Grant Desme

MLB.com reports Oakland Athletics minor leaguer Grant Desme will quit baseball in order to become a priest. It is noteworthy because he was a prospect, unlike someone of lesser talents he actually gave up a shot at the major leagues. thebaseballcube.com ranks him pretty high (compared to minor league peers), indicates he was a first team College American in 2007, was drafted in the second round by the Athletics, and over three years in the minors put together .286 batting average, 33 HR, 97 RBI, and 42 SB in 145 games (note: MLB season is 162 games long so these stats approximate one full professional baseball season). To put this in context, using economic terms, he received a $432,000 signing bonus when was drafted. He was named MVP of the Arizona Fall League, so it seemed very likely he would approach MLB playing time in 2010. Instead he will enter a Catholic seminary program.

Desme quotes:

I thought, I'm doing well in baseball, but I really had to get down to the bottom of things -- what was good in my life, what I wanted to do with my life. And I felt that while baseball is a good thing and I love playing, I thought it was selfish of me to be doing that when I really felt that God was calling me more, which took me awhile in my life to really trust and open up to it and aim full steam toward Him.

I want to give my life completely to God out of love because of everything He's done for me. Something like this is even very little compared to what He's done for me.