So how did Booser find his way from carpentry back to pro baseball in 2021 with the independent Chicago Dogs?
“I started doing lessons back home with a couple of kids,” Booser said. “In that process, you have to throw with them to get loose a little bit and I was a little tentative when I first started. I was afraid my arm was going to hurt, but it actually felt really good.
“After the kiddos would leave, I would stay in the dark and throw into a net by myself for a couple of months. And through that process, I found out that my arm felt better than it ever had with that time off. One day, I got on the mound and my fastball was pretty good, 97-98 [mph]. So we figured, ‘Let's give it a shot.’ I met with a trainer back home the next day and went out there to [independent] ball in 2021, and it’s been a great journey ever since.”
A year later, the D-backs signed him to a Minor League contract. And prior to the 2023 season, the Red Sox did the same, promoting him to Triple-A Worcester for the first time in his career. By the second half, he was one of the best relievers the WooSox had. Boston re-signed him as a Minor League free agent this offseason, accompanied with the somewhat surprising news he had received an invite to Major League camp.
“I didn’t expect an invitation by any means,” said Booser. “I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity and still am. It's been a really fun journey. And, you know, everybody's got a story.”
Booser hopes the best part of his story is yet to come. That, of course, would be a callup to the Majors.
“I mean, whenever that day comes, if it comes, it'll be out of my hands, but I think my job is to go out there and be the best version of myself each and every day,” Booser said. “I know I might not have my best stuff every day, but if I can be the best competitor I can be and the best teammate I can be, I think I'll put myself in a pretty good position.”