When a Major League Baseball team entertains the idea of giving a prospective candidate a tryout, usually it's either for a promising young player who has shown potential but has failed to find any success at the MLB level or for a veteran player who wants to have the opportunity to continue their career by proving their worth.
In other cases, you might get something like what the Philadelphia Phillies are about to literally “try out.” During this year's spring training, the Phillies have brought back one of their former prospects, outfielder Kelly Dugan, for a peculiar tryout (subscription required), according to Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Former Phillies draft pick Kelly Dugan back in spring training for peculiar tryout
Dugan is, in fact, a Phillies' second-round pick out of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, back in the 2009 MLB Draft. He spent over seven solid seasons in the organization but never received the opportunity to officially play with the big league club.
Following his release from the Phillies, Dugan had stops with the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks before establishing a career playing in independent leagues over the past six years. He finished his minor league career with a solid .283 average and .803 OPS, along with 370 runs scored, 150 doubles, 69 home runs, 323 RBI and 31 stolen bases in 711 games.
Now, Dugan wants to have his chance once again with the organization that he started off with for his professional baseball career. But what makes this tryout particularly unique is the fact that it will become a part of a documentary. In the agreement made between the Phillies and the film crew, Dugan will spend three days in minor league camp for the tryout prior to making his debut on Thursday in the official spring training game against the New York Yankees.
Dugan is aiming to fulfill his dream of finally making the majors, no matter how slim or improbable his chances are. Just being able to do anything to have that one last shot was more than enough for the now 34-year-old hopeful. The filmmaker of the documentary, Mike Tollin, believed that Dugan’s dedication and hard-fought journey through it all was movie-worthy. That was why they worked so hard to help Dugan get that one last opportunity that he truly deserves.
“He’s there to document it and I have nothing to lose,” Dugan said about the chances of making his dream a reality while being filmed by Tollin, per Breen. “You never know what can happen. I’ve been training my butt off and I feel as good as I ever felt. I was a little bit of a late bloomer with my career and my hitting and my skill set. I’m just really grateful that they’re giving me an opportunity because I feel like I’m a much different player than I was in big-league camp with the Phillies in 2014 and 2015."
In terms of Tollin’s thoughts on having a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to document Dugan’s journey and dream, he is grateful for it and sends his best wishes to Dugan in the process.
As for Dugan’s final words to serve as inspiration and hope for other baseball hopefuls searching for their dream, he said he will be sure to make the most of his opportunity.
“Everyone has a different journey in this game,” Dugan said, per Breen. “I’m just glad they’re giving me a look. I consider it like I’m doing it for all the guys who deserve a second chance. I’m sticking in there and there’s a lot of guys who are in my position. I’m hoping to make the most of the opportunity.”
The documentary is slated to come out later in 2026 as a multi-part series. And who knows, by that time, we might even have the outside chance of seeing Dugan finally donning a Phillies uniform for everyone to appreciate.