‘He’s a lot better than I was.’ Son of MLB veteran from Kentucky a top draft prospect.
Much of the news emanating from the sports world during the coronavirus pandemic has skewed toward tales of hardship and disappointment. Whether it’s high school and college seniors who’ve had one last shot at glory stolen or university athletics departments forced to shutter programs because of financial difficulty, examples of the damage wrought by COVID-19 are plentiful.
But a feel-good story with a Bluegrass state connection is set to play out during next week’s Major League Baseball Draft, in which the son of a Kentucky-raised MLB veteran and Tates Creek High School graduate is projected to be a first- or second-round pick.
Kevin Jarvis spent more than a decade as an MLB journeyman after being selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 21st round of the 1991 draft. He made his debut for the Reds in 1994 and played for 10 different teams over the course of 12 seasons, amassing a career record of 34-49 with a 6.03 earned run average. While those numbers don’t necessarily jump off the page, Jarvis had something useful to offer major league clubs for a long stretch of time. He credits that to his persistence and a willingness to seize the moment.
“I think I was able to benefit from having an aggressive mindset on the mound,“ Jarvis told the Herald-Leader in a recent phone interview from his home in Brentwood, Tenn. “I always challenged hitters and I threw strikes. I had stubbornness and persistence.”
Jarvis’ son Bryce is following his path, and Kevin fully expects Bryce to leave an even bigger footprint.
“He’s a lot better than I was,” Kevin said. “He’s getting pursued by professional baseball a lot harder than I was.”
Best memories
Bryce’s love of baseball was cultivated at a young age as he grew up around major league ballparks throughout his dad’s career. A seminal moment came in 2006, when Bryce was hanging around Fenway Park during Kevin’s final major league season as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Bryce was on the field during batting practice one day, and he snagged a fly ball launched off the bat of 2004 World Series MVP Manny Ramirez.
“Some of my best memories are from following my dad around when he was playing. That definitely helped me develop the love for the game that I have now,” Bryce said. “A fly ball came off Manny Ramirez’s bat and I went for it and did a little flying catch. I’d never seen a ball actually move off of a bat like that. Catching it was definitely a big accomplishment in my mind. It’s definitely stuck with me.”
Bryce developed into an NCAA Division I-caliber talent and earned a scholarship to Duke, a conference rival of his father’s alma mater, Wake Forest. Bryce credited his father for helping hone the tools that have put him in position to make a career out of baseball.
“I have a lot to thank him for. I think the attitude toward the game of working hard and not letting any one moment define you, that comes from him,” Bryce said. “That’s definitely helped me stay calm in big situations and perform.”
Freedom to follow
Kevin, 50, worked as a scout for various MLB organizations once his playing days were over, but he decided to step away from his own baseball career a couple of years ago so he could enjoy Bryce’s run with the Blue Devils. He’s been working as an assistant for his wife Elizabeth’s skin care company while acting as his son’s biggest cheerleader.
“I wanted the freedom to follow Bryce in college. I tell people that I would rather watch him play than get paid to watch other people play,” Kevin said.
The Los Angeles Angels wanted to increase Kevin’s responsibilities, which would have required him to spend about 25 days out of every month on the road.
“I decided when Bryce was a senior in high school and his sister Kennedy was a junior that I wasn’t doing that job to keep the lights on and Elizabeth was doing really well with her business so I might regret it if I was gone that much,” Kevin said. “So the last couple of years I’ve gotten to go watch Bryce play in Durham pretty much every weekend.”
Bryce quickly became a star pitcher for the Blue Devils. Last year after his sophomore season he was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 37th round but opted to return to school for one more year. That decision probably earned him a huge chunk of change.
The 22-year-old added 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason and drastically improved the velocity on his fastball, which now consistently reaches the upper 90s. He’s now considered the No. 25 overall prospect in the MLB Draft pipeline and is likely to be drafted in the late first or early second round (this year’s MLB Draft has been reduced from 40 rounds to five because of the pandemic).
It came as no surprise to Kevin that his son was able to find the fortitude necessary to make make such drastic improvements.
“One of his nicknames at Duke is ‘Big Game Bryce,’ because every coach and teammate he has, when it’s the most pressure-filled game or situation they want him to have the ball, because he’s not scared,” Kevin said. “I tell scouts that as good as his measurables are … his strongest attributes are his mental toughness and his approach.”
Historic perfection
Bryce’s college career reached it’s zenith in February when he threw the first perfect game in Duke history, striking out a career-high 15 batters in an 8-0 victory over Cornell — and his parents saw the entire spectacular performance in person.
“That was really, really cool,” Kevin said. “When he pitches I’m kind of a wreck, so I’m worn out at the end of any game, much less a perfect game. I remember that the coach made some substitutions, including the catcher, after the seventh inning and I’m like ‘what are you doing? You don’t change the battery in the middle of a perfect game.’ But it all worked out and it was an incredible moment.”
Bryce struck out the side in the top of the ninth to clinch the historic victory.
“That was so special,” Bryce said of accomplishing the feat in front of his parents. “I was really happy they were able to share that moment with me. Most people pitch a lifetime and never get to experience that. You never know if or when it’s going to happen again, so having them there was unbelievable.”
That perfect game, just the 31st in NCAA history, will undoubtedly live forever in Bryce’s mental scrapbook of his baseball career. He hopes to make many more indelible memories in a major league uniform, and that process will begin on June 10 when he learns his new baseball home during the MLB Draft.
“This has been a date I’ve circled on the calendar and looked forward to for a long time,” Bryce said. “I look forward to sitting back with my family and some friends and seeing what happens. It’s an exciting time.”
2020 MLB Draft
First round: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Rounds 2-5: 5 p.m. Thursday
TV: ESPN, MLB Network
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 7:49 AM.
