Vanegas Goes from Baseball to Ministry
At first glance, seeing the parallel between baseball and ministry might be difficult. Ah, but to A.J. Vanegas, the parallel is clear.
“In my weird way of thinking, this is the same thing I’ve always been part of,” said Vanegas, a former Stanford and minor league pitcher who is now Discipleship and Life Group Director at 3Crosses Church in Castro Valley.
“I’ve spent my whole life on teams,” he explained. “Now I’m trying to replicate that in a different arena.” Instead of building teams that hit, pitch, and catch, Vanegas builds spiritual teams with his “life group” ministry.
Now an ordained minister, Vanegas was forced out of baseball in 2016 because of back and shoulder injuries. However, his stellar career at Redwood Christian High, Stanford, and the minor leagues earned him election to the Castro Valley Sports Hall of Fame.
Vanegas caught the eyes of professional scouts at Redwood Christian, where he was a three-time all-league selection, a two-time East Bay Prep Athlete of the Year, and the 2010 National Christian School Athletics Association Player of the Year. He consistently clocked 92-93 miles per hour on his fastball and even touched 96.
Most professional teams gave up on him when he committed to Stanford his junior year in high school, but the San Diego Padres drafted him in the seventh round anyway, hoping he’d change his mind. He almost did. The major league deadline for making his decision was Aug. 16, 2010, which happened to be his 18th birthday. Vanegas took it down to the wire before choosing to go across the bay to Stanford, passing up the Padres’ $1.8 million offer.
“I always wanted to go to Stanford,” said A.J., whose father, Al, is a Stanford graduate. “I figured pro baseball would still be there three or four years later.”
Vanegas reached his peak at Stanford in 2012, his sophomore season, when he went 4-0 with a 2.62 earned run average and made the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team. That summer, playing in the Cape Cod semi-pro league, he clocked 100 mph on his fastball, and his career seemed to be soaring—until he injured his back and had to undergo surgery.
A.J.’s junior year at Stanford – when he was hoping to establish himself as a full-time starting pitcher – was basically a lost season. Trying to rehab his back, he began having shoulder problems and was able to pitch a total of only five innings. He also saw the velocity of his fastball begin to diminish. He still managed a decent senior season as the Cardinal closer (4-3, 2.63 ERA), but his stock as a professional had fallen considerably.
Drafted by the Dodgers in the 11th round in 2014, Vanegas signed for $100,000 – a far cry from what the Padres had offered four years earlier. But he has no regrets.
“My Stanford experience was amazing,” he said. It set the trajectory for my life and taught me that you don’t make decisions based solely on money.”
Vanegas pitched three seasons in the minor leagues, two with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, the Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate in the California League. While his minor league record was an impressive 5-1 with a 2.62 ERA, his shoulder problems kept landing him on the Disabled List until he finally called it quits in July of 2016. He already had undergone two surgeries and figured that was enough.
Since graduating from Stanford with a psychology degree and pitching three seasons in the minors, Vanegas has earned a Master of Divinity from Western Seminary and was ordained in 2023. He and his wife, Laura, live in San Leandro with their three daughters: Ellie, 4; Olivia, 2; and Jocelyn, 3 months.
This is the 14th in a series of 16 articles profiling the 2024 inductees into the Castro Valley Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame ceremonies and banquet will be held on Sunday, April 21, at Redwood Canyon Golf Course. For tickets, go to castrovalleysportsfoundation.org and click “Events, Hall of Fame Banquet.”