Jakub Janda interviewed infielder Sam Whitehead of the reigning German champion Heidenheim Heidekoepfe for Mister-Baseball.
Sam Whitehead
- 27 years old
- Attended Ponoma-Pitzer College
- British National Baseball League with Croydon Pirates
- German Baseball-Bundesliga with Tuebingen Hawks, Heidenheim Heidekoepfe (Champion in 2009)
- British National Team (Silver Medal at 2007 European Championship)
Jakub Janda: Please describe your career since you started playing baseball to the present.
Sam Whitehead: Well, when I was little, my parents put me in a lot of sports from basketball to soccer to swimming to football, but baseball was always my favorite. I started playing tee ball when I was around 5 years old, right after I moved to San Diego. I played on various travel teams growing up and on my high school team for 4 years. After I finished high school, I wasn’t sure if I would continue playing since I was never the power hitter or the guy that threw 90mph, so I wasn’t recruited by many schools, but I walked on at a small Division 3 school in the Los Angeles area, Pomona-Pitzer. The team was ranked 5th in the nation and had a lot of returners, so I was on the practice team for the first half of my first year before given a jersey. After a freak injury to the starting shortstop the second day of practice, I became the starting shortstop for the next 2 years and in my final year, I was moved to second base and did some pitching too.
My college coach had played in Sweden and Belgium, so he showed me some league websites in Europe and I thought it would be a fun experience to go play in England for a summer and see the country my dad grew up in since I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after school and never studied abroad during college since it was always during baseball season. I happened to email the General Manager of the British team and found out I was eligible for a British Passport and was set up with a team in the English League, the Croydon Pirates, where we won the league and finished 4th in a CEB Cup in 2005. That was also my first year playing for Great Britain. Through the British coach, Stephan Rapaglia, I was set up with the Tuebingen Hawks in Germany, where I played for 2 seasons. Unfortunately, we were relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga.
I wanted to continue playing in the 1st Bundesliga and contacted Heidenheim and have spent the last 3 years playing for them. I have been fortunate to see many places throughout Europe and have made some great friends over here playing. It was always a dream as a kid to play baseball in America professionally, but the experiences and times I have had over here have been incredible, especially since I wasn’t even sure I would continue playing after high school.
JJ: How were you preparing for this season during winter? Did you change anything from previous offseasons?
SW: This winter, I really concentrated on just getting in shape. I didn’t do much baseball related training this winter. Sometimes it’s good to take a break from the game and refresh. I think my arm needed a little rest from throwing, so I mainly just ran and lifted weights over the winter and about a month before coming back over to Germany is when I started throwing a little again and taking some swings just to get back in baseball shape.
JJ: What do you consider your career highlight?
SW: That’s a tough one. I would have to say from a team standpoint, it would be a tossup between winning the silver medal in the 2007 European Championships in Barcelona with the Great Britain National team and winning the Bundesliga last year with Heidenheim. I think anytime you win a championship or do well in a tournament, it’s exciting. Individually, getting to pitch against Japan and South Korea in the 2009 World Baseball Classic was also something I will never forget. I would say those things and surviving the running of the bulls in Pamplona last year with some of the other Bundesliga foreigners would also be a career highlight, even if it wasn’t on the field.
JJ: What has baseball taken from you and chat has the game given to you?
SW: I’m not really sure baseball has taken anything from me. It has definitely given me a lot. I have met many of my best friends through baseball, been to a lot of places many people haven’t and been able to play against some great players and teams in my career. Not too many people can say they played against Major League players before or played against the Cuban National Team for example. There are a lot of good memories that I have growing up because of baseball.
JJ: How do you like your own performance this season?
SW: I’ve been pleased with my performance this season. This has been my best season in the Bundesliga offensively, so it’s been nice. I also take pride in my defense. I think that part of the game can be overlooked sometimes by players, everyone wants to go up and hit a home run or a double in the gap, but for me, turning a double play or making a diving play is just as fun.
