Shorecrest grad plays for the Everett AquaSox

Ted Hammond
Photo by Shari Sommerfeld

By Frank Workman

A year ago, 2012 Shorecrest grad Ted Hammond watched the MLB draft and hoped.

He hoped his name would be called, that he’d be selected by a team. Hoped that his days of ball playing wouldn’t be over.

Hammond had just graduated from Seattle U., and like most college grads, he’d come to a fork in the road.

“I know I’d gotten the attention of some teams, especially during the first half of my senior year,” Hammond explained. “But the calls died down as the season went on.”

When he wasn’t drafted, he gave himself 14 days to be contacted by a team, any team, at which point he’d give up the ghost and put his degree in Business Finance to use.

“On the fourteenth day, on the dot, I got a call from the Mariners, my hometown team. I went down to Peoria and pitched for their Arizona Rookie League team last summer, as an undrafted free agent,” he said.

Usually the life of a minor leaguer means saying goodbye to home and living in temporary quarters.

But this season finds Hammond a member of the Everett Aquasox, in short-season A ball in the Northwest League.

As a result, he’s sleeping in his own bed at the family home in Lake Forest Park, where he relishes the role of big brother to sisters Erica, 10, and Natalie, 6, when he’s not on the road with the team.

When asked about his fondest memory from his North King County Little League days, where he played for his dad, Dave, the LFP Water Commission President, no one moment stood out.

“I just remember having fun, playing with all my friends, and how beautiful a place Hamlin Park was to play in. Even today, where baseball can often feel like a ten hour-a-day job, I try to go back to the joy I felt playing the game as a boy.”

Alan Bruns, his baseball coach at Shorecrest, has clear recollections of Hammond.

“My best memories of Ted’s career at SC was a dominant stretch of three consecutive complete-game shut-outs against Meadowdale, Lynnwood, and Glacier Peak. Over that span he had 31 K’s and only four walks. 

"This happened in 2012 during his senior season, and at that point in the season he helped earn us a top 10 state ranking. He was so tough, commanding 3 pitches, with an explosive fastball and a terrific hammer of a breaking ball.” 

Scots football coach Brandon Christensen remembers his two-time All-Wesco quarterback similarly. 

“He was always a tough competitor who would strive for perfection… a blessing and a hindrance for him. He was tough on himself. Hard work was never an issue and I’m sure that competitive nature is what drove him to his success in baseball. It’s great to see it paying off for him.”

Whatever Hammond’s future holds, the humble hometown boy appreciates those who got him to this point.

“I want to thank all my coaches, teammates, and the people who rooted for me, and helped me get here.”