LOCAL BISCUIT: Pelham native Stovall refuses to give up after six years in minors
Biscuits infielder Hunter Stovall continues to battle to move up in the ranks after spending six years in the minor leagues. (Photo courtesy Montgomery Biscuits)
By GRAHAM DUNN
A few days prior to the season opener and a day earlier than the rest of his teammates, Hunter Stovall made a quick trip to Riverwalk Stadium to check out his old stomping grounds.
“Old” as in the last time he was here, he was helping the Pelham High School Panthers win the 2013 AHSAA Class 6A state championship over Hewitt-Trussville. Two years later the Panthers lost the 6A championship series to Cullman at Riverwalk.
“It was crazy to think the last time I was here I was playing for a state championship and I was a catcher,” Stovall said as he reminisced. “It was surreal then and now I’ve got a (daughter) of my own. Everything looks like it was when I was here last. It was cool to step back on the field and bring good memories.”
His 2-year-old daughter tagged along on the visit and helped the Alabama native soak in all of the memories. Training her right, she was prepared.
“She’s got a glove. And she’s a handful.”
Some might call the former star at Mississippi State a handful, as well, strong-willed and ready to prove himself. He has been in professional baseball for six years, all in the Colorado Rockies organization and all of it in the minors. He spent the last two years playing 208 games at the Triple A level in Albuquerque.
At the end of the 2024 season, he became a free agent - a minor-league free agent, which is rare in this day and age.
But Stovall refuses to do what so many minor-league players with six years of service do - give up.
The choice to keep playing led him home. On Feb. 27, he signed with the Tampa organization and he was assigned to the Biscuits’ roster after spring training.
“I was surprised he didn’t have a job,” Biscuits manager Kevin Boles said. “You watch him play and how good he is, and for some reason his (choices) were limited this winter.
“His shortstop play is outstanding. He’s one that when a ball is hit 110 (miles per hour) at him, he makes it look 80. He is so steady with his hand and his footwork. You can add and subtract on his throws.”
“I’ve been on the west coast for my entire career so it’s nice to be back,” Stovall said. “It’s great to have family and friends be able to come watch me play.”
Through it all, he’s not bitter.
“Yeah, I spent six years in Colorado and performed well and happened to not get an opportunity,” Stovall explained. “That’s OK. That’s how the game works. I’m looking to come here and perform and hopefully get the opportunity with the Rays.”
At the season opener on April 4, Stovall had his very own cheering section complete with family and friends that didn’t have to travel across the country to see him play.”
“A lot of people I grew up with (were) here,” he said. “We’ve lived in Auburn so the family is just down the road. I’m used to playing in front of a lot of people.”
Stovall spent a lot of the spring getting used to the new surroundings and learning about his new teammates.
“I got traded early to the Phillies so it’s the same mindset,” he explained. “I didn’t know what to expect (with the Rays organization). I’ve been around the block a little bit. I look at it as a learning curve, new slang, that sort of thing. I’m here to mentor some of (the young players). And looking to move.”
Boles didn’t hesitate when asked if Stovall would be vital in helping young players disseminate to Double A.
“I am relieved we have him,” he said. “He is going to help a lot of players and I’m interested to see how this goes on the way to the big leagues.
“You know we plugged him at shortstop due to an injury so that already made a difference.”
It’s about “survival” when a player has gone through the gambit of free agency in the minors.
In Stovall’s case, it would be literal since he nearly died soon after he was born.
Stovall was just a few minutes old when he stopped breathing after his mother gave birth.
“I flatlined for 2 minutes,” he explained. “I was seven weeks early. My lungs hadn’t fully developed. My dad left to take off (his scrubs) and when he came back to the room I was foaming at the mouth. It was a crazy ordeal.
“My mom says I was born a fighter. I was supposed to be in the incubator for two weeks. But I was good to go after two days.”
The survival mode has lived on in his baseball career. It has taken him from Pelham (where he was the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year) to Starkville, Miss where he put up great numbers for the Bulldogs. Colorado would draft him in the 21st round of the 2018 Amateur Draft, beginning his professional career that has brought him full circle to the Capital City.
“He has a bit of an edge to him,” Boles said. “He’s not going to back down. He loves to compete. And that was in spring training where you don’t see that all the time. He was on the mission to make the club and he did. He earned it.”
The long way home has provided Stovall plenty of lessons that he will pass on to his new teammates. Some might be more simple than expected.
“It’s baseball. You move up another level,” he explained. “The only difference is the pitchers know where the ball is going a little better. They still have to put it over the plate. You've got to get in that box and you have to work with the Auto zone (Automatic balls and strikes) as a hitter - which I like. But if you can play at this level (Double A) you can play anywhere.”