So when he was offered a professional contract by the Chicago Cubs, he didn’t hesitate accepting. Effross wanted to pitch.
“I knew they were very high on me, and I felt likewise about them,” Effross said. “It was a good feeling when they came to me with their official offer and told me to come out and get started. It wasn’t too much of a back and forth negotiation at all.”
Effross officially signed the contract Saturday in Arizona, where the Cubs rookie ball team is located, foregoing his senior season in Bloomington in favor of playing professionally.
Members of the Cubs front office took about a week after Effross was drafted before starting to talk to him about a contract. He knew the Cubs were interested in him, and they were one of a list of five or 10 teams whom Effross thought could draft him.
So he had no problem waiting around for a week or so and letting everything play out.
“It just takes a little while with all the other draft picks coming on, so it’s a different time table,” Effross said. “It took a week pretty much for them to come to me, but I was patient and had faith in the process.”
Really, the only thing Effross pondered was whether to go pro, not the terms of his contract. He needed to evaluate whether he thought he was ready to pitch professionally and if he should leave the program that gave him a chance by signing him three years ago.
Effross is an only child, so his parents have been with him throughout his baseball career. So when he needed help deciding his future, he went to the people who know him the best. In particular, Effross sought the advice of his mother.
“My mom was kind of like a calming voice in everything with waiting and all the questions and what-ifs, my mom was right there,” Effross said. “She helped me a lot in helping me realize what I was getting into. It would have been hard without her for sure.”
A variety of factors played into Effross’ decision to leave, mostly because he believed he was ready to take the next step in his baseball career. Effross said he also feels comfortable with the Cubs, the team that drafted former Hoosier catcher Kyle Schwarber the year before and pitcher Jake Kelzer a round before Effross.
Currently, he’s trying to show members of the Cubs organization he’s ready for more, hoping to make it to Eugene, Oregon, the site of the Cubs short season team by the end of the summer.
As for what role he will serve with the Cubs, Effross said he believes the Cubs are interested in using him as a starter.
“They saw me start a couple of times, and I think they like that,” Effross said. “They like the way I pitch as a starter, so they’re going to start me off as that.”
For most of Effross’ IU career, he was a reliever. Of his 81 appearances, only eight came as a starting pitcher.
Seven of those eight appearances came this season, a season where IU Coach Chris Lemonis tried transitioning Effross into a starting role.
But he returned to the bullpen after struggling with injuries and ?inconsistencies.
Effross personally has no preference as to the role he serves, so long as he’s pitching and making progress toward the major league team.
He likes starting because it allows him to throw all his pitches and face a variety of hitters. However, Effross also likes relieving because it allows him to play a role for the team every day, and coming out of the bullpen allows him to pitch most often.
This explains how Effross is currently feeling.
He said he’s equally relieved and excited, which makes sense. For Effross, the meandrous part of being drafted is over. He’s signed the contract.
Now comes the fun part, and Effross can’t wait to start pitching.
