Editorials

From Germany to the Dodgers – The Baseball Journey of Sven Schueller

I first met Sven Schueller (or Schüller), a relief pitcher from Germany, while he was signing autographs just inside the gate for the Quakes Home Opener. My friend Clyle Alt had mentioned that she was his sponsor for the season, so I went up and introduced myself.

Sven Schueller of the Quakes greeting people at the front gate. (Photo Credit: Tim Rogers)

I was not aware of his nationality until we spoke that day. That night he pitched in relief and was sharp as he went 2.2 innings while giving up only 1 hit, no walks and struck out 1. He pounded the zone by throwing 20 of 27 pitches for strikes. At that time I figured that Sven would be someone great to interview and another sponsor, Robert Fuentes, hooked it all up for me.  Thank you Clyle, Robert and Sven.



The next sections will summarize key questions that Sven Schueller was kind enough to answer. The full video of the interview is at the bottom of the article.

Beginnings

Sven Schuller was born in Wuppertal, Germany on January 17, 1996. His journey to baseball started in the early 2000’s as he had relatives on the East Coast, who took him to his first baseball game.  After the game he ended up getting some baseball gear and began playing in the back yard at his aunt’s. When he went back to Germany it took him two years to find a baseball club in his hometown of Wuppertal. His first two coaches were a couple of German teenagers but as he progressed there were some American coaches that started to be part of his baseball experience.

He started becoming passionate about the game a couple years after he started as he started moving up to more advanced teams. When he was named to the 15-and-under German national team he really found that baseball was his passion.

Pursuing a Career in Baseball

At the age of 14 or 15 he was invited to a baseball academy that was six hours from his home. He decided that he’d keep working on his academics and moving forward with his baseball career; either in college or as a professional. Since there were older players already at the same academy as Sven, he started to get noticed by some of the American scouts who were there for the older players. The scout who eventually signed him to the Dodgers first noticed him at the age of 15 when the scout was with the Mariners.

Becoming a Dodger

He signed with the Dodgers at the age of 17 while still in high school in 2013. Schueller went to Arizona to the instructional league in the fall of 2013. That first time in Arizona gave him his first feel for the rigors of the expectations that organizations have on players. He was only in Arizona for 11 days before going back to Germany to finish school.  In 2014 he made his actual professional debut for the Dodgers on their Arizona Rookie League team.

Being A Long Way Away From Home

His parents don’t know baseball very well but they support what he’s doing. They were used to him being away from home a lot since he was away at baseball academies but being a full continent away is different. Schueller enjoys many things about America especially how easy things are such as finding where things are. His favorite place to eat is In ‘N Out Burgers. He’s played some baseball in Australia in two off-seasons so he’s been away from home a lot.

He did spend the last off-season back home while playing for the German national teams. With baseball back in the Olympics the German team is looking to qualify and Schueller is looking to help them this coming off-season also.

Final Thoughts

It’s not often we see players from Germany coming to America to play. Only two have played in the Major Leagues; Donald Lutz and Max Kepler. It is exciting to meet and see Sven Schueller work his way through the minor leagues as a pitcher. It’s not an easy process but the dedication required to keep progressing is present in Schueller. He’s an easy guy to root for and we at Dodgers Nation want to see him keep moving up the organizational ranks and to see him at Dodger Stadium some day. If you are ever at a Quakes game look for number 21 before the game and say hi.

Thank you Sven Schueller for sharing your time with us at Dodgers Nation.

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Tim Rogers

A fan of the Dodgers since 1973 since I got my first baseball cards while living in Long Beach. I came to San Diego for college and never left nor did I ever switch my Dodgers' allegiance. Some know me as the "sweater guy". #ProspectHugger

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