Rock Island Today

Many young sports fanatics grow up harboring dreams of playing the sport they love professionally, regardless of their skill level, yet significantly more rare are those with the talent, work ethic and determination to make those dreams a reality.

Kyle Hunter is one of those rarities.  

The pitcher out of Galesburg High School not only went on to have a successful college career on the mound for Kansas State University (KSU), but parlayed that success into a chance to play the game he loves professionally as well.

"This is my dream that I've had since I was a little kid, to play professional baseball and hopefully make it to the major leagues," Hunter recently told Rock Island Today. 

The left-handed hurler has been playing in the minor leagues since 2011; and has been with his current team, the Jackson Generals, since 2013. Hunter has a 2-0 record with a 3.32 ERA so far this year with the Generals, and opposing teams are batting just .232 when he's on the mound. 

He works primarily out of the bullpen in the pros and prides himself on shutting teams down when he comes on in relief. He has a 22-13 career record in the minors, with a 2.32 career ERA and seven career saves, though it has been a switch for Hunter, who was accustomed to starting games all through college. It's been just one of many adjustments he's made throughout his career.

The first adjustment came in college, when Hunter finished his freshman season at Kansas State with a 1-2 record and an 8.25 ERA.

"I pitched quite a few innings as a freshman," Hunter said. "I honestly did not have a great year. I was walking a lot of guys and got into trouble that way. Just a typical freshman year, just not trusting my stuff, getting behind batters and walking guys."   

That initial adversity saw Hunter work to add new elements to his game in order to be successful at the collegiate level. Realizing he couldn't overpower most hitters like at Galesburg, Hunter added some nuance to his game to become a more well-rounded thrower.

"In high school, I mostly just threw my fastball and a curveball," he said. "I had decent velocity, so that's all I really needed in high school was to throw my fastball and then throw my curveball too, so I had pretty good success with that. Then when I moved up to college, my velocity got a little better, but I wasn't a flame thrower by any means, so I really had to develop my change up to keep hitters off balance. I had to really learn how to throw inside to batters. In high school, I didn't really have to. But as the competition got better, I really had to work on throwing inside, which, for me, was something I had never done before until I got to college." 

The hard work paid off and Hunter had great sophomore and junior years, which culminated in being drafted in round 31 by the Seattle Mariners in 2011. He was actually initially drafted in 2010 by the New York Yankees in round 43, but elected to return to school for his junior year instead.

After getting to the pros, Hunter had to adjust again. Though he's now completely settled into his zone coming out of the bullpen, it wasn't always an easy transition. 

"It's a lot different because in college I was mostly a starter, so I pitched once every seven days," Hunter said. "Then when I got to the pros, they turned me into a reliever, so I could throw back-to-back days. I could throw two innings one night and then go out and pitch the next day, so I had to really learn how to adapt to that and change my routine. I have my own routine now, but at first it was difficult to find something that worked for me, but I have a good routine now."   

As Hunter continues to chase his dream of playing in the majors, he's also making sure to take the time to appreciate the ride. He's both enjoying his experience and relishing the challenge of readying himself to play in the bigs.

"I've had a lot of fun; I've met a lot of great guys," Hunter said. "They're all my best friends today, just being around each other all the time. It really is living the dream, but it definitely is challenging -- 140 games in the minor leagues. We sometimes go 20 to 23 days without an off day. Especially here in the Southern League, it's hot every day. It's definitely challenging, but at the same time, I do enjoy it."

He also plans to pay his experience forward, major leagues or no major leagues. Hunter's lifelong love of the game sounds like it will continue even when his playing days are over, as he eventually hopes to use his unique experience to help those chasing their own dreams.

"For the last couple years, I really thought about that, and I'd love to stay around the game," he said. "I'd love to coach and help. I'm not sure what level I'd like to coach at, but I sure would like to help kids get a college scholarship and help them in getting to that next level."

For now, though, Hunter stays focused on his own dream. Should he continue along the steady path of improvement that's defined his baseball career to this point, that trip to the majors may be within grasp.

"I do enjoy coming to the ballpark every day, working to get better every day, chasing my dream and hopefully catch that sometime soon," he said.