Mayer’s Betcher gets the call up to the big leagues

By Kip Kovar

Herald Journal Sports Edtior

CHICAGO – Baseball has always held a special place in the heart of Andrew Betcher. Whether it’s playing, coaching, or just being around the game, there’s nowhere else he feels more comfortable or at home.

Over the years, Betcher has been around the game in many different ways. A member of the Green Isle Irish and Mayer Blazers during his playing days in the Crow River Valley League, Betcher got the call to the big leagues this past January to become part of the Chicago Cubs coaching staff organization.

“It is a dream come true for me,” Betcher said. “I’ve always wanted to stay in the game for as long as I could and continue to expand my knowledge and passion for the sport. There’s nowhere better to do both of those than at the highest level. I couldn’t have predicted this for myself, but I’m happy to be here and want to continue to do my best wherever baseball takes me. I’ve known I wanted to be in baseball for a long time, to be honest, there’s nowhere I’d really rather be, and couldn’t imagine myself out of baseball.”

Betcher’s role in the big leagues is as the Iowa Cubs Player Development Coach. The Iowa Cubs are the AAA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

“I’ll wear many hats but besides on-field work, I’ll be a key communication between coordinators and on-field staff, as well as a first base coach or third base coach,” Betcher said.

Getting a job in the big leagues has been a long time coming for Betcher. He’s been working for Starters Sports Training over the past few years, helping him to take his talents to the next level.

“Working with high schoolers in travel baseball and ushering them to college was instrumental in my development as a coach,” Betcher said. “It was probably even more so in developing my interpersonal skills.”

With his shot in the big leagues already secured, Betcher is excited about where he is at but knows there are many other roles that could be on the horizon in his future to keep working in the game he loves.

“The possibilities from this role are expansive,” he said. “The Cubs themselves have had people hold this role for multiple years as well as move to several different positions such as front office, coordinator, technologies, or sciences. I’d say my goal is to do the best I can here now and see where that will lead and what sort of department it takes me towards.”

For now, Betcher will simply enjoy showing up to the ballpark and calling it work.

“I love the intricacies of the game and the way that it truly takes an analytical mind to master the idiosyncrasies of it,” Betcher said. “Being able to play town ball and college baseball really has sparked my love and understanding of what it takes to build a successful team and how to continue to build players that can be successful.”

Follow Kip Kovar on Twitter – @Kovar_HJSports