STORY: Nothing Can Hold Sampson Back

DENTON. TX - Born without a right arm, baseball was never a consideration for Tye Sampson.

But that changed nearly six years ago.

 “I played football when I was younger,” Sampson said. “Other than a little T-Ball, I didn’t start playing baseball until after I went to my twin brother’s 11U championship game. I thought it was pretty cool. After I got a football concussion, I transferred to baseball.”

While his brother Sterling no longer plays the sport, the game of baseball now consumes Sampson, a junior at Guyer High School.

“Everything about it is amazing,” Sampson said.

To others, the idea that Sampson plays is amazing.

“He has a passion for the game,” noted Guyer head baseball coach Pat Watson. “He just loves the game and loves being around it.”

So much so that Sampson now has a desire to continue playing baseball in college.

“When I was around eighth grade I went to a University of Dallas Tournament where I got my first looks,” Sampson reflected. “I saw this guy talking to my parents. Afterward, they told me he was the coach from the University of Dallas. That blew my mind. I was just doing it for fun. It became a realization at that point I had a chance to do something and that I had to work that much harder.”

Sadly, getting noticed with a handicap can be easy. In contrast, getting an opportunity is more difficult.

“I feel the number one thing I had to overcome was a chance to be on the baseball field,” Sampson said. “My dad was my coach when I was 12 and 13, but with select organizations it was harder to get on the field and get playing time. Because of my arm I’ve had to work harder to be the same as others. But eventually playing time started happening.”

Jim Abbott, a former major league pitcher who overcame a similar handicap to play 10 seasons in the major leagues, has inspired Sampson along the way.

“I looked up to him a lot when I was younger,” Sampson noted. “I love that dude. He’s amazing. How he made it to such a level … I hope one day that will be me. I’d love to be able to show other kids like me out there how they can do this. I lot of people can tell you no, but if you want it you’ve just gotta go get it. Jim Abbott was a huge inspiration for me in that I can do anything I want.”

For starters, that meant being looked at like everyone else - on or off the ballfield.

“In elementary school kids were curious,” Sampson related. “I got picked on pretty bad. But now that I’m older I realize they were just trying to figure it out by teasing.

“Now people that know me don’t look at me any differently. Every now and then they even forget I have one arm. I might have something in my one arm and a friend will try to give me a high-five and I’ll kind of look at him like … what? Friends just see me as normal.”

Last year, Sampson changed schools to attend Guyer, a circumstance which meant meeting a new group of teenagers.

“With one arm, it was a little different at first but eventually the kids embraced him,” Watson related. “He had fun with it. He’s just one of the guys. One day I looked out and he was flipping the ball up hitting fungos."

“This past year, for part of a fundraiser we took batting practice at the Rangers’ field. We let pitchers hit and Tye hit left-handed one at bat and right-handed the next. Here’s a guy who doesn’t have what everyone else has and he’s still out there having fun and competing, even when he’s at a disadvantage.”

But when it comes to the sport he loves, Sampson is serious about his desire to get to that next level of baseball. It means overcoming obstacles along the way.

“When I first started pitching I had to hold the glove against my chest, so I was losing five to 10 miles an hour by pinning my glove,” Sampson explained. “But now we’ve developed a strap to hold the glove and instantly I added five miles an hour.”

It has helped bring improvement in the past 12 months for the 178th-ranked junior in the state’s 2019 class.

“Last year I was a low- to mid-70s guy topping at 76-77, nothing to blow you away,” Sampson said. “So I worked on hitting my spots and throwing multiple pitches. Velocity doesn’t come overnight so I was working on offspeed so that when the velo comes I’ll have that tool as well.

“The mental side is another thing I’ve been working on. I need to work one hitter at a time. I’m thinking pitch sequence and making sure I get the finer points down. Since I don’t have my velocity yet I’m making sure to keep the hitter off-balance as much as I can.”

Watson sees major improvement with Sampson’s mental game on the mound.

“The hardest part for him early on was taking advice,” explained Watson, the second-year Guyer mentor who has been in the coaching profession for 21 years, a dozen as head coach. “He’s his hardest critic. At first when things did not go right in the bullpen he got so mad at himself he’d lose focus. But he’s matured so much that when things are not going right he steps off the mound and works through it now. You’ve got to be able to flush things and not let it linger. Last year he held onto it. This year he has the ability to forget it 100 percent better.”

As for the physical side of the game, Driveline and Jaeger are part of Sampson’s routine. The biggest issue is gaining strength.

“Pretty much I hear the same thing over and over,” the 6-6 175-pounder said. “Put on weight and hit the weight room. Those are the two main things (coaches) looking at me are saying, that and velocity … and obviously weight brings velocity.”

Five 1,000-calorie meals along with a protein shake are part of the daily ritual for Sampson, who also works out at least three times a week. This past Wednesday help came for Sampson in the form of a prosthetic arm to aid with weight lifting.

“I’m really trying to build up the front side,” Sampson explained about his uneven strength. “I’m not getting a full rotation so it’s hard to get a full leg kick in. I’m working on getting both sides even to balance my pitching size.”

Watson sees an improved Sampson this season.

“Last year he got away with trying to throw hard in JVs, but he didn’t know how to pitch,” Watson noted. “At the varsity level you need to know how to pitch. He’s made an adjustment this year with that.

“He’s got a lot of natural ability, he just needs to let the ball run and spot pitches. He’s not a D-I guy yet, but he can pitch at the next level. If he learns to locate his fastball, his velocity will go up.”

And that could mean a bigger role a year from now.

“We’re deep on pitching this year,” Watson said about his senior-laden squad that is currently among the best 6A teams in the state at 16-5-2 on the season and 5-2 in the district. “He’s in the bullpen, he throws intrasquad scrimmages, pitches some JVs and when we have two-of-three series he’s a guy that can come in. Next year I see him being one of our starters. He’s got the tools, he’s got the height and he’s got the length. His parents just got him a prosthetic, so he’s got to get stronger. If he puts on weight and gets his legs stronger, his velo can be the mid-80s next year.”

For that to happen, a lot of work is ahead for the sixth-ranked unsigned junior left-hander in Texas.

“I don’t fully understand the recruiting process, but I’m figuring it out,” Sampson said. “I’m trying to get my name out there as much as I can and Bick (Toby Bicknell, PBR Texas Director of Scouting) is really helping me out to get in front of coaches as much as possible.

“I’m going to a Prestonwood Showcase, I’ve been emailing coaches to get them to come to my games and I’m sending out video.”

All of that is being done with the idea of continuing a dream that started thanks to a twin brother.

“I wouldn’t be playing baseball if it wasn’t for him,” Sampson said. “He’s the main one that got me into it. From there my parents (Cindy and Doug Sampson) have pushed me to be the best I can be. It’s all about making sure I’m working hard enough.”

Sampson has plans to major in education, even now doing a teaching internship for second graders. But the avenue he really wants to take in life involves baseball.

“My goal is to make it as far as I can,” Sampson explained. “College baseball would be great, that would be a big feat. And if I’m able to, I’d love to get drafted. I can’t even think about how great that would be. But it’s one step at a time. If a college doesn’t pick me up, I’ll keep working until someone does.”

If the next level happens, nobody would be less surprised than his head baseball coach.

“He always has a smile on his face,” Watson said. “He’s an inspiration to everyone around him by just being out there. It never ceases to amaze me that he can do anything that everyone else can do. He’s just one of the guys.”

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