Tim Hill was 17 when his dad died of colon cancer. More than seven years later, during his first spring training in the Kansas City Royals organization, Hill was stricken with the same disease.
Visions of a big-league mound spurred on the former Palomar College left-hander after surgery, months of chemotherapy and in the work required to rebuild a 6-foot-4 frame reduced to a mere 150 pounds.
Today, the 30-year-old Hill is a solid 200 pounds. Major League Baseball considers him at at-risk player during this COVID-19 pandemic, but he did not at all consider opting out of the 2020 season.