Glendale's Matthew Dyer talks minor league baseball life far from home in Kentucky
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Matthew Dyer struggled through an 0-for-5 night at the plate last Friday night for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, the high-A minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
He made the game's last out, with a chance to drive in the tying run from second base, hitting a chopper toward third base for a ground out.
But the former Glendale Mountain Ridge standout, 24, keeps believing in himself. A fourth-round pick by the New York Mets in 2020, Dyer played in college at Oregon for a season before transferring to Arizona. One summer, he played in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, and in the fall of 2021 played in the Arizona Fall League, where Major League Baseball teams often send their top prospects.
Dyer was who the Rays wanted when they dealt veteran pitcher Rich Hill to the Mets last summer. He'd been a catcher, but was moved to the outfield and first base earlier this year after suffering his third concussion.
After the season, the Rays will re-visit if Dyer can return behind the plate, he said. He will also resume classes in October toward a bachelor's degree.
Hitting has been a struggle. Dyer was batting .216 through 50 games and 194 at-bats as of Monday. But Dyer made a big play on defense, throwing out a runner at first base from his position in right field on Friday.
"I mean, the numbers aren't really showing. But it's a development here in my eyes, and I don't see it as a negative thing," Dyer said. "I see it as, 'OK, well, how can I get from this point that I'm at right now and take that and develop me to get to the big leagues.' This is a part of my career where I'm going to look back and like, that's what got me to the big leagues."
Baseball is all Dyer has ever wanted for a career. It's been a journey, from greater Phoenix to Eugene, Ore., to Tucson and then, several stops in the minors. In 2020 he was set to play for Brooklyn in the Mets system, but the COVID pandemic put a stop to that.
In 2021 Dyer started out at Low-A level St. Lucie in Florida. The trade sent him to Charleston, S.C., for more Low-A ball, and this season he's moved up a spot in the organization to Bowling Green.
The minors are a grind, especially when there are injuries to overcome. Dyer's day revolves around his time at the ballpark. He goes to sleep in the wee hours, eating two meals even after night games to keep weight on his 6-foot-4 frame, and playing some video games to try to escape from baseball after a long day and night.
"You've got to really think to yourself, like, do I love this? Is this really what I want to do with the rest of my life? Because there's moments where you're going to go through hard times on the field, and you're going to wish you had your family there with you," Dyer said.
"But I mean, it's awesome. You meet a lot of guys along the way. I've met brothers for life, you know, just playing baseball and having those conversations and stuff. When you get in it, enjoy it. Don't take it for granted."
Like so many minor leaguers, Dyer would like better pay, long an issue in organized baseball. This season the Rays' organization paid for players' housing, which helps, but with many other expenses, $1,600 a month has to go a long way.
"Like they say they pay for two meals out of three or whatever. But it's like, I weigh 190 pounds, three meals at what I get is not going to cut it. I've got to eat and eat and eat and try to maintain my weight," Dyer said.
"I wish we got paid more. We deserve it. I mean, we work. Most days, we're here for ... usually it's been around 10 hours that we're here and we get paid less than a minimum-wage job. It sucks."
Dyer describes the East Coast humidity as "breathing through a straw," but he's enjoyed seeing other parts of the United States. His parents are a little closer to him now, having moved to Texas, but he makes it back to Arizona to visit his brothers and close friends and eat his favorites that he can't get where he is — authentic Mexican food and In N' Out Burger.
His advice to younger players? Keep finding the fun in the game they had when they played youth ball.
"You try to tell yourself it's just a game, man, like don't take it too serious. But it's hard when it's your job," Dyer said. "You've got to perform, and you've got to do well, because, I mean, these teams are all businesses. They've got to keep the best, they've got to have the best guys in the system."
Being positive and looking forward to another opportunity pushes Dyer toward his dream. It wasn't easy for him to smile after Friday night's loss to the Rome Braves, but it only motivated him.
"It's baseball, man. I'm going to come back tomorrow and ask for five more opportunities. So you've just got to keep wanting that extra at-bat, keep grinding through the struggle and keep your head down and keep working hard," Dyer said.
"It's all I can do. Just get through the tough times because then before you know it, you'll be on the high side going 9 for 12 with eight home runs. It's the one thing about baseball, you can flip at any second."
Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Minor-leaguer Matthew Dyer of Glendale: 'We deserve' more pay
