Greetings one and all!

First, I guess I will tell you a little bit about myself (if you’re interested otherwise skip to the

bottom). Obviously, my name is Josh Thole and I am a catcher in the New York Mets minor league system. Currently, I have the opportunity to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Saguaros. I am 21 years old and was raised in a booming metropolis called Breese, Illinois. Actually, it is a really small town of about 3,000 people right in the middle of farm country. In 2005, I graduated from Mater Dei Catholic High School and was drafted in the 13th round of the 2005 draft by the New York Mets.

As far as my years in pro-ball, each and every year has brought new experiences and helped me learn something that I consider valuable. After being drafted by the Mets, I played my first pro-season in the Gulf Coast League. By far, my first year in pro-ball was the most challenging year both athletically and personally. I had never faced guys throwing at such high speeds while trying to hit with a wooden bat. Also, I was living on my own for the first time. In 2006, I played in Kingsport in the Appalacian League. During this season, I had to adjust to not being an everyday player, something I had never experienced before until then. In 2007, I played in Savannah in the South Atlantic League. In Savannah, I got the opportuinity to play everyday but I was playing primarily first base. In previous years, I had played a few games at first but the season in Savannah really helped me to understand the position. This past season I played in Port St. Lucie in the Florida State League. Here, I also got a another great opportunity to play everyday, However, I made the move from first base back to behind the plate.

While having this great opportunity in the AFL, I have a few goals in mind that I hope to accomplish before the league ends. Before coming to the league, I knew that many of the top pitching prospects in minor league baseball would be in the AFL. I hope to adapt to the pitching and apply what I have learned to future seasons. As far as the catching part of it, this is a great opportunity to catch some of the best arms in minor league baseball. Also, I am getting a better feel on game-calling.

Right now the Peoria Saguaros are 8-4.