Scott Rice Makes Majors After 14 Years In Minor Leagues

Scott Rice is finally heading to the majors.

Rice has been trying to earn a job playing in the MLB since he was a kid. And today, after 14 years of playing in the minor leagues, he got the news that he made the roster for the New York Mets.

Rice said: “I’ve never had another job and I don’t want another job … It’s been a long road. Now that I’m here I’ve got to stay here.”

According to NJ.com, Rice has been kicking around in the minors since 1999. He’s pitched in nearly 500 minor league games and has played for independent teams like the Long Island Ducks. Every spring he hopes to hear his name called but it wasn’t until this weekend that he finally got some good news from Mets manager Terry Collins.

Despite the long journey, Rice said that he never lost hope.

Rice, who has been dreaming of this day since grade school, said: “Everyone in class would laugh thinking no one really becomes a baseball player … But it’s all I ever wanted to do. This is what I’ve always wanted to do, so I was never really deterred from it.”

Yahoo Sports reports that the 6’6″ left-handed pitcher posted a 2.92 ERA in just over 12 innings this spring. Manager Collins said that he was most impressed with Rice’s ability to force batters into ground outs.

After 14 seasons in the minors, Scott Rice is finally a big leaguer: nj.com/mets/index.ssf… #Mets

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) March 30, 2013

Are you surprised that Rice made the majors after 14-years in the minor leagues? Didn’t they make a Disney movie about him?

Ok, different story. But Scott Rice still has to feel pretty good about himself.