His entire baseball career has been defined by that simple phrase: nothing to lose.
“I always play with that chip on my shoulder, and that’s just how it’s been, and I’m OK with that,” Faile said.
The chip was formed by years of being underestimated. Faile, 24, was the 5A high school player of the year in South Carolina in 2018. Next, he played five years at Division II North Greenville in South Carolina, loved it and said he wouldn’t change a thing about it.
Faile dominated Division II with his bat. He is the Division II career leader in home runs and RBIs, hit over .400 twice and won his league’s triple crown. He was undrafted and played for Billings, Montana, in an independent league. And he just kept hitting: 21 home runs and .353 batting average in 54 games.
The Reds finally did what nobody else had been willing to do. They signed Faile and started him out with their rookie team in Arizona. After hitting .333 in 25 games, he joined the Dragons. And he homered in his first three games, including a grand slam. He had two hits Tuesday and is batting .353 for the Dragons.
“I’m just showing what I’ve known all along, is that if I get the chance, that I can help a team win,” Faile said. “I trust my abilities, and I trust the work that I put in. I trust the process, and now I just get to have fun and show everybody what I’ve known for years.”
Dragons manager Vince Harrison Jr. trusted Faile enough to bat him fifth Tuesday for a team in a late-season push to make the playoffs.
“That’s who he’s always been, so to say I’m surprised, would be not a true statement,” Harrison Jr. said. “It’s nice to see the power. It stands out because of what he’s done in a short period of time. It’s just good to see him do it on a bigger scale than what he’s been doing it on.”
Not even Faile could rescue the Dragons on Tuesday. They trailed after the third inning and hung around like they often do, waiting to strike in the late innings. But this time it was West Michigan with five runs in the eighth and three in the ninth.
“We spent the whole night behind as pitchers, we didn’t have much offense going, their seven through nine hitters were on base 11 times,” Harrison Jr. said. “That’s just not a winning combination. There’s no magic words or anything other than we got to be better in all those aspects.”
The Dragons (35-20) are still in good shape in the Midwest League East Division in pursuit of the second-half title and a playoff berth. They lead the Whitecaps (30-24) by 4 1/2 games with 11 to play. Great Lakes won Tuesday and is five games back.
To arrive in Dayton and be a contributor to a team that has won 10 of its last 12 games and 14 of its last 17, was the perfect landing spot for Faile.
“It’s been pretty special coming in here,” he said. “We got a really good group of guys, and tonight didn’t go as planned. But this is one that we’ll kind of look back at, flush, get out of the system, come back ready to play tomorrow.”
With nothing to lose.
About the Author