South African feels right at home

Gordon Brunskill

UNIVERSITY PARK — Baseball is littered with comeback stories.

CDT photo/Christopher Weddle

State College’s Brett Willemburg, a native of South Africa, has traveled the world to get another shot in professional baseball before finally landing a chance with the Spikes.

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Some players come back from injuries, some from personal demons, some from mentally losing their way.

State College Spikes infielder Brett Willemburg has not had to deal with any of those maladies, but he has probably traveled the most — literally — to make his return to minor league baseball.

The shortstop is in the minors for the first time in seven years, and the native of South Africa circled the globe to get here.

“It feels great,” Willemburg said. “After such a long time of trying to get back into an organization, it’s been a tough ride. I just kept pressing and pressing. The Lord’s blessed me with a second opportunity to be here so I’m grateful.”

He did not start during the team’s opening night 15-2 loss to Williamsport, playing only in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement, but just to be back in a dugout, with a standing-room-only crowd of 5,593 on hand to watch, was enough of a thrill.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to get in but it’s nice to get out there on Day 1,” he said, “just to get under the lights and see how it is.”

Willemburg grew up in Cape Town, which is better known as a hotbed for rugby and cricket rather than baseball, but he stood out with his talents enough to be drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2000 at the age of 16.

He signed with the team two years later, but struggled mightily. He played in only 16 games while battling a shoulder injury and had just four hits in 25 at bats — for a not-so-sizzling .160 average.

He was released after the year, and there his odyssey began. He played briefly for a team in Germany, then for another in England while living with his brother, earning Most Valuable Player honors and winning a national title.

He also played with his national team, with which he has played in two Baseball World Cups and two World Baseball Classics. In the 2006 Classic, he was 5-for-10 including a three-run double off former major league pitcher Paul Quantrill in a game against Canada, then was 0-for-2 against Roger Clemens in a loss to the United States.

Still, he could not get noticed, though he would have liked to have landed with an independent league team.

“I didn’t know who to — where to start with that,” said Willemburg, his voice showing just a hint of a South African accent. “I just tried where I could.”

So, he bounced around the world, to Australia and Canada, among other places, and making plenty of stops with the national team.

“I’ve got a new passport now,” he said. “The old one’s full.”

Finally, he caught the eye of a Pirates scout when he played in this spring’s World Baseball Classic.

“He has some versatility and he can help in the system,” said Kyle Stark, the Pirates’ director of player development. “So we decided to give him an opportunity.”

The call finally came at 11:30 p.m. local time in Cape Town, just as he was heading to bed, his heart jumping when he saw an American telephone number on his cell phone.

“I pretty much couldn’t sleep that night,” he said. “I was wide awake and everything.”

So in Mid-April he joined the Pirates organization for extended spring training in Bradenton, Fla., until happily coming to State College.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound shortstop is, at last count, one of seven South Africans in the minors including Gift Ngoepe, who is playing with the Pirates’ rookie team in Bradenton and was Willemburg’s roommate down there. Willemburg is also the oldest Spike, and certainly brings some worldly experience to the roster.

“He’s a good leader and he’s not afraid to speak his mind,” State College manager Gary Robinson said. “Whether he’s 24 or 14, he has leadership qualities that he uses quite well on our club.”

While he’s old by Class A standards, the organizations still sees a future for the polite and ebullient young man.

“Any organization that has a need for a specific position who they feel like, particularly at his age, in their opinion can move quickly, his age may have worked in his benefit,” Robinson said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with Wille.”

However long his baseball career extends, he is just happy to land back in a uniform after chasing to the ends of the earth to play.

“I feel so blessed to have this second chance,” he said. “It’s amazing.”