Third of three parts

Good morning!

Before he returned home from his 18-year odyssey in New York City, McKelvey joined the DiaMMond Management Group with Jim and Lisa Pike Masteralexis.

Lisa has worked her way up from professor in the McCormack School of Sport Management to department chair, to Dean of Faculty Affairs and Administration at the Isenberg School of Management; Jim is a Professor of Business and Chair of Sport Management at Western New England University, and McKelvey retired from the school of sport management in January.

“She’s smarter than you are,” I said.

“Who is?”

“Lisa.”

“Lisa’s way smarter than me. She was seeing me as the marketing part of DMG, taking care of players off the field.”

All three kept their day jobs, almost like surgeons who decide to form a band. It was a side gig meant to be fun.

“We spend a few hours a week doing this,” said McKelvey, who was quick to add: “No firm has represented more New England players than we have, to the point where we’ve morphed into a word-of-mouth agency known for having the effort it takes.”

One of their first significant clients was Leyden’s Brad Baker. When McKelvey stopped in Northfield to watch him pitch for Pioneer Valley Regional School he spotted sportswriter Marty Dobrow. “Marty, what’re you doing here?” he asked.

“I’m working on a book,” said Dobrow. “I’m ready to interview you.”

“Marty had been following our players. He had stuff in there about our clients and their backgrounds that I never knew. I found it incredibly interesting.”

“Knocking on Heaven’s Door: Six Minor Leaguers in Search of the Baseball Dream” was published in 2010 by the University of Massachusetts Press.

All six were DMG clients, including Baker and two UMass products, Doug Clark who was drafted in the seventh round by San Francisco, and Pittsfield’s Matt Torra, an A-10 Pitcher of the Year who was taken 31st overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The other three were the volatile Manny Delcarmen of West Roxbury High School, DH Randy Ruiz from the Bronx and knuckleballer Charlie Zink from California where his mother was a guard at Folsom State Prison.

Delcarmen pitched six years for the Red Sox and was traded to Colorado in 2010 for a minor leaguer.  

“Manny dropped us twice but we still love him,” said McKelvey.

Zink’s only big league appearance was on Aug. 12, 2008, when he gave up eight runs in 4.1 innings against Texas at Fenway Park. “He was making money,” said McKelvey. “He could play blackjack. That’s what he did in the offseason.”

‘Selling the dream’

The MLB Players Association requires prospective agents to pass a background check and score at least 86 on a 50-question exam about the Basic Agreement, MLB rules and operations, and the joint drug agreement. Yet, said McKelvey, “There’s hundreds of guys running around with minor leaguers who aren’t certified.”

A compelling part of “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” is  Dobrow’s description of how an MLB team does business with the youngsters they’ve drafted. Brad Baker’s transition to the pros began after the Red Sox took him 40th overall and Red Sox scout Ray Fagnant motored up the driveway to “sell him the dream.” 

Sitting in the family living room, Fagnant dramatically delivered the moment of truth: “Bradley I have been authorized to offer you a signing bonus of $600,000.”

Any kid without representation would have signed on the spot, but Fagnant went away empty-handed after Jim Masteralexis made a $1.1 million counteroffer.

Baker had a full scholarship to the University of Florida but McKelvey said it wasn’t much leverage. “It’s tough to improve your draft status from 40. He could’ve had a successful college career, but he also could’ve been hurt.”

After Masteralexis turned down $775,000, the Red Sox upped their offer to $832,500 plus a college fund and Baker signed the contract. DMG’s commission was four percent — $33,300— thus netting Baker $199,200 more than if he’d taken Boston’s first offer.

“Nowadays Brad Baker would’ve been on everybody’s radar,” said McKelvey. “The big agencies pick off guys. It takes a lot of courage to take us, but when things are bad the big agencies will stop returning calls. 

“The point is we won’t abandon them when their career is in the dumps. We’re selling personal attention. The big agencies use 22-year-old runners to steal guys by promising a kid he’ll get drafted in the top two rounds. You can’t do that. It’s impossible to project. It’s the difference between being transactional and having relationships.”

Baker made it closer to the bigs than most prospects, but ultimately called it a career and today works in finance with his cousin Jeff Baker in Greenfield.

“Brad’s arm action changed unintentionally,” said McKelvey. “I don’t know if it was something he was taught but he definitely changed his throwing mechanics.”

Still on the prowl

Sports complexes like Game On in Fitchburg and prep schools like IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and Masters Academy in Stow have created unrealistic expectations. “The recruiting part isn’t fun in that regard,” said McKelvey. “It’s always, ‘What can you get me? What can you do for me?’”

“Has DMG turned a profit?” I asked.

“Probably not. We’ve had some good years. We were never in it to get rich but to help kids out, have some fun and share our expertise and passion for baseball. It’s been a fun ride and we’ve had years where we spun off decent commissions, but I don’t think any of us would want to do this as our full-time business.”

McKelvey turned 67 on Aug. 1. Seven years ago his right ring finger began trembling, and his handwriting began to get progressively smaller. A neurologist diagnosed him with Parkinson’s which causes tremors, muscle stiffness and balance issues. “I had no idea,” he said.

A year ago he was diagnosed with MSA, multiple system atrophy, a more aggressive form of the disease.

Despite his illness McKelvey stayed on as the department chair until recently and remains active in DiaMMond Mgt. Current clients include Colton Shaw who was drafted out of Yale last year and is on a fast track with the Seattle Mariners. “We got him through word of mouth because the Yale coach, Brian Hamm, is one of my former students.”

“A lefty pitcher named Dom Perachi from Salve Regina in Rhode Island is a Double A starter with the Pirates. Matt Koperniak was recommended by Whately’s Bryan Adamski the baseball coach at Trinity.”

At his Western Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony this spring, McKelvey was honored for his contributions to the game. Seated beside him was his wife of 35 years Diane, and their daughters Kira and Bridget, who delivered his induction speech.

After our last visit he slowly lifted himself out of his chair and turned to the coffee maker. “Now I’m going to watch the draft,” he said, and with wry humor added, “I want my eulogy to be good.”

Chip Ainsworth is an award-winning columnist who has penned his observations about sports for decades in the Pioneer Valley. He can be reached at chipjet715@gmail.com.