Sadly Zack Short in questions: why do I feel like a ghost player? The coach has be……..more
Short, a former 17th-round draft pick out of Sacred Heart University, talked to the Free Press about his three-year career with the Tigers, spending last season with future Hall of Fame player Miguel Cabrera and his expectations, from afar, for the 2024 Tigers. (Questions edited for clarity.)I kind of figured it was coming at some point. I didn’t think it would be that quickly, but it’s a business. No hard feelings or anything. It is what it is. I wish I could have played a little bit better there, especially towards the end, but again, it is what it is.”It meant a lot. I basically grew up as a baseball player there. Debut, first hit, playing with Miggy, watching Miggy do his thing. I learned a lot about myself and about the game, especially when you get to the big leagues and face those hardships and struggles. I think it’s going to make me a better person and a better player moving forward.”It was tough, especially when you feel like you should have had a shot at some point that year (in 2022) with how everything transpired with that team in general. But again, it’s such a learning curve. I played OK for the majority of the year last year (in 2023). It was a huge jump for me, even playing that much more and producing at some sort of level for the most part. I learned a lot about myself and about my mental game, getting ready to come off the bench and learning what pocket is mine. It almost felt like an old National League game. I knew I was going to get in there at some point, especially with how the roster was constructed. If you weren’t playing, you were playing. I think that’s a skill of when to get your body ready and when to get mentally locked in as opposed to burning yourself out really early. I think it’s a learning curve each and every year. I’m very grateful for the time that I was over there.”