If you ask Scott Blewett to describe himself, he’ll eagerly offer that he’s “a journeyman.” The 29-year-old right-handed pitcher was the Kansas City Royals’ second-round pick in 2014, but it took him six years to finally make his major league debut.
Since then, he’s logged a total of 60 major league innings, including the 2 2/3 in his second big league start on Sunday when he was the Orioles’ opener in an 11-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
Blewett began the season with Minnesota and was with the Orioles for less than a week in April before he was sold to Atlanta. Ten days ago, the Orioles purchased his contract from the Braves.
Life for a fringe major league baseball player isn’t easy, something Blewett readily acknowledges.
This interview has been edited for brevity.
Question: What’s it like being a guy who doesn’t know where they’re going to be day-to-day?
Blewett: “You’ve got to take it one day at a time, right? I’m trying to get better at packing lighter. I’m learning with that. It’s been quite the journey to get to the big leagues, to stay in the big leagues. In the minor leagues, I fought so hard to get back to this level, to get to this level initially, to get back here. I’m fighting just as hard to stay here. You’ve got to prove yourself every single day. There’s thousands of guys that are fighting to take your job. I like that edge to go out and compete every single night.”
Q: You’re currently living in a hotel in Baltimore. When do you think you’ll be confident enough in your status to get an apartment?
Blewett: “I learned that lesson pretty quick this year. I thought I was going to stay in Minnesota. I thought I was going to spend most of the year in Triple-A [St. Paul]. Minnesota is pretty fortunate to have both cities pretty close to each other where if you’re in Triple-A or the big leagues, you can live in the same spot. I signed a seven-month lease there. I was in Minnesota all year last year, and I signed back with them. I had a few other offers this offseason. I really liked the program they had for me, so I got comfortable, and I learned real quick not to get too comfortable.”
Q: Don’t they pay to help you get out of your lease?
Blewett: “Some of it; you had to eat some of it.”
Q: Any tips for finding a place to live?
Blewett: “I’ve been in a lot of hotels. I found a cool app. When I was in Alanta, I was able to move into an apartment. I found an app that did short-term one-month leases. For the most part, I’m living out of a suitcase the entire year.”
Q: You don’t have children, so it’s just you, your wife, Rachel, who’s a speech language pathologist, and a dog. How much of the moving is on you and how much on her?
Blewett: “I like to take most of the responsibility. She’ll pack her stuff. I’ll pack mine. I’ve gotten really good at that, fit a lot of things into my car, get from city-to-city. If we have to fly, we’ll take what we need and leave the rest in the car, get the car later.”
Q: Fans think players have it easy. What’s it like when you’re not a star?
Blewett: “My motto is, ‘Live in the moment, live where my feet are. Don’t think about what happened yesterday. Don’t think about what’s going to happen tomorrow.’ I have the opportunity to be here today. I have the opportunity to be the best I can be.
“When I look back and think about it, it’s like every single day, fighting for my job. In the moment, I don’t think about it. As I end the season, I’ll reflect, ‘Wow, that was quite the year, and it flies by.’
“There is a lot of stress involved. There were some times last week where it was like, ‘What is my life right now?’ I drove from Atlanta to Charlotte, stayed in Charlotte for a night, drove here, got on a flight to Sacramento, went out there and was pitching the next day. The travel can definitely take a toll on you sometimes. I fought hard to get here. I’m fighting just as hard to stay here. I know I can lay my head on the pillow at night knowing I gave 100 percent every time out. Keep a positive attitude and work as hard as I can.”
Q: Earlier this season, you gave up 0 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in two outings for the Orioles only to be designated for assignment when they needed a roster spot. Does that annoy you?
Blewett: “I understand the business, right? I’ve been around the game. This is my 12th year, so I understand how the business works. Being in the role that I’m in, I think it’s a role that’s overlooked sometimes.
“It’s not glamorous by any means, right? It’s necessary. Games are out of hand, one way or the other. Somebody’s got to eat those innings and it just happens to be me a lot of those times.
“I’ll do anything it takes to stay in the big leagues. I don’t mind doing that role. Big league innings are big league innings. It’s an amazing opportunity. It’s something I’ve dreamt of as a kid. I’ve just got to keep that attitude every single time out. I hope for the best. Whatever happens after that, if I get designated, and the next day I’m playing for another team, so be it. It’s out of my control. The only thing I can do is go out there and put up zeros.”
Q: Did it surprise you when you found out you were back with the Orioles six weeks after you left?
Blewett: “I always try and keep a good relationship, no matter where you go. Baseball’s such a small world. Attitude is everything. As long as you have a positive attitude, you never know.
“You go to Atlanta. You come back here. You go back to Atlanta. You come back here. Anything can happen. I learned a lot from Matt Bowman last year. I was with him in Minnesota. We’d talk about the whole process because we’re in a very similar situation. He’s been around the game a lot longer than I have. He’s a very smart guy.
“You don’t meet too many guys in our exact situation. You can relate to those guys and talk about it and laugh how crazy this life can be. It’s nice to be able to have somebody who can relate.”
Q: But you knocked Bowman out of a job. He was DFA’d when the Orioles reacquired you.
Blewett: “Unfortunately, but it can happen that he knocks me out of a job. We both understand that situation. It’s the unfortunate part of the business.”
Q: In 2023, you had seven starts for a team in Taiwan. What was that like?
Blewett: “It was great. I loved it. It was a pretty big culture shock when I got there at first. I had two great translators, some other foreign players. One guy was American, Canadian, a guy from Panama. They were all awesome. We all leaned on each other.
“It just gave me an appreciation for here and the Latin players that come over. You’re in a different country. You’re away from your family. You lean on each other. When I was there, I learned a splitter. Kind of completely changed my career around. Had a great time there, give them a lot of credit for where I am today.”
Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.