USM alumnus Michael Paul Welch’s childhood dream of playing baseball in the major leagues became a reality in July 1998 in New York’s Shea Stadium.
Terry Francona, the Philadelphia Phillies manager at the time, made the call for his lefthander Welch to get warmed up. Not too much later in that inning, Francona strolled to the mound and signaled towards the bullpen. Welch was about to make his major league debut.
Shortly after receiving the ball from his manager, Welch started his warm-up throws from the mound. For Welch it was a bittersweet moment in his professional career. To be pitching in the stadium of the team that first drafted him in the summer of 1993 couldn’t have been any better.
“I was up for seven days before getting into a game. I had been asked to warm up a couple of times, but the situation was never right and by that night I was ready to go,” said Welch.
“I came into the game with the bases loaded and got out of a jam and Jeff Tam, my roommate for four years in the Mets system, came running in right after me to pitch for the Mets. It was pretty weird because he was also in his first year with the Mets.”
That first night is still a blur as Welch looks back on it. “I had so much adrenaline running and I had no idea where I was throwing the ball,” said Welch. “I knew I was throwing it hard and I was just trying not to hit the guy. It’s almost like an out-of-body experience.”
Welch was born on Aug. 25, 1972 in Haverhill, Mass., and grew up in Nashua, N.H. He played little league baseball and then went to star as a third baseman/shortstop. After high school, he said the choice of USM was an easy one.
“When I went to Southern Maine, I went there as a third-baseman/shortstop and they had Steve Clair there at the time, who was a senior, and I was fighting it out with him,” said Welch of his first season at USM.
“We went down on our first trip together [to Florida] and we were swapping every other game at third base to see who would work out. He was a great infielder and could hit as well, so I wasn’t going to see much time at third.”
Seeing that Welch had a strong arm, USM Men’s Basketball Coach Ed Flaherty decided to convert him into a left-handed reliever.
At that time, Welch said Div. III was struggling to recruit pitchers while their Div. I counterparts were able to get a staff of at least three solid starters and a bullpen. “It was tough to get a whole staff of relievers and we lucked out,” said Welch. “We had about five solid relievers with a job defined. We were lucky. We had certain guys that fit perfectly into certain roles.”
The spring of 1991 was a very special year for Welch and USM. The Huskies were rolling through the playoffs with a berth to the Div. III World Series in the waiting.
“We didn’t realize how good of a team we really had. Everybody saw the year we were having and it was something that just snowballed,” Welch said.
Despite not pitching in the Series itself, Welch looked fondly upon the 1991 Huskies and the team’s trip to Battlecreek, Mich. “We won it quite handily down there, and when it was all over we looked back and said, ‘Wow! What a team we had.'”
July 1993 was another highlight year for Welch. Throughout the season scouts were watching him and his teammates.
“Basically, that year leading up to the draft everybody would contact you to get your opinion on whether you would sign or whether you would go back to school,” Welch said.
After the conclusion of the 1993 season, Welch talked with Flaherty and his parents. “I had it made up in my mind that I would sign if I had the chance,” said Welch.
When the New York Mets informed Welch that he was drafted in the third round, he felt a sense of relief. Welch packed and headed for Pittsfield, Mass., home of the Mets Class A team, where Welch began his professional baseball career.
For most players, the first paycheck is a life-changing moment. Welch was no exception. “The first thing I did was cut a check for the taxes,” Welch said. “I tried to save the money. I was in Pittsfield and there wasn’t a whole lot going on or places to spend it, which was probably a good thing.”
Welch progressed rapidly through the Mets organization. On Dec. 15, 1997, after four years in the Mets farm system, Welch was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for LHP Hector Mercado. The following spring, Welch was on his way to AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre (Pa.) and he would start the season that would make childhood dream come true.
Currently Welch is residing in Mansfield, Mass. and is married to his wife, Amy, whom he met while playing in the Cape Cod League.
In 2001, while Welch played for the Nashua Pride in the independent Northern League, Welch’s wife gave birth to a son, Colton.
After nine years in professional baseball, Welch started a new career as a police officer. He just completed his first week of basic training, a 12-week period that will end with a full-time position on the Nashua, N.H. police department.
Throughout his professional career, Welch played under the coaching of former major league managers and players like Francona, Bobby Valentine, Walt Williams, Rick Dempsey, and former Red Sox third baseman Butch Hobson.
Of all the coaches and managers that have spent time working with Welch, USM’s Flaherty has left the strongest impression.
“He is a big disciplinarian, but he is fair about it. If you needed a kick in the butt, he’d give you a kick in the butt,” said Welch. “Everybody respected him and nobody ever thought he went over the line.”
Welch also said of Flaherty, “He demanded things be done the right way and after we did it his way we realized it was the right way.”
Being the answer to The Free Press’s sports section’s trivia question, “Who is the first USM player to play in the major leagues,” made Welch laugh. “It feels really good and I am very thankful to Coach Flaherty. If it wasn’t for him, I would not have had any of this success.”