Neuqua Valley grad Fumagalli plying his trade in MLB

There might be a couple things Rob Fumagalli misses more than baseball.

"I'm really missing my truck and my boat right now," he said with a laugh. "That hurts."

Fumagalli, a 2004 Neuqua Valley graduate, is in his first season as the Texas Rangers' assistant strength and conditioning coach. Like a can't-miss prospect, the 34-year-old was having a great spring training when the COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered his plans for the next several months.

With the season shut down indefinitely, Fumagalli spends his time in Arizona trying to stay in contact with the Rangers' players and remotely keeping them in shape for whenever Major League Baseball decides it's time for a restart.

Like the truck and boat he left behind in Texas, Fumagalli longs for a reunion.

"We were having a really good spring training on a lot of different fronts," he said. "We were picking it up playing-wise and had a relatively healthy start. Then it seemed like the reality of the situation started escalating. Things changed so quickly."

At first the Rangers tried staying together in Arizona, but the team inevitably scattered when the pandemic deepened. The last several weeks Fumagalli and the Rangers' staff have worked with the players through scheduled and impromptu training sessions.

When the season does resume, Fumagalli will be on the cutting edge of ensuring the players hit the ground running.

"Some teams might be back at square one, but I don't think that's the case with us because of how quickly we acted," he said. "There will still certainly be some buildup when we start again. We have to be very smart about it, but I feel like we're in a good spot to start up."

Catching the bug

Fumagalli's start up occurred at Neuqua Valley, where he was a two-year starting pitcher for teams that won a combined 50 games and a sectional title. He went on to pitch at Elgin Community College, but a pair of shoulder surgeries ended his playing career.

While going through the grind of preparing for each start on the mound, he gained an appreciation for the training and conditioning aspect of the game. Fumagalli earned a degree in kinesiology from Northern Illinois University, served as pitching coach at ECC for two years and was a strength and conditioning intern at NIU.

When it was time to look for a job, Fumagalli heard back from three MLB teams and grabbed the first offer he received from the Seattle Mariners. He spent 10 years in the organization, rising through the ranks like a minor league player.

"We grind it out as players and we grind it out as staff members," he said. "There's no easy routes to get to where you want to go and definitely no shortcuts. When you get the opportunity you jump at it and hope you make the most of it.

"You have to be in it for the right reasons and love what you do," he said. "Fortunately I had both of those working for me."

After spending his final six years with the Mariners as their minor league strength and conditioning coordinator, Fumagalli was hired by the Rangers in November for his first Major League Baseball job.

Even though his dream job has been put on hold in many ways, he knows he'll be busy again before too long ... hopefully.

"You're expecting your first Major League Baseball season and you get stuck in your tracks," he said. "But there's a lot of other people going through a lot worse than I am right now so I'm trying to stay positive and roll with the punches."

Back in training

As reports swirl about possible return dates, Fumagalli believes MLB will be ready for games in July or August as long as the situation with the pandemic doesn't regress.

The biggest challenge now, Fumagalli said, is maintaining the players' focus and motivation the longer they're away from an organized routine. The trust he built with them during spring training - and even right after he was hired and spent time in Texas - goes a long way.

He knows, however, there's no substitute for the entire group being together and working toward a common goal. Making sure the players don't do too much too soon will be critical for a healthy resumption.

"The reality is these guys are hungry and want to play," he said. "If I can keep them healthy and keep their performance levels in the most optimal position they can be in, then I'm doing right by the Rangers and I'm doing right by the players.

"And ultimately it's putting our team in a better position to win."

Twitter: @kevin_schmit