After falling one victory shy of the franchise's first Frontier League championship, it was a long offseason for the Wild Things. But of all the players who gathered last weekend for the opening of spring training, none had a longer offseason than Jacob Dempsey. His lasted 20 months.
A left-handed hitter from Virginia Beach, Dempsey (6-1, 225) hasn't played a game that counted in the standings since September of 2006. Yet there was Dempsey driving balls to all parts of Consol Energy Park, and sometimes over the outfield wall, during the first week of workouts.
Dempsey displayed quick hands, a quick swing and quick pitch recognition. He didn't look like a player who sat out last summer to work on his college degree.
Dempsey's impressive hitting in intrasquad games has surprised some. Don't count among them speedy Wild Things middle infielder Chris Carrara, who was Dempsey's teammate for three years at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C.
"Jacob is the best hitter I've played with, and I've played with some good ones," Carrara said following practice Saturday. "He's got a gift for hitting. I have to work hard at it, but he's a natural. I'm not surprised by the way he's been hitting, even after a year off."
Hitting is what Dempsey does best. And during his senior season at Winthrop in 2006, few did it better. Dempsey batted a whooping .403 with 28 doubles, 17 home runs and 78 RBI. He nearly won the Big South Conference's Triple Crown.
"He was the most-feared hitter in the conference his senior season," Carrara said.
And there were some pretty good hitters in the Big South that season, including current Wild Things outfielder Matt Sutton at Coastal Carolina.
Dempsey and Carrara, who batted .364 with 33 stolen bases in 2006, led the Golden Eagles to the a spot in the NCAA tournament. Winthrop was 2-2 in regional play. The opposing pitchers in the losses were first-round draft picks, including North Carolina's Andrew Miller, now in the Florida Marlins' starting rotation.
Dempsey was drafted by Philadelphia in the 20th round in 2006, and he put up respectable numbers - .262 batting average and seven home runs in 58 games for Batavia of the Class A New York-Penn League - but was released in spring training last year.
Like many players in the Frontier League, Dempsey was caught up in the numbers game during affiliated ball.
"I thought I was headed to the low-A team. I was hitting well," Dempsey recalled, "but they called me into the office one day and said they didn't have a place for me. I was in shock. That was something I didn't expect.
"I wasn't a high draft pick and probably drafted at the wrong time. The Phillies had drafted three high school outfielders. It makes sense to go with the younger guys."
Washington general manager Ross Vecchio saw Dempsey's name in the minor-league transactions and tried to entice him to play for the Wild Things last year. Dempsey had other plans.
"I had only a semester to go, so I figured once I graduated I'd be free to pursue (a baseball career)," Dempsey said. "At least I'd have a degree to fall back on."
So Dempsey finished his studies as a sociology major with a minor in history. During the spring and summer, he attended classes, worked with players at Winthrop and coached a youth baseball team.
"It was tough not playing, especially when working with the college guys," Dempsey admitted. "I didn't think I'd miss it as much as I did. I couldn't stand being on the sidelines."
When Carrara was released after one season in the New York Yankees' system, the Wild Things quickly made a pitch to sign him. And Carrara talked to his former teammate, who was ready to resume his playing career.
"Chris playing here was a big influence," Dempsey said. "I had talked to a team in the Northern League, but Ross was real aggressive and straightforward with me last year, which I respected, so I decided to play in Washington."
First-year manager Greg Jelks expects Dempsey, who was an outfielder at Winthrop, to be a designated hitter for Washington, especially with Robbie Knapp getting more playing time in the field at third base.
"This is only our first week, but Jacob has shown he can hit the ball out of any part of the park," Jelks said. "I don't know why he's not playing in affiliated ball, but he sure can play."