Former Blue Jays prospect Scott Campbell isn’t dreaming of rejuvenating his baseball career. He just wants to prove he can still play.
The 31-year-old infielder, who retired from the pros in 2012 after a series of hip injuries, will return to the field next week when he suits up for his native New Zealand at a 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament in Sydney.
While some of Campbell’s teammates hope to impress big-league scouts, Campbell doesn’t share those lofty goals.
"This is quite fun for me to be able to show that I still have the ability to play at the highest level even though I’m not as in tune as I was when playing with the Blue Jays," Campbell said in a phone interview from Auckland.
"For me it’s more about playing with these guys and playing for New Zealand. Then it’s back to reality as soon as it’s finished."
Campbell, Toronto’s 10th-round pick out of Gonzaga in 2006, spent four seasons in the Blue Jays’ organization, batting .287 with a .389 on-base percentage through 371 games.
He appeared in the 2008 MLB Futures Game but had just 96 at-bats with triple-A Las Vegas the following year before a torn left hip labrum took him out.
The injury, which wasn’t properly diagnosed at first, required three surgeries to repair. Campbell first attempted a comeback in 2012, starting minor league spring training in Dunedin, Fla., but announced his retirement soon after camp opened.
"I’ve learned to deal with the injury," Campbell said. "It’s not something that bothers me too much but there are times I have to ease off. I’m happy with where I am though — I wouldn’t change anything."
Growing up in a country not known for baseball — he was the first born-and-raised Kiwi to be drafted by a major league team — Campbell found it difficult to develop his game in New Zealand.
He and his brother Aaron were playing in men’s leagues in Auckland by the time they were 14. They would practise hitting and fielding on their own six or seven days a week before Campbell moved to the United States to play in the NCAA, first at Central Arizona then Division 1 at Gonzaga.
"The level of baseball has increased, participation numbers are up, it’s certainly growing, but it’s got a long way to go," Campbell said of baseball’s status in New Zealand now. "It’s a long-term process, but as more and more guys come back from overseas with experience, it helps grow the sport."
Campbell played for New Zealand in a 2012 qualifier for the last WBC (they lost to Taiwan in the final), but he hasn’t made baseball a priority since. He now works in sales for an IT company in Auckland, where he lives with his wife Christina and their 22-month-old daughter Delilah.
"Yeah, thing’s have been quite different over the last few years," Campbell said with a laugh. "It’s definitely been a change of pace."
He said his decision to take the field one more time "wasn’t an immediate yes."
"It was a process to figure out if I was ready and if I had the time now, but ultimately the excitement of playing with the guys again and the opportunity to represent New Zealand was enough to lure me back," he said. "I think we’re going to do better (than the last qualifier) so I’m excited."
The New Zealand team — managed by former Blue Jay Chris Woodward — is ranked 26th by the World Baseball and Softball Confederation. Only South Africa, at No. 29, is lower in its four-team qualifying group, which also includes host Australia (No. 14) and the Philippines (No. 23).
Woodward became involved with New Zealand through MLB’s International Envoy program in 2011 and has periodically coached different age groups since. Baseball New Zealand CEO Ryan Flynn refers to the former infielder as an "honourary Kiwi."
"Perhaps I’m biased, but I believe we have the top coaching staff in the WBC and Chris is the key," Flynn said in an email to The Canadian Press. "I’m sure he’ll play an important role for many years in the development of New Zealand as a legitimate baseball nation."
The six-game, modified double-elimination tournament runs from Feb. 11-14. Three other qualifiers will be played throughout 2016 with the winner of each advancing to the 2017 tournament.