JJ: What do you think about your club in this season? Have you fulfilled expectations?
SW: Ever since I joined the Heidenheim Heidekoepfe, I have always had a great time playing with the team. They welcomed me to the team from the first day. We have a great bunch of guys on and off the field. We had a few goals for this season: to make the playoffs, to do well in the European CEB Cup and to defend our title. We played extremely well in the CEB Cup and earned a trip to the Final Four in Barcelona. We finished the regular season in second place and are currently in the middle of semifinals with a rematch from last year against Solingen. So, for now, we have met our goals for the season, we know it’s not finished yet because we want the title again, it won’t be easy, but we’re hoping that we can give ourselves the chance to repeat.
JJ: How many times in your career have you thought about quitting baseball?
SW: I don’t think I have ever really thought about quitting baseball. It has always been something I have done and wanted to do as long as I could and was still having fun. Maybe the one time after high school, I wasn’t sure if I would continue playing at the college level because I wasn’t recruited by many schools, but that wasn’t because I wanted to quit the game.
JJ: Do you have any special practice or game routine?
SW: I don’t really have any special practice routine. When I’m at practice, I try to get in quality work while I’m there. Since I don’t live in Heidenheim and can only practice twice a week, I try to make it count, whether it’s working on something specific in the batting cage, taking groundballs, or throwing a bullpen, I always try to practice as if it were a game and to get something out of it, so when the situation in a game comes up, it’s not something new for me and I feel prepared. I’ve seen too many players through my career just go through the motions at practice and not get better or seem to care. You can have all the talent, but if you don’t work hard at it, someone else who is working hard, will take your position.
As for a game routine, I usually try to do the same things before a game just to get focused and feel comfortable, whether it’s listening to some heavy metal music to get pumped up, having pregame butter pretzels with the guys before the game, or having a set routine in the on-deck circle before you get to the plate. For me, the more things I can keep consistent, the less I have to think and can just go out and play the game. I think everyone has some routine or superstitions that they do before or during the game, it’s part of being a baseball player.
JJ: Where do you see your own key for succeeding on the European level?
SW: I think my success has come through playing my whole life, whether it was going to the field behind my house as a little kid and having my dad hit me groundballs for hours or catch me pitching or my mom tossing me wiffle balls in the front yard and trying not to hit the windows or just gathering knowledge about the game from all the coaches I’ve had over the years. It’s surprising how you can always learn something new in this game, no matter how long you have been playing it and I think the desire to be the best that I can every weekend has pushed me and resulted in the success I have had.
JJ: Any funny story connected with baseball?
SW: There are too many funny stories that I have been a part of or witnessed while playing baseball for me to pick out one, especially with the Great Britain National Team. We only get to see each other once every year or two years and there are so many characters on the team, when we all get together, you know you’re in for a good time.
JJ: If you could advise young players reading this interview, what would you address them?
SW: I would tell them to follow your dreams and do what you want, whether it’s in sports, school or work. Do what you want and work hard to achieve it. Try to watch as much as you can. Growing up, I was always watching games on TV and you’ll be surprised how you pick up little things just from watching the game, not just from your coaches. Obviously, it’s a little more difficult being in Europe to catch a game on TV, but if you get the chance to watch a game in person or on TV or the internet, take advantage of it. Also, work on being a smart player, not just a good player. If you aren’t the biggest or strongest guy, you can make up for that by knowing the game and playing it the right way. And always have fun.
JJ: Your future plans on the field?
SW: This is probably going to be my last year playing since I’m trying to get into Air Traffic Control School/Training back in the states. I would like to continue to play for fun back home if I have the time and can find a Men’s League. But, you never know what might happen, I could be back again next year, I never imagined playing baseball in Europe or as long as I have, so you never know what might happen in the future.
Photos: (c) Heidenheim Heidekoepfe (top right), Gregor Eisenhuth, www.eisenhuth-photographie.de (bottom left)