Justin Collop

Justin Collop grew up in Wayne, Michigan, outside Detroit, playing baseball and basketball and whatever game was going outside with friends, every day. He had one goal: play professional baseball. No Division 1 program offered him a scholarship, so he enrolled at the University of Toledo as a regular student, showed up to walk-on tryouts and earned a spot. He kept building from there. After his junior season, the Chicago White Sox selected him in the 6th round of the 2009 MLB Draft, 193rd overall.

An injury heading into his second full pro season took away the stuff that got him drafted. He spent the rest of his five professional seasons learning to get elite hitters out without it. That stretch taught him more about pitching than anything before it: reading hitters, sequencing, command, preparation and how to compete when nothing comes easy.

The work creates the confidence. Confident pitchers pitch on offense.