By Shannon Pakulis

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Pro ball has not always been an easy road for Justin Watts.

A 37th-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017, the right-handed pitcher has endured stressful and intimidating times as a young athlete.

The mental and emotional struggles of becoming a pro baseball player are rarely discussed but Watts opened up about the pressures he felt when he started.

“First year in GCL (Gulf Coast League) was a struggle,” he said, standing in the Florida sun at Bobby Mattick Training Center. “You come to pro ball thinking you’re going to get a bunch of fans and you’re going to get to go places. Well, you come to the GCL and there are five people there and they’re scouts.”

Going through those moments and overcoming them is like a rite of passage for Watts.

“You’re on your own and you’re doing things on your own,” he said.

“It was a low part but the fact that you can make it through those low parts, then get to know who you truly are as a person and as a baseball player at that point really shows what you can do when you get to a place that has everything you want.”

That experience has already benefited him. Last season, Watts jumped to the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League (6,303 average attendance – a 40-year franchise record), finishing 7-4 and an ERA of 3.00.

Now that he has adjusted to life in the minor leagues, Watts has set some goals for himself.

“I aim to establish myself on the mound, who I am, and get that four-pitch rotation down,” he said. “Baseball isn’t just physical. It’s not just throwing a fastball by somebody, it’s about how you carry yourself on and off the field.”

Playing at this level has pushed him to grow not only as a player but also as a man.

“This is a place where you really have to become a man,” he said. “In college you had people hold your hand. Coaches made sure you get things done. Here you have all the help you need but you have to go ask for it, you have to accomplish things yourself, you have to take accountability for yourself.

“When you realize those things and you start to do them on your own that’s when you start to become a man. That’s when you can start taking your game to the next level.”