Tuesday, December 02

Happy National Checklist Day. Celebrate by taking care of the most important item on your list: reading this, the latest (and therefore greatest) edition of the Baseball Traveler newsletter. Let's talk about Minor League Baseball.

Happy Halloween.

As someone who filters everything that happens all year long through the lens of Minor League Baseball, I find myself asking the following question: What was the spookiest thing I experienced at a Minor League ballpark this season?

For the answer to that, I present to you a seemingly innocuous locale: Pelicans Ballpark in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

I visited the Pelicans -- Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs -- on a Friday in late May during what was a celebratory time for the franchise. Myrtle Beach City Council had just approved a 30-year lease extension. After much agitation -- and a dramatic intervention -- the longtime future of the Pelicans was secure.

All appeared set for a beautiful evening of baseball in South Carolina's 12th-most populous city (and number one tourist destination).  

The concourse was hopping prior to the game, an early indication of the big crowd that was expected for this 7:05 p.m. tilt against the Augusta GreenJackets. It was Bluey Night, and Bluey and her sister Bingo had made the trip from Australia for the occasion. We live in an era where costumed facsimiles of cartoon heeler dogs are great for the box office.  

However! Before the ballgame could begin, a mighty thunderstorm blew in and the power at the ballpark went out. I sought shelter from the deluge on the concourse and, amid a crush of people illuminated by the harsh glare of emergency lighting, soon opted for the safety of the men's room. Dozens more joined me, with no regard for gender distinction, seeking refuge from nature as opposed to heeding its call.

OK, perhaps this was all more "surreal" than "spooky," but when you have a premise you’ve got to keep rolling with it no matter how thin. Just 90 minutes prior, I had been conducting ballpark business as usual, and this included interviewing a Pelicans player with an interesting backstory.

Brayden Spears is currently a pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization, but his first love was the bulls.

"When I was little, I wanted to be a cowboy," said Spears, who grew up on a cattle ranch in Northern California. "That's all I wanted to do. Pretended to ride my couch like a bucking bull and all that. I was completely obsessed with it. And I grew up. At 6, I realized that riding bulls was probably not in my future."

An equally improbable career as a professional baseball player was in his future, however. In 2025, his first Minor League season, the lanky 6-foot-6 right-handed reliever appeared in 36 games as a member of the Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans. The 24-year-old's path to the pros didn't come easy, either. Spears sums it up by saying, "I took the long route."

"I went to three schools in three years: Boise State, Oregon and [Cal State] Fullerton," he said. "And, really, the only reason I left Boise was because COVID hit and they cancelled the program. Then went to Oregon [in 2021], wasn't playing and wanted a new spot. Went to Fullerton and was kind of done with playing baseball, honestly."

Spears' college career was underwhelming, to say the least. He made just six appearances, total, and four of them were in his interrupted COVID campaign at Boise State. Over the course of 2021 and '22, he pitched 1 1/3 innings combined. But just when he thought he was out of the game, the game pulled him back in. One of his coaches with Boise State also coached for the Pioneer League's Boise Hawks, an independent MLB Partner League franchise, and extended an offer to try out for the team.

"I played [with the Boise Hawks] for three years. It was a grind, but it was fun," said Spears. "I learned a lot. Learned how to really pitch again. … Every night they're packing the house out, so it a good experience to learn how to play in front of a lot of people and able to calm your nerves and get your adrenaline under control."

Spears' steady improvement over three years with the Hawks led to a Jan. 25, 2025 "Pro Day" tryout invitation at Push Performance training facility in Tempe, AZ.

"The next day I started getting calls [from MLB clubs], and I signed with the Cubs on Feb. 8,” said Spears. "So it all happened really quickly."

Spears spent the entirety of 2025 with the Pelicans and steadily improved as the season went on, ultimately compiling a 3.13 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 60 1/3 innings pitched. 

"It's a lot more analytical [in the Minor Leagues]. You pitch and the next day you go in and have a meeting about everything you did, and so you can't hide from anything," said Spears. "Looking at the small, fine details was definitely a big adjustment for me."

Meanwhile, Spears hasn't entirely given up on his cowboy dreams.

"Me and my sister own a bucking bull, it's kind of a crazy story," he said. "Like, let's put our money in and buy a share of this bull. This was in 2020 or 2021 and I kind of forgot about it, and then the PBR [Professional Bull Riders] posted a photo of our bull bucking in a competition. My sister sends it to me. I was like 'Holy cow, that's pretty wild!' No pun intended."

In the rodeo or on the pitcher's mound, you just have to enjoy the ride.

"I'm doing something now I've dreamed of since I was a little kid, and really working it for the last four years," he said. "I try to take it in and be appreciative, because it's a hard game. I always try to act like this might be my last day. I need to enjoy every second of it."

Before the rains came, I also had an enjoyable conversation with Pelicans photographer Larry Kave. 

Larry, originally from Parkersburg, W.V., spent many years working as a NASCAR photographer. 12 years ago, he moved to Myrtle Beach. 

"I retired, came here [to the ballpark] and started taking pictures," he told me. [The Pelicans] didn’t have a photographer at the time. So, I was retired for one day."

At the time we spoke, Larry said that he had taken more than 1.2 million pictures as the Pelicans photographer (1,200-1,400 per game; his milestone one millionth photo was of a play at the plate). In the winter, he works as -- or perhaps is -- Santa Claus, appearing at events throughout the area.

"The kids here [at the ballpark], they look at me. They follow me. 'Santa's on vacation. Hey, Santa, I've been good this year,'” he said, before concluding thusly: "I've got the two greatest jobs in the world."

Once the rain subsided, I ventured out of the men's room and into the front office area. Slider the bat dog was hanging out in one of the offices, seemingly unperturbed by the evening's turn of events.

The game was ultimately postponed. Not because of the rain, but because the power did not come back on. Harper Keel, who had been selected to be my Designated Eater that evening, was deprived of the opportunity to sample the Pelicans’ concession specialties.

Next time, Harper, next time.

Harper did get to meet Bluey and Bingo, though. And so did I! Posing alongside cartoon characters in a ballpark with no power following a game postponement -- this, for me, was a first. 

Good night from Myrtle Beach. Next time I'm there, I hope to spend less time sequestered in the men's room and more time watching an actual Pelicans baseball game. Dare to dream.

But before you do: Please tell friends and strangers alike to please subscribe to this newsletter. Also, please follow me on Instagram (@thebensbiz), X (@bensbiz) and Bluesky (@bensbiz.bsky.social). Your adherence to these requests are noted and appreciated.

Contact Benjamin Hill

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