Podcast: Recently retired Connecticut baseball legend Jimmy Titus

Former Dodgers and Mets prospect Jimmy Titus joined The Base Path Podcast. (St. Lucie Mets)

The latest guest on The Base Path Podcast is someone who put together one of the best high school careers in the state of Connecticut – a former two-time Gatorade Player of the Year.

Jimmy Titus went on to star at Bryant University before playing professionally from 2019 to 2021 in the Dodgers and Mets organizations. He recently announced his retirement as a professional player at the age of 24 after his minor league career was derailed by the pandemic as well as some injuries. 

“My whole thing — and this may be different for some guys — is I wanted to be a big leaguer,” Titus said. “I really wanted to be a Major League Baseball player because I knew that the sacrifices that I would have to make to get to that point and grind through the minor leagues were a lot. And I felt as though if I was not going to be able to be someone that kids could look up to because I was a Major League Baseball player, I would rather spend my time trying to help them become better baseball players.”

Titus offers private instruction out of the Connecticut Capitals facility in Hartford, Conn. He has found fulfillment in his post-playing days by giving back to the game.

“It’s been a lot more fun than I expected it would be around this time last year when I got released by the Mets,” Titus said. “It was definitely one of the hardest points of my life because everything I’d ever done up to this point was to be a professional baseball player, to be a big leaguer one day.”

Titus isn’t sure where his coaching career will take him — perhaps to the college or professional levels. For now, he’s happy settling back into his home state and working at the most fundamental level.

“When I retired from baseball, I had no idea what I was going to do,” Titus said. “What I had done previously, though, was give lessons and do instruction. And I really liked it because it kind of gave me a different look at the game compared to going out there and grinding every single day. You really have to understand what you’re talking about and understand how to relay information, especially to the younger kids. Through all of this, I ended up realizing that I have a really good knack for breaking things down and making it easily digestible, not just for younger guys, but with some college players. I have some professional players who are planning to work with me in the offseason as well.”

Listen to the entire podcast with Titus.

The New England Baseball Journal podcast is brought to you by the University of Nebraska High School.

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