PEORIA, Ariz. — Like most first-rounders, Brett Wallace hoped for a quick climb to the majors.
He hoped his first call-up was his last.
He hoped for good health.
He hoped for a long, rosy career.
Accepting reality, then, as the Astros – the fourth organization to own Wallace’s rights between 2009 and 2011 – released him midway through camp in 2014 was a bitter pill to swallow.
Yet it was necessary.
“That's the first time I had been off the roster since I was drafted, really,” Wallace recalled. “But that’s just a situation where you could feel sorry for yourself or be upset or look at as an obstacle to learn from.