Lorenzo Cain, baseball '05
TCC alum Lorenzo Cain is a champion
World Series Champion, major league All-Star and Tallahassee Community College alum Lorenzo Cain did not have a conventional journey to sports stardom. Most professional baseball players begin playing the sport in Little League and many participate in year-round travel leagues. Cain did not even learn how to play the game until his sophomore year at Madison County High School. And he only did so when he was not chosen for the school’s basketball team.
“I definitely started out a lot later then normal people,” Cain said. “To get a chance to get a full scholarship to TCC was definitely a blessing.”
Cain said TCC was the only school to give him a shot. “Just getting a chance to play at a college like TCC, I definitely enjoyed myself. They gave me a great opportunity. Getting a chance to play for Coach McLeod. Him leading the group gave us a good opportunity as well. Just took full advantage of it.”
TCC men’s baseball coach Mike McLeod recalled, “Halfway through the spring I realized that we have somebody really special here. And then he got into the minor leagues and struggled a little bit, but he kept figuring stuff out and kept taking that next step forward. So it is definitely a never-give-up story. Now he is one of the best players in the major leagues and the world seems to love him.”
Cain was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 17th round of the 2004 amateur draft. He began his career playing for Milwaukee’s Rookie League Helena Brewers. In 2006, he was moved up to the Class A West Virginia Power, where he was named to the South Atlantic League’s mid- and post-season All-Star teams. It wasn’t until 2010 that Cain was finally called up to big leagues by the Brewers, and it was not long before he was traded to the Kansas City Royals.
In 2014, Cain led the Royals to their first playoff appearance since 1985 and was named MVP of the American League Championship Series. The Royals eventually lost to the Giants in Game 7 of the World Series. The next season, Cain was named a starter for the American League All-Star Team. But the highlight of his career came on November 1, 2015, when Cain and the Kansas City Royals beat the Mets 7-2 to win the World Series.
“I never thought I’d have a chance to play in the World Series or in an All-Star Game, but a lot of hard work and great support system around me, a lot of people that pushed me and motivated me to get to where I am at. So I have just tried to pay my dues and continue to come out here and work hard, play hard, and just do the best I can, on and off the field,” said Cain.