How one off-season led to a professional contract for local baseball product Tanner Shears

There is a point in an athlete’s career when something just clicks.

They lock in on a goal and do everything they can to reach it. Extra workouts, more film study and in some cases a change in mentality can take an average prospect and make him or her great.

Local baseball product Tanner Shears can pinpoint that moment.

The Enochs High School graduate spent 2018 and 2019 at Modesto Junior College before transferring to Sacramento State and the University of Illinois-Chicago. While he continued to improve throughout his college career, the off-season between his freshman and sophomore seasons in Modesto was one to remember.

“We were just in the gym every morning for hours,” Shears, now 23, recalls. “I took like, I don’t even know, I think it was 21 credits over summer and we were just lifting every morning before classes.”

Shears is still benefiting from the off-season of hard work. The right-handed pitcher signed a contract Jan. 23 with the Milwaukee Brewers.

He is currently in Arizona where he will participate in minor league spring training. His performance this spring will determine the level he competes at during the upcoming season.

“My first year, my goal was to play Division II baseball,” Shears said. “After that summer it switched to professional baseball. I saw the dream could happen because of how much I improved. The dream was always to play professional baseball, but I finally believed in it and saw it for myself after that summer.”

Just a prospect

Shears played shortstop, third base, outfield and pitcher at Enochs. While he was still a raw prospect, he stood out to his coach at MJC, Zeb Brayton.

“I saw some really good attributes that I liked in him with arm action and athleticism.” Brayton said.

Shears appeared in 13 games in 2018 as a freshman relief pitcher.

Brayton knew the 2019 season could be a success and if Shears wanted to be a driving force for the Pirates, his game would need to improve in certain areas. At the top of the list: He needed to get stronger.

“He came to us in his first year and he worked hard, but he didn’t pitch very much,” Brayton said. “We would always do player evaluations at the end of the year … we talked about him getting stronger and, man, it is so amazing. He literally changed his body. He got so much stronger and came back his sophomore year for us just a different guy.”

Shears worked on physical parts of the game. He also came back way more confident. His production increased drastically. He began his second season as a starter, then ended the year as the team’s closer. After having no record during his freshman year, Shears finished his second season, 3-1, with 32.2 innings pitched, 52 strikeouts and a 1.38 ERA, helping lead the Pirates to the playoffs.

“He became our closer in 2019 and he was lights out,” Brayton said. “I brought him into some spots where he was just a bulldog. He locked games down. That was the first year we made the playoffs in like seven years, and he was a huge part of that.”

One off-season turned him into one of the best pitchers in the Big 8 Conference and a sought-after college prospect.

“I feel like it just changed the trajectory of my career, making me realize I could make my dream come true.” Shears said.

Opportunities after MJC

Division I colleges came into the picture during his breakout sophomore season and Shears signed with Sacramento State. Before playing a game, he transferred to the University of Illinois-Chicago, seeing action in his two seasons as a relief pitcher.

Shears made 24 appearances as a senior, finishing with seven saves, 37 strikeouts and a 3.10 ERA in 29 innings.

“Every step of the way I feel like I’ve learned and matured in different ways,” Shears said. “Each year I had different obstacles that were learning curves for me. But I feel like every step just prepared me to get to where I’m at now and today and where I want to keep going.”

Last year he played independent league baseball in Schaumburg, Ill. for the Schaumburg Boomers. During the off-season, he heard from a number of Major League teams and was scheduled to participate in a Pro Day in Arizona. The Brewers decided they could not wait and offered him a contract, signing him before the workout.

Shears acknowledges the journey to a pro contract has not come without difficulties – he can still remember a blown game or two he wants back – but the perseverance always has been there.

“He’s just a competitive kid and it’s just a great story about hard work and never giving up on your dream,” Brayton said. “It’s a kid that took the coaching and … had goals that he wanted to achieve and he wasn’t going to be denied.”