A Salute to MLB’s "Technical All-Stars"

NEW YORK—In 1998, when things got sticky in the late innings, the closer the Atlanta Braves called in was a soft-spoken Minnesotan with Elvis-like sideburns named Kerry Ligtenberg. Like most big league closers, Ligtenberg has a lively fastball and a cool demeanor that allows him to be effective with the game on the line. But, unlike other relief pitchers, Ligtenberg also has a grasp on the principles of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and unit operations, thanks to four years as a chemical engineering major at the University of Minnesota. And, while none of the above will get him to Boston this July for baseball’s All-Star game, that knowlege puts Ligtenberg in a true "all-star" group of Major League Baseball players with technical backgrounds.

Currently, that group includes baseball’s first "$100 million dollar man," pitcher Kevin Brown of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and veteran catchers Joe Girardi of the New York Yankees and Dan Wilson of the Seattle Mariners. Wilson also attended the University of Minnesota where he majored in mechanical engineering before being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1990. Brown was a chemical engineering co-op student at Georgia Institute of Technology whose technical career plans were interrupted when the Texas Rangers made him a first-round draft choice—the fourth pick overall—in 1986. That same year, Girardi received his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern University, and then was selected in the fifth round by the Chicago Cubs.

For more than 50 years, engineers have been athletes’ silent partners, responsible for new synthetic super-materials, and for the design of innovative equipment and facilities that help players run faster, jump higher, and play safer and longer. But, Ligtenberg, Brown, Wilson, and Girardi—all of whom, with the exception of Wilson, made appearances in last year’s baseball post-season—have taken that partnership even further, bringing the analytical skills of the engineer to the actual playing of the games, and making a good case for the usefulness of an engineering background as preparation for any career.

Bill Zack of Morris News Service, who penned an article on Ligtenberg that appeared last August in the Augusta (GA) Chronicle, theorized that, "He takes an engineer’s approach to closing. Analyze the problem and find a solution."

"I never really thought about that," Ligtenberg said, when the above was suggested to him in an interview last Fall at Shea Stadium. "Maybe it is. I’m out there thinking all the time, trying to figure out what I could do to get people out, so maybe that’s a little bit of engineering influence."

As the country gets ready to celebrate the diverse achievements of engineers of all disciplines during National Engineers Week 1999 (February 21-27)—and as the big league training camps get set to open—here is one chemical engineer’s tale of success outside the traditional boundaries of the profession. Is it the shoes?...or the technical grounding he brings to the mound?

Cinderella goes to the NLCS

"It’s the story of the century to me," Braves manager Bobby Cox told the Chronicle last year when asked about his ace relief pitcher. "He’s a chemical engineer who came out of an independent league and he’s closing for a team that’s won more games than any other team the last seven or eight years."

That story began on May 11, 1971, when Ligtenberg was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, to Norm Ligtenberg, a chemical engineer with 3M Corporation, and his wife, Diana. The family eventually moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Ligtenberg first began to pitch. When he finished high school, no scouts were dangling contracts, so Ligtenberg turned his mind to other career options, and found he didn’t have to look too far. "I was always good in math and science. I saw what my father did, and he enjoyed it, so I decided to study chemical engineering."

Following the "late-bloomer" pattern of his life, Ligtenberg didn’t get much of an opportunity to play for the Golden Gophers until his junior year. "My first couple of years there, the classes weren’t as hard, so I did real well in school and I didn’t play," he said. "As I started to get more and more time on the field, the classes became harder, and then it became a real strain trying to balance baseball and school." His baseball numbers at Minnesota were solid, if not spectacular. In the 1993 and 1994 seasons, he appeared in 39 games, starting 21 of them, and compiling a 12-9 record, with 1 save. During that span, he struck out 114 and walked 51, giving up 72 earned runs for an ERA of 4.20.

With one class left to go for graduation and still no scouts dangling contracts, Ligtenberg decided to leave school and pitch in the independent Prairie League. It was hard for many of his family and friends to understand Ligtenberg’s decision to play for the South Minny Stars and the Minneapolis Loons—where 26-hour bus rides between games and playing fields only a cut or two above the average sandlot are the norm—as opposed to accepting a high-paying job at 3M or some other chemical process firm.

Ligtenberg notes that his father was among the doubters. "He was putting a little bit of pressure on me to go out and start looking towards a career." But, in retrospect, Ligtenberg has proved them all wrong. During his two years in the Prairie League, his pitching skills advanced rapidly. His fastball, which had been only average in college, began to routinely hit above 90 mph on the radar gun, and he also developed a biting slider.

"A lot of it was just the maturity," he explained. "I started lifting weights, I increased my velocity about 10 miles an hour, and, with that, I was able to go out there and throw hard. That’s basically why I got to here."

A bit of luck also entered the picture. His manager, Greg Olson, once an All-Star catcher with the Braves, contacted his old team and suggested they send scouts down to take a look at Ligtenberg. The Braves were impressed enough to sign him and, he spent less than two years in the minors. Considering Ligtenberg’s success this year, his "price tag" seems almost laughable. In what might go down as one of the best trades in baseball history, the Braves got Ligtenberg from the Minneapolis Loons in exchange for six dozen baseballs and two dozen bats. "At the time, Olson told me he ended up getting the better end of the deal because, when he was managing that team, he needed the equipment more than he needed me," Ligtenberg said with a laugh.

A future in engineering?

The rest, as they say, is history. Ligtenberg finished the 1998 regular season at 3-2 with 30 saves, and 79 strikeouts in 73 innings pitched. His earned run average was 2.71 and the league batted only .193 against him. His overall stats in the post-season were pretty good—a 3.86 ERA with 8 strikeouts in 7 innings pitched, but he ran into some bad luck in the National League Championship Series against San Diego. Though he gave up only three hits in four appearances, two of those hits were home runs and, coupled with two untimely walks, led to a 0-1 record and a 7.36 ERA.

Still, his overall numbers suggest that Ligtenberg won’t be looking for a chemical engineering job too soon. Even his father has come around. "Right now, he told me I might as well enjoy this while I can," Ligtenberg said. But, he’s not ruling out the possibility of working as a chemical engineer someday. "Sooner or later I’m probably going to have to go out and get a job. I’ve met a lot of good people in different engineering fields and, when the time comes, hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to go work at something very interesting."

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