Steve Soderstrom's big league career was brief; now he cherishes every moment of son Tyler's

New York Times

a day ago

Steve Soderstrom was called up to the big leagues in the final weeks of the 1996 season. The promotion came after the right-hander spent three years in the minors, shouldering the expectations of being drafted sixth overall by the San Francisco Giants. But he'd soon find out that staying in the majors is even harder.
Advertisement
Soderstrom got rocked in his debut, but bounced back to twice to beat a Rockies lineup featuring big-time sluggers like Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette and Andres Galarraga.
The season ended.
The following spring, Soderstrom arrived in camp and felt pain in his elbow, the start of a string of injuries that ended his career.
Those 10 days with the Giants represented his entire major league tenure. Years later, that is part of why Steve has a special appreciation for the accomplishments of his youngest son, Tyler, who has spent parts of the last three seasons with the Athletics.
The elder Soderstrom's dream of playing at the highest level may have been cut short, but that dream was only deferred and reshaped. Now, he gets to live vicariously through his son's experiences.
'It's fun to watch him and get to see him do what I knew that I probably had the talent to do,' Soderstrom said, 'but didn't quite get it done.'
'He means so much to me,' Tyler said. 'It's super cool for me to help him fulfill that by getting to play at this level and for him to experience me playing and coming to games.'
After a successful three-year career at Fresno State, the Giants made him the 6th pick in the 1993 draft. But not long after, Steve suffered an aneurysm in his pitching shoulder. The injury first affected his velocity; Steve realized he no longer had the same power in his pitches. He had to change his entire approach on the mound. He had to lean into locating his pitches better, using more off-speed pitches instead of pounding the zone with fastballs.
That didn't stop him from moving swiftly through the minors, though, reaching Triple A in 1996 ahead of a big-league call-up that fall. Once Steve finally made the majors, he had a singular goal in mind.
'Just prove that you belong there,' Steve said.
Advertisement
He gave up five runs and a homer before he was pulled in the first inning of his major league debut. The next two starts were significantly better. Steve gave up a combined six runs in those two games while also striking out eight batters in winning efforts.
'I felt like I pitched well,' Steve said. 'I felt like I was setting myself up for some success going into the next year, giving myself a chance to make the team the next year.'
He got that chance in next year's spring training and played well throughout. But towards the end of camp, Steve felt a tweak in his elbow. He decided to play through the injury, but that only worsened it.
Ultimately, he did not make the major league team and was sent back down to Triple A. Over the next few years, there were still flashes of a quality major league arm, but the inconsistencies were just as frequent. Steve's ERA ballooned to 6.78 in 1998 and he eventually was put into a relief role.
'It seems like my timing with everything was never, ever good,' Steve recalled. 'I'd be throwing well and guys in the big leagues were throwing well too, and there wasn't any injuries. And then (there were) times I wasn't throwing well and (other) guys were getting called up.'
With the arrival of his first-born, Tate, and Tyler soon on the way, he decided he had enough of the grind. Steve officially retired from baseball at the end of the 2000 season. Outside of that brief cameo in 1996, he never again got that call to be a part of the major league squad.
As a child, Tyler loved to squat down. He would squat and catch tennis balls, showing a high level of hand-eye coordination even as a toddler. That's when Steve realized that he had a chance to be good early on.
Tyler soon followed in his older brother's footsteps and began to play Tee-Ball. Tate, who played college baseball at the University of Arizona and UC San Diego, laid the groundwork and expectations. Tyler soon followed.
Advertisement
His swing of the bat, especially from the left side of the plate, was much better than that of his peers. The athleticism he displayed running the bases and on the field also proved to be a step above. Steve especially appreciated Tyler's aptitude with position player skills because he didn't want his kids to pitch, knowing the injuries that could come with it.
Much of Tyler's development took place at Backyard Sports Academy, his father's sports facility near their home in Turlock, Calif. Steve created it as a way to stay close to the game even after retirement. What started as pitching lessons for local kids turned into a fully fledged facility that is used by local youth sports leagues and professionals alike.
Tyler not only got the opportunity to watch former pros such as Kevin Kramer and Brett Cumberland work out, but he also got the chance to train with them. By the time he was 12 years old, he'd be in the batting cages, hitting balls at the same velocity as Kramer and Cumberland.
'I started to think, yeah, you know what, he's got what it takes to get to the big leagues,' Steve said. 'He wasn't afraid, and then you get in there and watch him work. I knew there was probably, at that point, a possibility.'
The two continued to train with big-league dreams. Steve honed in on Tyler's ability to hit the ball the opposite way. In his mind, if a hitter can do that well, that would be a translatable skill at the next level.
Over the years, Tyler's power continued to develop and he dominated in high school with a .373 career batting average. He won the Gatorade California Baseball Player of the Year award as a senior and was signed to go and play baseball at UCLA before being drafted by the Athletics.
Once drafted, Steve gave Tyler as much advice as he could going into the minors. He knew from experience how hard it was to make the majors; but he also stressed how hard a game baseball can be, period.
'When the times are tough, the work's gotta continue,' Steve said. 'And the tough times aren't gonna last. You just gotta really stay in it and believe that you're a good player. I think just those kinds of things were what I went through with my struggles.'
Advertisement
Just like his father, Tyler spent three years in the minors before getting called up. But he was able to last much longer than three games. Now in his third season, Tyler's improved every year. After only hitting three home runs in his rookie season, he had 14 entering play Tuesday.
Through it all, Steve has been there cheering on his son and watching him succeed in the majors. The elder Soderstrom wasn't able to prove he belonged there. His son proves it every day.
'Maybe [I] left a little bit left on the table,' Steve said of his career. 'So getting to see him do it now and be successful is exciting. I guess for myself, I kind of lived my career and kind of came to terms with it. (So I'm) just hoping that he has a successful and great career.'
(Top photo of Tyler: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)