Messalonskee High School and University of Southern Maine alum Sam Dexter is in his ninth season of professional baseball, and his fifth with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association. Photo courtesy of Dylan Engel / Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Sam Dexter is a baseball lifer. It’s taken him across North America, from remote outposts in North Dakota and Montana, to Mexico and Canada.
He’s slept in far more hotels and buses than he can count. He’s learned a new language (sort of) and how to cook.
A 2012 Messalonskee High graduate, Dexter for years has dreamt of playing for a Major League Baseball club. Now, those dreams have faded a bit, even if his desire to play has not.
“It’s just great to still be playing baseball,” he said. “I’m enjoying the guys and the travel and the games. As I get older, I’m just enjoying more of the little things. I’m enjoying just being out here and playing. I know how fortunate I am to still be putting a baseball uniform on.
“I have friends now from all parts of the country and all over the world. Those are opportunities that you don’t get very often, to learn about (places like) Houston, Texas, or Colorado Springs, Colorado, or San Francisco, California. All of my teammates are from different parts of the country, and that’s what makes this experience so unique. Just meeting people from not only all over the country, but all over the world. I have teammates from the Dominican, from Venezuela and Cuba.”
Dexter, 30, is in his fifth season with the Fargo-Moorhead (North Dakota) RedHawks of the American Association, an independent professional baseball league that operates in central United States and Canada. Though Dexter didn’t identify how much he makes per season, he said the maximum a player can make in the league is $5,000 per season, while the rookie minimum is $1,400. Teams have a salary cap of $140,000.
Dexter, a former University of Southern Maine baseball standout, has spent most of his nine years in pro ball in various independent leagues after being released by the Chicago White Sox in 2018. He played 83 games in that organization. Dexter made his way to Quebec in 2018, where he played for the Trois-Rivières Aigles of the independent Cam-Am League. In 2019, he moved on to the American Association, first with the Milwaukee Milkmen in Wisconsin, before he signed with the RedHawks in 2020.
The league, which plays 100 games per season, is comprised of 12 teams, including one in Winnipeg, Canada, and another in Cleburne, Texas, about 1,106 miles from Fargo — a nearly 16-hour bus ride for the team.
“Sometimes this game tests how much you love baseball,” Dexter said. “Sometimes you get to bed at 4 a.m. at an away site, and you have to play that night at 7. You’re sleeping on the bus a lot. You’re eating whatever is close to the hotel. You’re just finding ways to navigate throughout the season and make your body feel as best as it can before game time. To me, it’s all worth it.
“Once they flick the lights on and the first pitch is thrown, everything else kind of goes away, all of the hardships. At the end of the day, we’re playing a game. Not many people can say that they can do that.”
LIFE ON THE ROAD
Rides on the team bus can be long. Players on the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks range in age from 22 to 32. Activities are relatively limited, from playing cards, to sleeping or listening to music.
“You really get to gel as a team on those road trips,” Dexter said. “You always try to include everyone (in conversations). We don’t really have any cliques on the team, it’s just one big family. You’re always getting to know your teammates, especially when there’s not much to do other than play cards or watch a movie.”
Players stay in hotels on the road, with two players assigned to each room.
“Early on in my career — 2016, 2017, 2018 (in the White Sox organization) — I stayed at a few Super 8s or a Motel 6,” said Dexter, whom the Chicago White Sox took in the 23rd round of the 2016 MLB Draft. “Now, I think everyone has upgraded and we’ll stay at a Holiday Inn or a Hampton Inn. It’s gotten a lot better over the years. You’ll have a roommate for the whole season (on the road). It’s a good chance to get to know your teammates more. We’ll hang out in each other’s rooms and sometimes people bring video games, like FIFA or NHL. Just kind of bond in any way we can.
“I don’t really play a lot of video games, (killing time) is chasing sleep, for me,” Dexter said. “I’m trying to get 10 hours of sleep every night during this long season, just so that my body can recover. We might not go to sleep (after a game) until 1 a.m. or 2.”
Messalonskee and USM alum Sam Dexter is in his ninth season of professional baseball, and his fifth with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association. Photo courtesy of Dylan Engel / Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
Having played in the Midwest for half a decade, Dexter has become accustomed to regional fast food chains.
“I’ve never eaten at Freddy’s, but I guess it’s a real good burger joint,” Dexter said with a laugh. “You see some of these places that you don’t see in Maine a whole lot. In the Midwest, they have a lot of custard (as a dessert), that’s also a fan favorite, like at Culver’s or some place like that.”
Last season, the RedHawks won the inaugural World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Baseball Champions League Americas tournament in Méridan, Yucatan, Mexico. That tournament landed Dexter his job last winter, playing for Mayo de Navojoa of the Mexican Pacific Winter League.
It was there Dexter experienced a first: Playing in packed stadiums, where fans celebrate the game differently than in America.
“You can’t explain it until you go there,” he said. “They’re locked into every pitch. Noisemakers, the whole nine yards. I’m not used to playing in front of 10,000-20,000 people with noisemakers, blaring music after the ball is hit. It’s a serious environment there… Luckily, there were seven other imports, all from the American Association. We kind of did everything together. We tried to learn Spanish the best we could. The teammates we (knew) down there were awesome. Our manager didn’t speak much English, but we had translators down there. Everything was pretty smooth, you’re just playing in a totally different culture and just taking it all in.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Fargo, North Dakota, is just less than 1,800 miles from Dexter’s hometown of Oakland. Though he’s played across the country, the city of 116,000 has become one of Dexter’s favorites.
