In high school, Zach Britton drove out-of-state to train year-round and even skipped prom to work out. But the newly signed BlueJays draft pick is at peace with those decisions. His sacrifices are serving a greater purpose. (JordanHorrobin)
Before he was a baseball rat, Britton was a scrawny teenager in Batesville, Ind. As a sophomore at Batesville High School, he ditched his other sport — basketball — and started bulking up.
During the season, Tucker saw Britton hit soft-toss with his father, Barry, after practices and games, as well as on weekends. But in the winter, when the weather didn’t allow for outdoor reps, Britton had to get creative. “I was very obsessive, but I’m a perfectionist,” Britton said, fittingly, on a recent car ride home from the Cincinnati complex. “I was always big on trying to work harder than anybody and kind of push the limits of what I could do, working-wise.”One time, his talent almost got him in trouble.
The baseball barrage prompted one tenant to call the park commissioner and request that Britton be forbidden from taking batting practice.
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