Barry University pitcher turns career around and earns contract with Cincinnati Reds

Faith — in himself and from his Barry University coaches — is what saved the career of pitcher Myles Gayman, now a member of the Cincinnati Reds organization.

After a poor junior season that included an 8.04 ERA in 17 appearances (10 starts), Gayman visited Barry coach Juan Ranero’s office in the summer of 2019.

“I wanted another chance at being in the weekend rotation [in 2020],” Gayman said. “[Ranero] told me he wasn’t going to hand me anything. But he also said he believed in me.

“Even when I struggled that year, my coaches never took the ball out of my hand. An 8.04 ERA is awful, but they never gave up on me.”

That belief in Gayman, 22, resulted in some incredible numbers in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The 6-4, 195-pound right-hander went 4-0 with a 0.21 ERA in six starts.

Gayman, who also set a Barry single-game record this year with 10 shutout innings, was not selected in the 2020 MLB Draft that was cut — because of the pandemic — from 40 rounds to just five.

But he signed with the Reds as a free agent, earning a modest $20,000 bonus.

“Myles has elite arm strength and a 95 mph fastball,” Ranero said. “Had we had a normal year, I think he would’ve been drafted in the top 10 rounds.

“I’ve coached pitchers in the Cape Cod League who are now in the majors. Myles has that same arm talent or better. He just needs to develop.”

Gayman, the 10th Barry player to sign a pro baseball contract since 2013, is from Greencastle, Pennsylvania, located three hours from Pittsburgh, three hours from Philadelphia and just 45 minutes from Baltimore.

Because of that proximity, he grew up a Baltimore Orioles fan and has been playing baseball since age four, splitting time between shortstop and pitcher.

Gayman earned a scholarship to pitch at Penn State, but he said he struggled with the mental aspects of baseball, including the transition from high school to college. As a freshman, Gayman went 0-3 with a 6.93 ERA in 11 appearances, including six starts. As a sophomore, he got just two appearances — no starts — and went 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA.

After that, Gayman decided to transfer out of Penn State, and his private pitching coach and mentor, Mark Shives, recommended Barry University.

“He told me Barry has a good baseball program, and he knew [Ranero],” Gayman said. “Two weeks later, I was in Miami.”

That first year at Barry, Ranero worked to get Gayman to simplify his approach.

“He wanted to be perfect, tweaking something every start,” Ranero said. “He was trying to do too much, worried about his leg kick, his foot plant, his arm slot …

“We told him to just focus on being on time when his plant foot hits. We didn’t want him thinking about all those other things. Once he got on time, he found a consistent release point and a delivery he could repeat.”

Gayman, who is 15 credits away from a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Sports and Exercise, would like to be a coach whenever he is done playing.

In his immediate future — hopefully — is an invitation to a Reds instructional league in Arizona this fall.

Without a 2020 minor-league season — again, the pandemic — Gayman has been training on his own. He videotapes his throwing sessions and sends them to his Reds coaches, who offer tips and adjustments.

“It’s a weird year,” Gayman said. “I wish I were getting the normal minor-league experience. But I’m looking forward to putting the Reds uniform on in Arizona.”