Fabry eager for chance to play pro baseball

A broken hand and then a broken finger may have cost Jacob Fabry a shot at next week’s major league draft, but that doesn’t mean his baseball career is at an end.

The former Red Bank High School outfielder opted to play baseball at East Tennessee State University over a possible college career as a quarterback, and he was off to a great start this season, hitting better than .350 when he was hit by a pitch and suffered a broken hand.

“He’s a senior graduate but a guy that has one specific tool. His speed puts him on everybody’s board,” said ETSU assistant coach and Cleveland native Clay Green. “I don’t really have a good feel for who might take him, but his speed has to make him one of the fastest kids in the country, and being left-handed (as a hitter) really helps.”

The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder missed more than a dozen games and even considered a redshirt/injury hardship year. In retrospect he probably should have taken it because he suffered a broken little finger upon his return.

“I was diving back into first and the first baseman stepped on it,” said Fabry, a two-time Best of Preps selection at Red Bank.

Even batting virtually one-handed for the rest of the season, he finished with a .316 average in 177 at-bats with a home run, two triples, eight doubles and 24 stolen bases.

“I would love to see what I could have done with two healthy hands,” he said.

The stolen bases pushed him to third on ETSU’s all-time list, but it remains to be seen whether that was enough to sufficiently impress major league scouts.

“I’m not too sure about the draft,” said Fabry, who filled out questionnaires from numerous major league clubs after clocking a 6.4 60-yard dash during fall practice. “I have applied for graduate school, but I would love to continue to play baseball.”

Even if he is bypassed in the June 9-12 draft, Fabry has independent league options. Former Baylor standout Kane Simmons went that route after playing at Belmont University. He parlayed his time with Las Vegas of the Golden West League into a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies.

“I have been told that a couple of teams in the American Association and the Frontier League are interested,” Fabry said, “but they want to wait until after the draft. I think I’m going to play either way it goes. I don’t want my career to end here.”

“The independent leagues are definitely an option,” said Green, who played outfield at Cleveland High and Cleveland State before setting a Tennessee Volunteers record with 54 stolen bases his senior year. “If I can get him in front of those guys, he’ll definitely make it.”

Green was drafted by the San Francisco Giants and spent four seasons in their minor league system. He walked away with no regrets and is encouraging Fabry to give it a try also.

“The thing I tell most of our guys, regardless of whether (the opportunity) is with an affiliate or one of the independent league teams,” Green said, “is that it isn’t setting his life back, whether he plays a year or 10 years. He has his (business) degree. While he can still play ball and he wants to play, he can always look back down the road and say he gave it a shot.”