Orioles share what their dads mean to them: ‘I couldn’t have asked for a better father’
Orioles players share what lessons they learned from their fathers and the impact they had on their lives.
Before the Orioles’ game Saturday, manager Brandon Hyde had the rare opportunity to just be a dad as he watched his teenage son, Colton, take batting practice at Camden Yards.
“That was fun as a father to watch him hit in a major league stadium,” Hyde said. “He’s bat-boying today. It makes you proud.”
Hyde’s three kids, Colton and daughters Addison and Aria, are with him this weekend as the Orioles take on the Philadelphia Phillies.
“We’re really fortunate to be together on days like this,” the sixth-year skipper said.
But Father’s Day also presents Hyde a moment to reflect on what his dad, Barry, means to him.
“Well, everything,” Hyde said. “My coach growing up, watches every game. Both my parents were incredibly supportive. My dad threw me a ton of batting practice and rebounded for me on endless days and nights.
“He’s a special guy.”
On Father’s Day, here’s what some of Hyde’s players said about what their dads mean to them.
Starting pitcher Corbin Burnes on his dad, Rick
Yeah, I mean, my dad was always pretty influential on me and my brother. It was always academic first, pushing us to do our best in school knowing that 99% of people have to use their education to live this life. But once I had the opportunity of playing a sport, playing professionally, he was very supportive and did whatever he could to help me along the way. You change your view of a father once you have kids and what you want them to be like and raise them. You get a better appreciation once you have kids and start to instill those same values in them.
Infielder Jordan Westburg on his dad, Paul
He molded me into the man I am today. He’s shown me what it means to be a working man for your family, what a work ethic is, not caring about what’s going on around you and focus on what’s important: faith, family and the list that follows those two things. He means everything to me. He’s here this weekend; I’m glad I’ll get to spend some time with him. It’s going to be a really cool Father’s Day.
I am who I am today because I grew up watching my dad do things that I take pride in today in his line of work. He wasn’t a baseball player, but the way I try to model my game after is the way he went about his business. A son is always going to have this natural attraction to be like his dad, usually. The example he set for me growing up, I still try to be a baseball player that carries those same values.
Left fielder Austin Hays on his dad, Chuck
He means a lot to me. He showed me what it means to be a man, what it means to work hard, what it means to provide for your family, not just one way but many different ways. And just being a teacher, teaching about all the things you learned and passing it down to your son. … Understanding where my dad came from and his background, he was just a small-town kid that joined the military out of high school, and he learned a few trades. When he got out, he did a lot of odd jobs, all of which required him to be a very hard worker. Through that he found how much he liked to work with his hands and liked to see the structure of different things.
Seeing how he was able to work really hard and that hard work ultimately led him to a path to get into a position where everything he had learned over the years put him in a really good spot, but it all started with him being willing to work really hard. That’s something I can always take away is seeing how his career and how it went and how it led him to where he is now, I always kind of translate that to baseball and it’s something I learned from him that I can use every day here.
First baseman Ryan O’Hearn on his dad, Tom
He’s my best friend. He’s who I strive to be most like in my life. I feel like I’ve just learned everything, how to be a man from him. I can’t tell him how much I love him and appreciate him enough. He still texts me after pretty much every game and we talk about the game. He’s always checking in on me and stuff. I couldn’t have asked for a better father.
He wasn’t a baseball player, but just the way he has consistently worked for our family my entire life. His work ethic and just being a great example of maybe doing things when you don’t necessarily feel like doing them and overcoming and being gritty at times when you have to be. He’s a great example for me and really taught me work ethic as well as the gifts that he’s taught me throughout my life.
Catcher James McCann on his dad, Jim
My dad instilled a lot of things in me: how to battle through adversity, how to not give up, how to work hard. For me, personally, knowing how my dad raised me and now having my own sons, being a dad is my most important job. How my kids turn out is a direct reflection of who I am as a man. As far as importance goes, it is the most important job that I have, helping them turn into respectable men.
Starting pitcher Cole Irvin on his dad, Chris
He taught me hard work, he taught me resiliency, he taught me a lot of things. … He made sure me and my brother had a roof over our heads, food on the table and days that weren’t so good didn’t feel like that. My dad was a great example of what it means to keep your head down even when things might be against you and just putting your nose to the grindstone and getting work done. My dad means a lot in terms of maybe kind of my attitude about how I go about my work, the resiliency I’ve faced in my career.
Gosh, the amount of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffett, that still kind of ring through my head. Those are good days, and there are still a lot of good days now. When I think about my dad, I think about my upbringing and all the joys and every way he influenced my life.
Starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez on his dad, Gilbert
My entire baseball career, I wouldn’t be here without him. The amount of time he spent with me in the batting cage, on the baseball field — I mean, heck, he built a baseball field in our backyard. I can honestly say I wouldn’t be here without him. Father’s Day is pretty special. I’m sure everybody’s dad had the same impact on them as a kid, you know, playing catch with them in the backyard and stuff like that.”
Relief pitcher Bryan Baker on his dad, Scott
It’s a weird holiday to me, because I feel like every day is Father’s Day for me. He’s always been that rock for me, my best friend. Obviously you get to recognize that a little bit more whenever Father’s Day comes around, but I feel like it’s something that should be recognized more often. It’s great because they’re actually up here. I haven’t seen them in months, so I got to see them when they came up for a game this week. It’s a special time. He was always the one driving me to travel tournaments growing up, throwing me batting practice and being the guy that kind of pushed me in the right direction.
Relief pitcher Jacob Webb on his dad, Terry
My father means a lot to me. He coached me growing up, he taught me a lot of life lessons. I’m very thankful for the father I have — the motivation, the determination he gave me to be my best self. … Even when I thought maybe baseball was over or I would never make it to the level I’ve made it, he basically told me that you never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. That’s the biggest one that’s stuck with me is never saying die.
It puts in perspective what they do for you when you have a child, and now I’m doing that for my own child. It’s definitely more eye-opening when you have a kid, I think. That’s something you take pride in.
