He tried out for the team.
He tried playing against the team.
The York Revolution finally agreed to sign him, however, only after they fell more than 30 games under .500. Townball standout Shawn Hedrick will start for the York Revolution against the Newark Bears Wednesday.
Hedrick, 34, will make his professional debut Wednesday. It's a move the team probably should have made months ago, and one that only came about -- according to Revs GM Matt O'Brien -- because new York manager Andy Etchebarren believed local fans deserved to see it happen.
Under the old regime, Revs director of baseball operations Adam Gladstone did not want to sign local talent if they lacked pro experience. Gladstone wanted to reserve roster spots for players who had at least some experience at the Double-A level.
Although he had signed sandlot players before, Gladstone preferred to build rosters with proven pro talent.
Hedrick has excelled at the local level. He pitched for numerous Dover clubs in the Central League and in recent seasons moved to the Susquehanna League to play for Red Lion. He went 10-1 this season.
So when Hedrick attended an open tryout before the season, he didn't really have a shot at earning a spot. Even after he fired two innings of no-hit baseball in a spring training scrimmage against the Revs, the team didn't budge. He also touched 90 mph on the Sovereign Bank Stadium radar gun.
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