Blue Jays singing college grad's tune
Paquette puts off 9-to-5 to play pro ball
Jeff Paquette of Billerica graduated from Fitchburg State College last month with a degree in industrial technology and architecture. After a few job interviews, he had a couple of promising leads.
Three days after his 22 d birthday, one of his suitors called back. The money wasn't much -- no signing bonus and only $1,100 per month -- his contract was short term, and it required a change in careers. But none of that deterred him.
"It was a no-brainer," said Paquette, a former star catcher at Shawsheen Valley Technical High School who signed a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays organization on June 14 . "I'm going to work for the rest of my life. I might as well give [baseball] a shot."
He's among the hordes of players -- either drafted or, like him, undrafted -- who will set out this summer to make their major-league dreams come true. Another local player, Kevin Boggan of Lexington , was chosen in the 19th round of the Major League Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays after pitching for Boston College.
Although the two players now are getting paid to play baseball, the odds are still long, the road tough. For Paquette, his path was even more challenging -- he played his high school and college ball at Division 3 programs that often don't receive much respect.
"People told me I probably shot myself in the foot [by attending Shawsheen and Fitchburg State]," Paquette said. "Other people told me that if you're good enough, they'll find you, and obviously that's true.
"In a way, [getting signed is] throwing it back in people's faces that always made fun of the D-3 schools."
At Shawsheen, he turned heads by hitting .414 his senior year, leading the Rams to the 2003 Commonwealth Athletic Conference title. The Rams fell quickly to Lynnfield in the tournament that year, confirming most critics' beliefs, but coach Kevin Bloom knew that Paquette was legitimate.
"Physically, and also mentally, you knew it was always a possibility with Jeff," Bloom said of the 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound slugger. "He was that talented. You knew he had a mind for the game. You knew he was willing to work at it. You never say 100 percent sure, but he was a kid you knew would continue to grow and develop."
He did that in Fitchburg, where he caught scouts' attention with his eye-popping junior year, when he hit .374, including one stretch when he went 17-for-24.
"I think the seven outs he made were hit harder than any of the 17 hits," Fitchburg State coach Pete Egbert said. "It's one of the most locked-in times I've seen anybody since I've been coaching."
The Blue Jays showed interest last summer , and Paquette sensed he was close. Putting extra pressure on himself to impress as a senior, however, he hit only .287.
That likely cost him a spot on the draft board, so Paquette began playing amateur ball for Somerville's Cassell Club of the Intercity League -- also Boggan's former club, and a top rival of the Lexington Blue Sox. But Toronto was still interested, primarily because of Paquette's proven offensive pop at a position where it's traditionally tough to find. Throw in his size and his skill in handling a pitching staff, and the Blue Jays offered a contract.
Three days later, he was on his way to Dunedin, Fla., for rookie orientation. Paquette roomed with Ryan Bird, a pitcher out of Illinois and Saint Louis University. The following day was filled with physicals and meetings, during which he was told to wear khakis and a collared shirt every day to the ballpark and always be clean-shaven. One day later, June 19, was opening day for the Gulf Coast Blue Jays, a first-year team that plays a 60-game short-season, rookie-league schedule -- 60 games for Paquette to show the Blue Jays that he's a player.
"I'm definitely going to work hard while I'm down here and try to get down to the next level," said Paquette, who added that he wasn't nervous but was caught in a whirlwind. "It's a dream come true. I don't know where it's going to take me. I'm just going to have fun with it."
That attitude will serve him well.
"One of Jeff's strongest assets is his demeanor," Bloom said. "He's capable of handling that grind, the ups and downs that will come with that."
"He does a lot of things pretty well," Egbert said. "If he can go down there and listen to what they have to tell him and continue to develop, he's got a chance to do things outstandingly."
Mike Lipka can be reached at mlipka@globe.com. 