Taylor and Oliver Odle. Photo by Rob Fisher
For professional baseball players, the major leagues is where it’s at. Big money, first-class travel, the finest hotels and restaurants. And playing against world-class opponents in baseball’s fields of dreams every night.
The minor leagues are a far cry from that. And it’s even more difficult when you work hundreds or thousands of miles away from home and family. It makes for a long, lonely six or seven month season.
But Oliver Odle is one of the lucky ones. The 23-year-old pitcher is one of the few married players on the San Jose Giants, and the only one whose wife, Taylor, lives with him all season.
The Odles, from Pryor, Oklahoma, married in January, after a 6 ½ year courtship. And Oliver knew he wanted his wife to be with him wherever his pro baseball career, now in its third season, took him.
“It’s been great having her out here,” says Oliver. “All last season, she only got to visit twice when I played for Augusta (Georgia).” In seven months she saw him for two weeks.
“It’s a lot less stress, not to have to go through the stress of nothing but phone talk. If something goes wrong the only way you can communicate is by phone and that gets old really quick. We’ve done that for the last five years.”
It helps that the Odles live rent-free with a San Jose host family, and that the Giants helped Taylor get a part-time job at a local golf course, where she drives a beverage cart. She’s able to see all of his night games at Municipal Stadium, and has even travelled to Visalia to watch him pitch.
“He only pitches every six days so if I’m not working I try to make the games,” says Taylor.
What money they save helps the couple pay off their college and car loans and get their new life started in Oklahoma, where Taylor hopes to teach high school or work in higher education. Oliver’s off-season job is in the maintenance department of the local elementary school system.
The low salary of minor league ballplayers means putting off major personal decisions, like buying a home or starting a family. Right now Oliver’s focus is all about baseball.
“My personal goal was to try to make the majors in four years. Rarely does that happen but as long as I keep moving up and they keep showing interest I’ll keep playing.”
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