If you’ve got some extra room in your house, why not let a High Point Rockers baseball player move in with you?
That’s the question Rockers management is asking this week.
The one-year-old baseball team in High Point is looking for host families for the 2020 season. The team is holding an informational meeting for potential families on Tuesday, March 10 at BB&T Point at 6 p.m. At the event, staff, coaches and former and current host families will be on hand to answer questions.
Rocker’s Coach Jamie Keefe said this practice frees the players up to concentrate on the games.
“One of the benefits we can offer our players is free housing with a host family.” Keefe said. “This gives them a place to call home and a family to support them during the season. They can relax and focus on playing baseball.”
According to a Monday, March 2 press release, Rockers players live a “somewhat nomadic lifestyle.” They live in High Point from mid-April until the end of September, but finding temporary housing can be challenging.
Rockers Assistant General Manager Christian Heimall called host families “an integral part” of the success of the minor league baseball team and he added that temporary housing can be expensive. He said living with a host family gives players an additional benefit that doesn’t affect the salary caps dictated by the league.
“Almost just as important,” he added, “it is a great way to get involved in your hometown team and have a direct impact on the life of a professional baseball player.”
In making the request of the public, the team offered a testimonial from host family member Evie Cottam, who said the experience had been terrific for her and her family.
“We hosted two players last year, Quincy Latimore and Tyler Marincov,” she said. “Though they had very different personalities, we loved having them as part of our family. We still keep in touch with both of them. They will always be part of our family. And we look forward to hosting a player again this year.”
Who knows, if you host a player and they go on to the big leagues you find yourself with some free World Series tickets some day.
