Nate Orf Sees Path To Dream With Clear Eyes

It's game day. He just finished practice before the game. He walks into the clubhouse, drops his gear, and heads for the sink. He then washes his eyes - and, at that moment, sees everything clearly.

Nathan Orf, or just "Orf" to those in the baseball community, began his professional career unlike many and had to work differently than the majority when beginning the path to stardom.
After finishing high school at Francis Powell in St. Charles, Missouri, having played for the Vikings and posting new school records in batting average (.462) and on-base percentage (.603), the then-catcher committed to continuing to college ball at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
 After earning Freshman All-American honors and continuing onto a successful sophomore season, Orf transitioned to nationally-ranked Christian college Baylor University to join the Bears. Due to NCAA transfer rules, the move cost him to sit out a season and redshirt. Though the Wentzville native sacrificed a season of play, he knew it was the right thing to do.
"The move didn't make any sense at all", explained Orf. "But it was something I felt so strongly about."
Without knowing what to expect, the move, in fact, changed the path of his career.
At the end of his redshirt year, an injury to his right elbow would start to cause some problems in his play - less power behind the swing of his bat and decreased arm strength - ultimately ending his days as a catcher. But, as a team player and in good spirit, Orf knew he had to continue to work hard in order to help the team and himself succeed.
"I didn't really have much out of my right arm, so it was a battle. I tried to move up on the plate as much as I could. I knew that if I got on base, I was going to score because of the guys that were behind me in the lineup. I felt it was the best I could contribute to the team winning."
Throughout his junior season in 2012, Orf started in 65 games in the top three spots of the batting order (50 as designated-hitter, 15 in the outfield). The right-hander broke Baylor and Big 12 records and tied for second nationally with his 35 hit-by-pitches in a single season. In fact, he had more than twice as many free bases (68) as strikeouts (33) and was hit by a pitch more often than 23 Division I teams.
In 2013, despite having Tommy John surgery in the off-season, he played and started in 55 games in the outfield for the Bears, earning All-Big 12 First Team and the accolade of hit by a pitch the most times in a Baylor career with 48 in just two seasons. Orf would bat .377 his senior year in 215 plate appearances, which ranked 12th-best in a single season for the Bears, with high hopes that his final college performance would land him a selection in the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
"I had three scouts talk to me at all. And out of the three, the Brewers Scout, Brian Sankey, was the only one who asked if I would be willing to sign for $1,000. I told him I'd sign for a snickers bar."
Orf would not be a name selected in the 2013 draft, but his dream of playing professional baseball eventually came to fruition. A couple of days after the draft had ended, a call from the Brewers arrived, offering him an opportunity to start a career playing baseball, but not as a catcher and not as an outfielder - the offer on the table was for if he was willing to become an infielder.
Up to that point in his life, Orf had never played the infield a day in his recreational, high school or college career, but his dream was bigger than the position. He signed on June 14, 2013.
"On day one in rookie ball, I sat down with the infield coordinator and coaching staff, and they were like 'So you're a catcher who played outfield but you want to play infield?', and I was like, 'Yeah, that's what my scout said would be best'. From the beginning, they never looked at me like it was a waste of their time to hit me ground balls. The staff I had then really set the tone for me. They could have easily given up on me, but they put all of their work and time in with me and gave me every opportunity, so I give a ton of credit to those guys."
With all of the support and sacrifice on every end, there was still the need to put in the work to get better against infielders who had been playing the position their entire lives.
"It's a tough road for everyone, but I think it was different for me because I never played infield until I got to rookie ball. That was the first time I was on the dirt, so to go through and learn the hard way is how I learned how to play infield - just by getting in all the work I could get in before games and in the off-season. Most guys on the dirt grew up as shortstops and got dispersed throughout their careers to wherever they fit best, but I've had to learn over the past five years."
In 43 games his first professional season, Orf posted 12 errors at second base, batted .312, led the squad in on-base percentage (.448), walked 25 times, struck out 21 times, which marked the lowest among batters with 30 games or more, and led the team in hit-by-pitches with 10.
From there, Orf got better, climbing the ranks each season after the next. In 2014, he was promoted to Advanced-A Brevard County in the Florida State League, marking his first All-Star professional season. In 2015 he was brought up to Double-A Biloxi, spending a full season there before making the jump to Triple-A Colorado Springs in 2016 and playing in 89 games for the Sky Sox.
In his first full season at Triple-A in 2017, he played 92 games in the infield (2B-3B), finishing eighth on the team in average (.320), second in hits (139), first in doubles (32) and triples (11), tied for first in walks (54), and second in hit-by-pitches (7), earning himself MiLB.com Organization All-Star (Milwaukee) for the second time in his career (2015, 2017).
Thus far this season, Orf is undoubtedly on an even better pace to success. In his first 35 games in 2018, Orf was leading the squad in various categories including average, hits, doubles, runs batted in, on-base percentage, and hit-by-pitches while going hitless only five times in that stretch. He also recorded the second-longest hit-streak of 2018 for the Sky Sox (20 games - 4/18-5/10).
Since that first 12-error rookie season in 2013, Orf has not committed more than seven errors in a single season. With the improvement of his defense in the field and consistency growing with the bat, it's only a matter of time when Orf will get his shot in the Majors. For the time being, however, he doesn't take for granted the opportunity that has been given to him.
"I wouldn't trade this path for anything. It has humbled me greatly and forced me to work in a way that I may not have worked without it. I think in the long run, it sets me up better for the rest of my career. For me, it was the grind and being a free agent who's older, and just fighting for a spot. To be able to get to the last few years where I can play every day, get at bats, and know that I'm going to be in the lineup, even if I don't perform well the day before, has been a big step for me."
Until that fateful call comes, Orf will continue his pre-game routine. He'll finish practice before the game, walk into the clubhouse, drop his gear, and head for the sink. Then he'll wash his eyes.
"Right before the game, I'll come in and wash my eyes. It's the factor of 'alright, new start, clear eyes, the past is the past, let's go.'"