For the Cincinnati Reds, it has not been a great year. As the 2019 season came to a close, they stayed just ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates to avoid the National League Central cellar.
But one of the bright spots for the Redlegs has been the emergence of Michael Lorenzen. The 27-year-old right-handed pitcher has not only done well on the mound, but he has also been a successful pinch hitter and center fielder, something that rarely happens in major league baseball. In fact, on Sept. 4 of this season, Lorenzen played in the field, hit a home run and was the winning pitcher in the game. The only other player in the long history of major league baseball to do that was Babe Ruth back in 1921.
Lorenzon was a first-round draft choice for the Reds out of Cal-State Fullerton University in 2013. But life wasn’t easy for him growing up in Southern California. He was the youngest of four brothers in a home where his parents struggled with drugs and alcohol and frequently fought.
His three older brothers were also constantly in trouble. In a video from the Renewed Strength Fitness Channel in 2016, he shared that “cops would come to my house almost every weekend.”
He was headed down that same path until homecoming night his senior year. Drunk and high with friends on the end of a pier in Huntington Beach, California, a man suddenly appeared and asked them if they knew Jesus. For Michael, it caused him to consider his life.
He had just seen the movie “The Passion of the Christ” and the message hit home. I interviewed him in 2015, his rookie year with the Reds, and he told me, “Just hearing the story that he (the man on the pier) shared with me about Jesus dying for my sins. It just convicted me. I thought, ‘Man, I’m sitting here high, and I’m listening to this story, and I know that being drunk and high isn’t right.’”
One of Michael’s brothers was also searching for the Lord and had started to go to church. Michael says that on the following Monday night at a church youth meeting in Cosa Mesta, California, he gave his life to Christ.
“It was a life changing experience,” he said. “I felt the need for a savior.” It was a tremendous turnaround for the young ballplayer who went on to have a great career at Cal State-Fullerton where he was an All-American. It was at this time that he also grew rapidly in his spiritual life, especially in the area of prayer. He became a prayer warrior both on and off the field.
“When I gave my life to the Lord, I was praying at all times, and seeking the Lord’s will in my life. I began making sure what I was doing was pleasing to the Lord,” Lorenzen said.
Like all major league ballplayers, Lorenzen’s career has had its ups and downs, but his faith has remained strong. Hal McCoy, the veteran writer of the Dayton Daily News said, “He wears his Christianity as comfortable as a glove.” That might be the case literally. Lorenzen is a big fan of Christian hip-hop and musicians such as Lecrae, and other artists of that genre who formed a musical collective called 116 Clique.
The collective centers on the verse from Romans 1:16 in the Bible, which says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. To the Jew first and also to the Gentile.”
During the All-Star break in 2016, Lorenzon had that reference tattooed on his left arm with the 116 numbers in huge letters. It speaks boldly to others about Michael’s purpose in life.
As his career grows, he realizes the opportunity God has given him and wants to use this platform to share the gospel. One of his brothers and also his mother have become believers. He has a pastor in California who disciples him on a regular basis.
Also, since becoming a Major Leaguer, he has delivered Bibles to Cuba and loves working with the homeless and visiting children’s hospitals. Players and fans alike are beginning to realize the unique talent but also the spiritual depth of Michael Lorenzen.
In our interview, he summed up his purpose this way: “The temptation in baseball is to put yourself on a pedestal, but you have to understand that your life is to serve other people and not just yourself.”
Columbus’ Tom Rust is founder of the national Face To Face sports ministry, a local radio sports broadcaster, and pastor of Sardinia Baptist Church. He can be reached at [email protected].
