May 1, 2014 4 min read

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Jim Vahalik planned to have Washington, the Frontier League and professional baseball in his rear-view mirror by this time.

That’s why the 25-year-old catcher from Westerville, Ohio, moved to Nashville, Tenn., last September. Vahalik figured that two seasons of professional baseball, which included a stint in the Baltimore Orioles’ minor-league camp, were enough wear and tear on a body. It was time to move on to another profession.

So less than a month after the Wild Things’ 2013 season ended, Vahalik took a job as an executive recruiter for an accounting firm in Nashville. It was a desk job. He was officially a member of the 9-to-5 workforce.

“I had it in my mind that last season was going to be my last playing baseball,” Vahalik said Thursday, the first day of Wild Things spring training. “I planned for it to be that way even before last season.”

However, about four months after taking his new job, Vahalik was called by the Wild Things and asked if he could accompany newly signed second baseman Nick Ratajczak, a former standout at the University of Louisville, around Washington and tell him about the city, the team and the Frontier League. When he did, Vahalik had a feeling he couldn’t shake.

“I realized that I missed Washington, and I missed baseball,” Vahalik said. “I felt I had to give it one more shot. I wasn’t ready to sit behind a desk for the rest of my life … We all can’t be CEOs, right? So I gave my two-weeks notice and decided to return to baseball.”

Vahalik cited three reasons for giving baseball another try, but the primary catalyst was the way last year ended. It was too soon and too painful.

The right-handed hitter was having a good season with Washington, batting .260, and was selected to represent the East Division in the Frontier League All-Star Game, which was played at Consol Energy Park. But in a July 6 game at Evansville, Vahalik suffered a broken nose when he was hit by an Otters player during a play at home plate.

“The night before I broke my nose, I was 4-for-5, and it probably was the best game of my career,” Vahalik recalled.

Three days later, he was back behind the plate.

“Hey, you can’t hurt this face,” he joked.

But six days after breaking his nose – and five days before the all-star game – Vahalik was hit by a pitch in a game at Florence. He suffered a broken right wrist, which ended his season. With his wrist in a cast, Vahalik did get to pinch-run in the all-star game, but he thought he had taken his final at-bat. To his credit, Vahalik did stay with the Wild Things through the season’s conclusion, perhaps hoping against hope that he would get cleared by a doctor to play one final game.

That last game will finally come this season.

“The second reason I came back was I saw the players the Wild Things were signing for this year. I was thinking this is going to be their year, and I want to be a part of it,” Vahalik explained. “The third reason was, I got a taste of the real world. It was a hard transition, and I knew it was going to be.

“You play this game for 19 years, and it’s hard to back away from it. For four months, I didn’t think about baseball. But with the winter everybody had, it was hard not to think about spring.”

So Vahalik is back, giving it one more shot. He is be counted on provide much of the leadership on this team, and he promised there will be no cliques in the clubhouse and nothing but maximum effort on the field. And Vahalik made it clear that his goal is not to get signed by an affiliated organization. Rather, it’s simply to win.

“This is everybody’s team,” Vahalik said. “Every guy has to do their job and play with a purpose. The teams that stick together win together.”

Washington signed catcher Michael Pair, a native of Carrolton, Texas, who has two years of independent league experience. Pair batted .211 with six home runs and 28 RBI in 60 games last year for Gateway. Two of his home runs were hit against Washington. … Four players did not report for the opening day of camp. They include three players from the Dominican Republic, pitcher Julio Perez, infielder Yeury Tejada and outfielder Marinio Guzman. They were delayed because of visa and passport issues. Pitcher Jhonny Montoya was expected to be in Washington in time for today’s workout.