Ross Friedrick is Chasing his Childhood Dream

Ross Friedrick is a presence you can’t ignore. At a towering 6’3”, he is a force on the field and in the batter’s box. But there’s another layer there that you can’t ignore, and that’s his natural born leadership.

Friedrick spent part of his childhood in St. Louis and it was there he had his first Major League Baseball experience with the Cardinals, the team that would eventually sign him to his first minor league contract. His family became big fans and Friedrick collected jerseys of players he would end up meeting during Spring Training.

“I've had numerous jerseys of Yadi, Carpenter, Goldie, all those guys,” Friedrick recalls of his first Major League Spring Training. “It was a surreal feeling to come to Spring Training and be with all of my childhood heroes.”

Before Friedrick made his way to Jupiter, he spent four years at West Point, New York with the United States Military Academy. Friedrick balanced life as a cadet and a member of the baseball team as a first baseman and a catcher. During his senior year, he was one of four captains of the team, mentoring the freshmen and acting as a liaison between the athletics department and military side of West Point life. Time management became a huge component of his life and still is today.

“You have to be able to manage your time or else you're going to be swamped,” Friedrick said. “You're going to get no sleep and you're not going to get things done.”

Time management wasn’t the only thing Friedrick took away from his time at West Point. The day-to-day life of a cadet is what drew him in and inspired him to reach new heights. The development he experienced as a player and a person stay with him to this day, and the relationships he built remain precious to him.

“[During] those four years, I ran into so many mentors, coaches, friends and built these relationships that will last me a lifetime, which is so important even in baseball,” Friedrick said. “I’m still able to lean on those people and use those relationships and things I’ve learned leadership-wise to this day.”

Some of these mentors include Army coaches Jim Foster, Franklin Jennings, Chris Tracz, Mike Cole, and his high school hitting coach Brad McCan. Each of these coaches left a distinct impression on Friedrick and helped prepare him to play at the next level, whether it was the transition from high school to college or college to pro ball.

“I'm very fortunate that the Army and West Point have put me in this position to play professional baseball,” Friedrick said, referring to how he was allowed to defer his active service to pursue professional baseball.

Looking towards the future, Friedrick is excited for postseason play with the Palm Beach Cardinals. Overall, he’s excited to have fun.

“Baseball is a kid’s game and I think sometimes we forget that when we get into professional baseball because it is a job [for us] and it is a business,” Friedrick said. “But it’s important to just remember that it’s supposed to be fun and loose.”

When asked his biggest piece of advice for aspiring professional baseball players, Friedrick said this:

“Learn how to manage highs and lows and find a constant because it is such a long season. Finding a way to manage that is so important, whether it’s on the baseball field or off.”

Want to keep up with Ross Friedrick and the rest of the Palm Beach Cardinals? Listen to our broadcast here or buy tickets here.