BRADENTON, Fla. — There was no hesitation from Bo Schultz when he received the news. Then a junior journalism student at Northwestern, Schultz was interning with Outdoor Life magazine in New York City and had aspirations of becoming a sports writer. He had given up on baseball two years earlier after being cut by Northwestern's team prior to the start of the season. However, a few senior players reached out to tell him they were in need of a pitcher and asked if he'd be interested.
The fact Schultz had never pitched in his life, and the devastation he experienced when cut the first time, had little impact on his decision.
"What's the worst that could happen?" Schultz, a 32-year-old relief pitcher in camp with the Pirates who's recovering from Tommy John surgery, asked this week at LECOM Park. "I get cut again?"
So, Schultz put his sports journalism aspirations aside to give baseball one last shot, beginning a worldly journey that perhaps someday will lead him back to the dream and career he left behind.
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Schultz played baseball and football at Highland Park High School — the same programs that produced Clayton Kershaw — in Dallas and graduated cum laude. He chose to attend Northwestern with the express intent to join the world-renowned journalism program.
Schultz also wanted to continue his baseball career, so he attempted to walk on to the school's baseball team — which included current Pirates relief pitcher George Kontos. But Schultz, then an outfielder, wasn't included on the team's final roster prior to the start of the season.
"Believe me, Bo Schultz is no average athlete," Paul Stevens, who was Northwestern's head coach for 31 seasons until retiring in 2015, said in a phone interview. "He was talented. He swung the bat OK and he ran well, but there were other guys who were going to be a little bit ahead of him."
Schultz was devastated. Dejected and frustrated, he walked away from the sport.
"When you get cut from a Big Ten team, what’s the point of trying to keep pushing it to play pro ball?" Schultz said. "I was embarrassed. I spent all that time trying, participating, working out with the team. 'What was the point of that? That was dumb.' I was done."
Only as a player, though. Schultz's dream was to become a baseball writer and columnist much like Frank Deford or Tom Verducci. He took a summer internship at Men's Journal in 2006 in New York City, where he also played on a softball team for a Brooklyn bar called the Turkey's Nest.
Schultz returned in the fall to intern at Outdoor Life and later, ESPN Radio, where he prepared stats for hosts Max Kellerman and Stephen A. Smith. He was on the fast track to fulfilling his dream.
Then the call came. A pitcher for Northwestern suffered an injury and the team was in desperate need of another arm. A few seniors wanted to know if he'd try to come pitch.
After some back-and-forth conversations, Schultz decided to give pitching a try. Under the guidance of pitching coach Tim Stoddard, he discovered how to throw a changeup and breaking pitches.
"I was terrible," Schultz said. "I threw kind of hard, but I was a terrible pitcher. I was learning, but you know how it is when you stink. The only asset I had is I could just throw a little bit harder then most people, so my ego laid on radar gun readings as opposed to statistics because they were so poor. I just had fun competing."
Stevens said: "Bo was a guy who was willing to listen, willing to try anything to get better. I just remember his willingness to not just pigeonhole himself to do one thing. He was always open to trying different things. He worked his tail off to learn the craft."
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He played two seasons at Northwestern, recording a 9.13 ERA with a 3-10 record. He wasn't drafted in 2008, but he chose a contract with the Athletics over a job offer from ESPN Radio.
The club sent him to rookie ball that summer, where he made 14 appearances, seven of which were starts, with a 1.522 WHIP in in 44 2/3 innings. The organization invited him back the next season but it came with a caveat: he must switch to a submarine delivery.
Kontos and Schultz stayed in touch once the latter was cut from the team, seeing each other around campus. Kontos, who was a fifth-round pick of the Yankees in 2006, wasn't surprised when he heard about his friend becoming a pitcher.
He was surprised, though, with the Athletics' decision.
"The only thing I was surprised about was a guy who threw that hard would be moved to become a side-armed pitcher," Kontos said. "That’s the only surprise I’ve had about him. I thought he'd do well at it once I heard he made the switch and rejoined the team. He’s always had that Texas football-baseball player body."
Schultz was willing to give it a try. Worst case scenario, he would gain professional baseball experience to use later in his sports journalism career, and maybe it would even make him more attractive to employers.
The transition wasn't a smooth one. He pulled a few rib muscles while experimenting with the new delivery but eventually taught himself to throw well enough to have a 1.09 WHIP in Low A in 2009.
But Schultz was bounced from the organization after two-plus seasons and spent one season playing Independent ball. The Diamondbacks signed him in 2012 and allowed him to go back to a normal delivery. He reached Triple-A in 2013, reportedly throwing 100 mph that season, before making the club's opening day roster in 2014.
He made his major league debut March 23, 2014 at 28 years old, when the club played the Dodgers at the Sydney Cricket Grounds in Sydney, Australia, pitching a scoreless eighth inning.
"It's a great story," Kontos said. "Bo is obviously a smart kid. He's super determined. He's got great stuff, which helps a lot. He knows how to pitch, and he works hard. Guys like that, usually when they give it enough of a shot, it normally pays off."
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Schultz pitched only eight innings for the Diamondbacks that season and was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays the following October. He experienced a breakthrough in 2015, recording a 3.56 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 43 innings. But a right hip injury limited him to only 16 1/3 innings in 2016.
He hasn't pitched in a major league game since Sept. 18, 2016.
Then, as he prepared to compete for a bullpen spot for the Blue Jays last spring, Schultz experienced pain in his throwing arm. Although there wasn't a tear in his right elbow, bone spurs and chips accumulated to the point that Tommy John surgery was needed.
He missed the entire 2017 season and elected free agency last November before signing a minor-league contract with the Pirates this offseason. The club wanted to accumulate a number of relief options after its bullpen was stretched thin last season, and Neal Huntington was intrigued by Schultz's ability to induce ground balls.
Schultz won't pitch in spring training, but he's thrown bullpen sessions and is almost done with the recovery process. He'll likely be ready to pitch in games this summer, with Triple-A Indianapolis a likely destination.
"I feel great," Schultz said. "We haven’t put a radar gun on everything. As far as I’m concerned that’s fine. I’m gauging it on hitter reactions and when I’ve faced hitters, it’s good to get their opinion to see if it has life and jumps."
Schultz is no longer writing much. He gave it a try a few years ago, pouring his thoughts into a Word document not for public consumption. But someday he would like to put his journalistic tools to use.
The industry has changed, though, since he was that wide-eyed intern in New York. Twitter and Instagram weren't around then. Facebook required a .edu email, with only a handful of universities having access. Blogs weren't as widely used.
He's not quite sure what life after baseball will entail. For now, though, he's focusing on a return to the mound. It's a story unlike any other in the game and one he's not quite done writing.
"I would say unique more than surreal," Schultz said of his story. "I feel like the term surreal is getting thrown around too often. But I believe it is a very unique path. Everyone has a unique path, though. Everyone has some sort of weird hiccup along the way, whether you were a first rounder or undrafted. Mine was one of the many roads that ended up in the same room."
