Whenever a player gets traded to a team that their hometown's location suggests they should have rooted for growing up, the player discusses how excited they are about getting a chance to play for the team they grew up supporting. Often times, the player is just saying that because they are supposed to. But when new Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher Brett Oberholtzer says it, he's not just giving the fan-base lip service.
In an interview with Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly, Oberholtzer says that in 2008 he was at the Phillies' World Series champions celebration parade, like a few million fans of the team. The only difference for Oberholtzer? He was less than sixth months removed from being selected by the division rival Atlanta Braves in the MLB draft.
Oberholtzer hails from New Castle, Delaware, a half hour south of Philadelphia. He’s a huge Eagles fan and, even as a young professional baseball player in the Braves and Astros systems, kept tabs on the Phillies. In fact, shortly after his first season in the minors ended, he and some friends attended the Phillies World Series championship parade in October 2008.
“Don’t tell anyone from the Braves,” he said with a laugh after a recent throwing session at the Maplezone Sports Institute in Delaware County. “It was a great time. I remember seeing Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins and how happy everyone was.”
That is one heck of a story. Though Oberholtzer was a relative unknown to fans at that time, if someone had managed to realize who he was, that would have been a really bad look for him. But it kind of answers the question that many have asked about how a die-hard Phillies' fan would react if he became property of another National League East team.
Oberholtzer, 26, was acquired this off-season by general manager Matt Klentak as part of the package that the Phillies received for closer Ken Giles. Oberholtzer will likely enter spring training competing for the team's fifth-starter with Adam Morgan.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is the Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
