Randolph grad Zaziski’s on improbable path to pro ball

FRANKFORD TWP. – Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” booms over Skylands Park as Brett Zaziski steps into the batter’s box for the next chapter of his baseball dream.

Zaziski took an improbable path from Randolph to the Sussex stadium surrounded by fields and forest, so he makes a point to savor the moment.

“Playing every day, there’s nothing I’d rather do,” said Zaziski, a 22-year-old first baseman for the independent Sussex County Miners. “It’s a grind, but it’s great to wake up and go to the ballpark every day. ... It’s surreal, because I feel like a normal person and I see all these kids look up to me. It’s something I appreciate and will cherish while I can.”

Zaziski had been in spring training with the Miners, but was released. When second baseman Frank Salerno left the team to take a full-time job elsewhere, manager Brent Metheny reached out. It was about 9 p.m. on a Saturday, with a doubleheader against New Jersey the following day.

Zaziski assured Metheny that he was still in shape, eight weeks after being sent home. He’d been playing with the Pequannock Patriots in the Morris Majors, trying out for other teams, and hoping for a positive phone call.

Recalled Zaziski, “Brent said, ‘Can you play tomorrow?’ I said, ‘Yep.’ He said, ‘All right, you’re going to start.’ I said, ‘Great, I’ll see you tomorrow.’ When I was in spring training, I tried too hard, and tried to do too much. I get to go play baseball tomorrow. It’ll be fun.”

Named the Miners interim manager on July 3, Metheny had never seen Zaziski play before — but he was local, available and enthusiastic. Zaziski was written into the starting lineup for the doubleheader, and every game since then.

Zaziski is batting .250 with an RBI, two walks and six runs scored in eight games. But he’s been hit by six pitches in just 20 at-bats, bringing his on-base percentage up to .480.

Zaziski has reached base in every game so far.

“He did well, and we just keep throwing him out there,” Metheny said. “He keeps getting on base and scoring runs. Nobody wants to sign a contract and sit the bench. Right into the fire he went. When you get that chance, you’ve got to make the best opportunity, and so far he has.”

Zaziski is the second Randolph grad on the Miners’ roster, joining relief pitcher Michael Suk. The duo reached the NJSIAA Group IV final in ‘09, and Zaziski’s senior-laden squad won a year later. Zaziski was also part of a Babe Ruth 13/14-year-old team which won a state title, and played American Legion ball with Randolph grad Conor Krauss, a righty closer for Cincinnati’s Class-A affiliate.

Zaziski’s grandfather and longtime coach, Sid Rosner of Rockaway, has become a regular attendee of Miners games — along with Randolph wrestling coach Mike Suk. Zaziski didn’t tell most of his friends, because he “didn’t want to jinx it.”

He had hit .394 with 14 doubles, two homers and 27 RBI for Bisbee in the independent Pecos League last summer, heading to Arizona the day after graduating from Vassar with a degree in political science. The weather, pay, and overall conditions have been better in the Can-Am League, but the grind is the same.

“You can’t just like baseball to play. You’ve got to love it,” said Zaziski, who commutes to Skylands from Morristown. “I learned that playing summer ball in college. You saw a lot of good players who got sick of it in the summer, just playing every day. I kind of knew what to expect from that. But I didn’t expect to have as much fun.”

Staff Writer Jane Havsy: 973-428-6682; jhavsy@gannettnj.com; www.dailyrecord.com/writerjane/