That's what I'm saying, guy…

Hayhurst, no longer a "non-prospect"

Jays pitcher Dirk Hayhurst isn’t your average minor league journeyman getting a big league break at age 28. You see, two years ago Hayhurst started journaling his minor league experiences — bus trips, small paycheques, living in basements, etc. — and was eventually picked up by Baseball America to write a regular blog on the not-so-glamorous lifestyle. Hayhurst, figuring his tour of minor league cities such as Lake Elsinore, Fort Wayne and Mobile wasn’t likely to end with him making the majors, called his column the “Non-Prospect Diary”.

Hayhurst caught a break in 2008, making his major league debut in August with the San Diego Padres. Though he struggled in his first cameo, Hayhurst was claimed off waivers by Toronto and signed to a minor-league deal right before Spring Training. In 14 appearances with the Jays in 2009, he’s sporting a 1.35 ERA. His baseball career isn’t the only thing looking good at the moment — he has also completed a book, “The Bullpen Gospels”, set to be released next April.

I got a chance to talk to Hayhurst before the game Saturday, since I tend to write every now-and-then and wouldn’t mind getting some advice on the craft. Hayhurst was cool — he didn’t give me the “you’ll do great speech”, but rather the straight goods (or not-so-goods) on the industry. He said it’s the easiest profession to go broke in, and to stand out I’ll have to do something that’ll set me apart from every other writer out there. He wished me the best and gave me a few suggested reads to learn more about how to catch a break as a writer. All in all, a good chat from a guy that’s currently doing two things I’ve always wanted to do — pitch in the majors and have a book published.