and lifting program there and I had some success working with two of their pitchers.”
After Butler, he held similar positions at Loyola (Chicago) and Northern Illinois and was also a private instructor for a time. Then the Astros’ came calling and he reported to their spring training facility in Kissimmee, Fla.
What does he do?
“I work with all the athletes, but I work mainly with the pitchers from just before a game starts until after the game. I put them through a running program that’s set aside by the Astros to carry out … but I can add my own little core programs to them. Then at the end of the game, some athletes come in to train, but pretty much, my job is to work with the pitchers.”…..
Family life?
“That’s the hardest thing now … being away from my family,” Welch said. “I was self-employed all three years with Tyler. [Michelle] has been great about [my new job], as anyone can be.
“Like any other player on the team, I go home every night to an empty bed. That’s when the reality smacks you in the face. When you get in professional baseball, you have to miss things for awhile. But, I’m living the dream.”