Drafted as a 24-year-old, Cole Uvila knew he had to start his professional baseball career well to have a chance to stick around. Most pro players his age already had at least a couple of seasons under their belt, and since the Texas Rangers had invested only a $1,000 signing bonus in him and his surgically repaired right arm, they probably weren’t going to have a ton of patience. Cole would get a chance -- a legitimate chance -- but he knew his leash wouldn’t be particularly long.

“It was laid out to me really well by my area scout when I got drafted. He said 'listen. you're a 24-year-old, 40th-round pick that signed for $1,000. You have to be the best version of you every time you pitch," Cole said. "They're not going to give you time and years and years of time to develop. It's just the business side of the game. You have to come in and you have to treat every moment like it's your last.”

For his first full season, the Rangers assigned Cole to the Hickory Crawdads of the South Atlantic League. But privately, he had plans for bigger and better things before the season was out.

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