“(Fargo) has been my favorite place to play (in my career),” Dexter said. “The park, the atmosphere, the fans. I feel really comfortable playing there. But I’ve had the opportunity to play in some really cool stadiums. When I was playing in the Pioneer League in my rookie year, I was playing in some places out in Colorado, with the Rocky Mountains in the background. I’ve played in Orem, Utah, and it was the same thing. The Rocky Mountains are all through that league.
“It’s been really cool to play in places all across the country. Even getting to play in the summer league when I was at USM, we got to play in the Adirondak Mountains in New York. I’ve been very fortunate to see the country through baseball.”
The RedHawks play their games at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo. They draw about 3,000 fans per game.
“Each year (in Fargo), it just gets a little more comfortable,” Dexter said. “People come out (to games), they’re very supportive. They obviously want to see us win, but they’re also good people. I’ve had people bring food to me (at games), or help me with a ride, help fix my car. People are very genuine here, it reminds me of home. The people care, they care about you and that makes it very special.”
Life in low-level pro baseball can get lonely, Dexter acknowledged, but this season he has family around. His girlfriend, Jaclyn Bobelick, lives with him in Fargo, along with their dog Kai, a Labrador Retriever mix.
“Most younger players, in their rookie year, they get hooked up with a host family, I think that’s true for a lot of players in the league,” Dexter said. “Once you have some tenure in professional baseball or in this league, (the team) upgrades you to the apartments. Fortunately for me and Jaclyn, we’ve got the one-bedroom (apartment), and we’ve got our dog with us. (The team) really makes sure the players are taken care of and are comfortable here. That’s a huge bonus for playing in Fargo.”
Sam Dexter is in his fifth season with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association. Last season, he was named the first captain in the team’s history, dating back to 1996. Photo courtesy of Dylan Engel / Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
The team pays for the one-bedroom apartment Dexter and Bobelick share. Though he’s learned to cook on his own, Dexter is quick to credit Bobelick’s culinary skills at home.
“She definitely does a lot of the cooking, but I like to cook when I can,” Dexter said. “It’s hard when you’re getting home late and getting up late, but she helps me out in any way she can. I appreciate her. I’ve learned how to cook for myself (over the years). You don’t want to go out to eat too much, you want to be able save some money and cook up some food that you enjoy. Scrambled eggs in the morning, maybe some ground beef and vegetables and rice in the afternoon.
“I think she’s been making the best tacos (lately). For me, I think I make a good omelet. I’m trying to find new ways to eat healthy, but you want to be full for the day as well. At the ballpark, (the spread) is just the minor league steaks and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”
The RedHawks also provide Dexter with a loaner vehicle for the season.
“We only drove out here with one (car), the team provided me with a team car, 1990-something Grand Prix, a silver one,” Dexter said with a laugh. “I love it, it reminds me of the first two cars I had in high school and college. It was sitting in someone’s garage and had been in there for years. It’s just a beater, but it gets the job done.”
Dexter’s brother, Jake, is also living in Fargo and working with the RedHawks as a volunteer assistant.
“I was training out in Oregon (last season) and I was on my way back to New York to see my grandma,” said Jake Dexter, 27. “I just stopped here on the way back and never really left… They just kind of invited me in, in a way. I just fill in any role (they need).”
In 72 games, the RedHawks are 39-33, third in the West Division behind the Sioux Falls Canaries (41-29) and Winnipeg Goldeyes (39-32). A shortstop, Dexter is hitting .242, with 2 home runs and 37 RBI. Last season, Dexter was named captain of the RedHawks, the first in the team’s history, which dates to 1996.
STAYING PRESENT
Players are signed to one-year contracts in the American Association, giving Dexter the freedom to evaluate his career on an annual basis. In previous offseasons, Dexter returned to Maine and picked up some substitute teaching jobs in different school districts, including Waterville, Messalonskee and Windham.
“The first month (after the season), I always just try to relax,” Dexter said. “I’ll try to catch a few Colby (College) football games.
Sam Dexter is in his fifth season with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of the American Association. This is Dexter’s ninth season in professional baseball. Photo courtesy of Dylan Engel / Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks
“Some of the things I’ve done (in the offseason) to make a few bucks is substitute teaching and giving (baseball) lessons,” Dexter said. “It’s always nice to be around the kids and share what you’ve learned with them, as far as the lessons go. I want to be able to help kids, especially in central Maine when I’m home.”
Dexter acknowledged that his window as a professional baseball player is closing, but is still grateful to play.
“I never know when the last time I take the field is,” he said. “Every road series, I always think, ‘Maybe this is the last time I come here.’ I don’t really know about where I’m at with retiring and all that. I’m really just trying to stay present, which is the best thing I can do right now. The end of the season is the time to evaluate and see how your body is feeling and how your experiences were. I’m just on a year-to-year basis with that and trying not to take the game for granted, because I know I can’t play the game for too much longer. I know the window is small. That’s why I’m trying to savor this season and go from there.”
“You just never really know,” Dexter added. “You can never really show up and say, ‘I’m never going to get signed to the MLB or an organization.’ You just never know in this game. I think as long as you have a uniform on, there’s always a chance. I just love playing for this organization and where I’m at. Of course, everyone’s dream is to play for an (MLB) affiliated team from independent baseball. But I’m more at peace with being right here where my feet are at. At the same time, you never know what can happen out there. You just go out, play hard and let the chips fall where they may.”
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