Garrett Berger & iFungo

Never heard of Garrett Berger or iFungo?  Well now you have.  Garrett was the Florida Marlins' first pick in the 2001 MLB draft, #60 overall.  Big pitcher with a big fastball, his MLB career was blindsided by big injuries.  But Garrett didn't fade away.  He kept trying and learning and loving baseball, and that's where iFungo comes in.  It's an online website that sells baseball equipment from top quality manufacturers, like Rawlings, Reebok & Wilson, to teams, academies and individuals.

So why should I or you care?  This isn't Inc. Magazine.

All right, I'm getting to that.  And you're right, this isn't Inc.  But, this is a site that tells you how and why baseball players do what they do, especially after their playing days are over.  Unfortunately for Garrett, his feet never got to stand on a big league mound in a game situation.  The real noise here is how he was able to recover from disappointment, injury, the evaluation "system" he was trapped in, and still stay in baseball, thanks to iFungo.

Garrett's story (read this by ESPN's Rob Neyer) is pretty amazing.  I was fortunate to interview him earlier this week.  The things he talked about, from the perspective of a former first-pick Bonus Baby, are mind-blowing.  Interested in what happens to these guys who you hear about as "can't miss" prospects, and then you suddenly never hear of them anymore?  Garrett will tell you, from first-hand experience, exactly what happened.  Stay tuned to hear it all in the coming weeks, right here at Jimmy Scott's High & Tight.

But before we go, check out the iFungo site, because Garrett has enrolled some players/former players to endorse the company.  There's Brian McRae, who I interviewed for you over the summer (listen to it here).  There's Tommy John, who I interviewed twice for Jimmy Scott's High & Tight (listen here & here).  And there are also guys like Brian Boehringer, Chad Durbin and Jason Grilli.  Pretty cool stuff for a guy (the "guy" being Garrett Berger) who never went to college.

Finally, if you look at the iFungo sponsors area, you'll note how much I support Garrett & iFungo.  I hope you do too.  Tell 'em Jimmy sent you.