OPINION |
Throughout college and a 10-year professional baseball career, Jason Hart never saw himself as a coach when his playing days were over. Then came a dose of reality for the former Missouri State slugger.
Upon retiring from the game and returning to his home in Fair Grove, where he and wife Jenny were raising three young daughters, Hart went to work on the night shift at Kraft Foods. His sleep schedule was upside down. Night was day and day was night and so forth.
Suddenly, hitting nasty sliders and those butt-numbing minor-league bus rides didn’t seem so awful.
“When the (Texas) Rangers called and asked me to be a coach,” Hart began, “I was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds pretty good.’ So I left the night-shift job at Kraft and went on to start my coaching career. I fell in love with it.”
Ready for season two with the ‘Missouri State Marlins'
Sixteen years later, Hart is still teaching the art of hitting and sharing his knowledge. He soon will be on his way to south Florida to begin season two as an assistant hitting coach with the Miami Marlins.
Or, as some in the Missouri State baseball community might refer to them, the Missouri State Marlins. Hart is one-third of a distinct Bears flavor on the Marlins, with Missouri State alum (1990-93) and former American League batting champion Bill Mueller also an assistant hitting coach. Former MSU All-American Jake Burger (2013-15) is a Marlins infielder and designated hitter.
Missouri State coach Keith Guttin is exploring a way for the Bears to stop by Busch Stadium on April 4 to catch the Cardinals’ home opener against the Marlins. That’s on the way to a Missouri State series at Bradley, beginning the next day. Getting to see three of his former stars in the same MLB uniform would be a treat.
“Those guys are all three cut from the same cloth,” Guttin said of Mueller, Hart and Burger. “They are just ballplayers, they come from really good families and they are great representatives of our program and community.”
‘This is where I became a man'
Hart, one of the most decorated players in Missouri State history, was the featured guest at the Bears' First Pitch fundraiser Jan. 27. He called it humbling to be asked to help promote the program where he remains the career leader in home runs (63) and RBIs (203).
It was especially meaningful this year, on the eve of Guttin’s 42nd and final season as head coach. He announced his pending retirement in November.
“It always feels great to come back here,” said Hart, who still calls Fair Grove his home base. “I’ve had so many great memories. This is where I became a man. I got drafted out of high school and chose to come here and became a man.
“Coach Guttin, coach (Brent) Thomas, “Lump” (Paul Evans) … those guys grew me, they developed me to go out and have a 25-year professional career.”
Choosing college over turning pro proved to be a wise choice
The decision to attend Missouri State rather than turn pro, after the Braves drafted Hard in the 20th round after his senior season at Fair Grove High, proved to be a good one.
Hart was a fifth-round draft choice in the 1998 MLB draft by Oakland and was the TOPPS Minor League Baseball Player of the Year in 2000 following a 30-homer, 121-RBI season for Midland of the Double-A Texas League.
“We were holding our breath,” Guttin said, adding that a wet spring wiped out several of Hart’s high school games and perhaps diminished his draft value. “Fortunately for us, he came to school.
“He had something like only 38 at-bats his senior year and hit 11 home runs,” Guttin said. “That’s not 11 hits, but 11 home runs.”
Health scare altered playing career
Hart was traded to the Texas Rangers before the 2002 season and it wasn’t an ideal scenario. He was first stuck behind slugging first baseman Rafael Palmiero for a year and then behind rising slugger and future all-star Mark Teixeira at first base, leaving Hart’s path to regular big-league playing time effectively blocked.
He made it to the majors in 2002, albeit briefly. In 10 games with the Rangers, Hart went 4-for-15 with three doubles and two walks. Then it was back to the minors before a major health scare derailed his career. Hart was diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumor.
After missing the entire 2004 season while recovering from surgery to remove the tumor, Hart returned to play two more seasons. He wound up playing 738 minor-league games with 3,796 at-bats. He hit .271 with 174 home runs and 687 RBIs.
Out of the ‘real' world and into coaching
After one year out of baseball working 40 hours a week in the “real” world, Hart took the Rangers up on their offer.
“I built relationships,” Hart said of his time in the Rangers organization. “They said I could always come back if I wanted to and I didn’t want to be a coach. At first. Then after a year away from the game, I realized that I’m a baseball lifer.”
As for what appeals to him about coaching, Hart said there’s nothing quite like seeing others have success after offering some guiding advice.
“Seeing the kids make adjustments or having them learn from my mistakes. I just love that,” Hart said. “I love helping a kid and seeing the look on his face when something good happens. It makes it all worthwhile.”
Looking forward to working with Burger, another former Bear
Hart smiled about the chance to work with Burger the last two months of 2023 after the younger Missouri State alum came to Miami from the Chicago White Sox in a trade-deadline deal. Burger hit nine of his 34 home runs last season with the Marlins.
Guttin said Hart and Burger, though 17 years apart in age, were similar hitters when in college, though Hart had upper-cut power from the start and Burger had to develop the home-run swing.
“They both hit for power, but they both were good hitters overall,” Guttin said. “Not just guys who could hit the ball a long way, but guys who would battle and hit for average.”
Asked about Burger’s swing, Hart broke into a smile.
“All I can say about his swing is that he hits the ball as hard as anybody in the major leagues,” Hart said. “He’s been working hard on a few things that he needs to make adjustments on to become a really good big-league hitter. But when he touches the ball, it is hit hard. I can’t wait to get to spring training and work with him.”
