BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Bloomington native and ISU baseball standout John Rave has had a whirlwind 12 months… Last year he helped lead the Redbirds to the NCAA Tournament before being selected by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the MLB Draft. He was enjoying his first ever professional spring training before MLB shut down all baseball activites in March.
“It stung pretty bad having to leave baseball behind and it being our first spring training, we were really enjoying it. Definitely my first spring training, I won’t forget,” Rave said. “The Royals actually sent us some at home workouts, so I’m able to workout in my apartment and stuff like that.”
In his first year in the Royals organization, John helped the Lexington Lugnuts win the Southern Atlantic League last September. With an unconventional start to year two, John is trying to take the positives out of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“I think it just helps better prepare us for anything. Down the road, we’ve been through a lot in our first year of pro ball and so, other stuff might seem smooth sailing from now on,” Rave added.
With Major League Baseball working hard to find a way to play in 2020, John says he can’t wait to get on the diamond and continue his pro baseball dream.
“As quick as they say we are able to go, we’re going to get out there, no matter what. No matter if that’s us sitting six feet apart in the dugout or what it is. We’re going to try to get out there as quick as possible,” Rave said. “Not only for ourselves, but for the fans of baseball. A lot of people are really missing it, a lot of people are itching to watch baseball, to play baseball. So it’s a big community that is going through it together.”
