Raul Shah: From Johns Hopkins to the World Baseball Classic
WALDORF, Md. (BVM) 鈥� Baseball has taken Raul Shah through a journey only few are able to fully understand. Coming from a Division III baseball program in Johns Hopkins University, the road to the highest level once looked much steeper starting at the very bottom. Now for the Maryland native, the game is continuing to provide new opportunities that fuel his passion to continue on.聽
Shah 鈥� who has gone through his fair share of change around the sport following stints in both independent and MLB partnered leagues 鈥� will partake in what is certainly the most prestigious event of his ongoing professional career.聽
Earlier in August, Shah was contacted by Great Britain Baseball to let him know that he was being considered for the country鈥檚 World Baseball Classic (WBC) team. While in the midst of his season with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, the 29-year-old infielder, who was born in London, put the call in the back of his head as he focused on finishing his Atlantic League campaign on a high note. As the season progressed, Shah received the final call that he would be a part of the upcoming roster just a month later.
鈥淚 remember that moment in the car and it was very, I don鈥檛 know, I knew the weight of it but it just didn鈥檛 sink in,鈥� Shah said entering the qualifier hosted in Regensburg, Germany. 鈥淚 was just very happy in the moment but it wasn鈥檛 until I was getting emails from the MLB and Great Britain Baseball that this was for real. Showing up for the actual experience was unbelievable.鈥�
With few expectations leading up to the tournament, Shah鈥檚 experience quickly exceeded anything that he could have imagined beforehand. A packed stadium and impressive facilities gave the Great Britain infielder a different landscape for late season baseball. Early wins against France and Germany set up Great Britain in the winners-bracket final against Spain for a chance to punch its ticket to the March event. Following a 10-9 win, Shah and the team would lock down their first ever appearance in the World Baseball Classic.
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER GREAT BRITAIN IS HEADED TO THE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC!!!
— Great Britain Baseball (@GB_Baseball)
With Great Britain鈥檚 first game scheduled against the USA on March 11, Shah is preparing just like he would for any other baseball event he鈥檚 experienced in the past. His day-by-day mindset has been the biggest separator in his goal of eventually making it to the highest level. Playing with some guys that he explains are 鈥渨ay more talented,鈥� Shah has found an ability to progress through the different levels of the sport by outworking his competition.聽
鈥淓very higher level you go, people work harder and you have to out compete them,鈥� Shah said. 鈥淏ut I tell people all the time, I have a disadvantage in throwing, I have a disadvantage in foot speed, I have a disadvantage in power; I have a disadvantage in almost every single category but no one beats me when it comes to working. It’s interesting how that one advantage outweighs all the other disadvantages you might have.鈥�
The extreme focus has always been a constant in Shah鈥檚 life, but his early days at Johns Hopkins provided some extra motivation. As he鈥檚 gone on throughout his time in the sport, he鈥檚 only added to the work. While training intensively with his track coach, Sanjay Ayre 鈥� who he jokes has been trying to take him out for five years with workouts 鈥� Shah has created a strict regimen, aiming for his chance one day at making it to the MLB.
After going undrafted in 2016 following a breakout senior season in which he batted .363 with 39 RBIs, Shah wasn鈥檛 quite ready to call it quits on his ultimate goal. Even with an economics degree from the prestigious university, and a proven background as an accomplished investor, Shah tested the waters within independent baseball, first starting in the Empire League. Since, he鈥檚 played in MLB-affiliated, Frontier and Atlantic 海角社区 on the path to his now recent run in the WBC.
Since graduating Johns Hopkins, Shah has been able to balance both endeavors, spending occasional time balancing his portfolio, along with offering stock breakdowns on the website, Seeking Alpha.
鈥淲hat I tell people all the time, once you get a degree it’s in your back pocket,鈥� Shah said. 鈥淣o one can take that from you. It doesn’t make sense not to go for broke when you鈥檙e set up. As long as you have work ethic, intelligence, and if you have that degree too, you鈥檙e set. You can apply those three things at any point in your life, but you can鈥檛 get to the World Baseball Classic at any point in your life.鈥�
With the Atlantic League graduating players to the majors on a yearly basis, Shah sees his time with the Blue Crabs as being 鈥渙ne step removed鈥� from the highest level. His time playing in the league, and now with Great Britain, gives him hope that his goal isn鈥檛 too far off. While team rosters are not formally set, Shah has confidence he鈥檒l be a part of the country鈥檚 2023 team. With a lot to look forward to in the coming months, it鈥檚 not hard to see just how far he鈥檚 come.聽
鈥淚f you would have told me four or five years after I graduated that I鈥檓 at a Division III school playing baseball at a Division III level, but I鈥檓 going to get to the World Baseball Classic, that鈥檚 a huge jump,鈥� Shah said. 鈥淚f you think at the time [it’s] like how do you even get there? But, it goes back to taking it one day at a time and you do what you鈥檙e supposed to do.聽
鈥淚f you keep doing what you鈥檙e doing there鈥檚 no reason why you can鈥檛 go from that, to now a big league regular season team, and then to the World Series. It always seems harder when you are at the bottom of the hill but as long as you take those steps, you can wind up where you need to go.鈥�
