Teammates Again Good Friends Sandberg, Garbe Reunited As Professional Ballplayers

Playing summer league baseball together for the Spokane Heat, B.J. Garbe and Eric Sandberg hoped to someday play professional baseball.

However, neither thought it would be clear across the United States. Nor did they imagine they would be teammates with the Elizabethton Twins of the Class A Appalachian League.

Sandberg is a native of Spokane, while Garbe hails from Moses Lake, little more than an hour-and-a-half west. While the two were teammates on the diamond, their grandfathers sold cars together.

In Washington, where baseball is not exactly king, the two looked to each other to raise their level of play.

“Where we’re from, the competition is not as good, so it seemed like a lot of times we battled each other,” said Sandberg.

“We competed against each other, but at the same time we both wanted the other to succeed,” Garbe added. “We both had goals and aspirations of playing past high school.”

Those goals started becoming reality after Sandberg graduated from Ferris High School in 1998.

The first baseman/pitcher signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Southern California. His commitment undoubtedly affected his status in baseball’s amateur draft, but the Minnesota Twins picked him as a position player in the 25th round. After thinking about it for a couple of months, Sandberg decided to go pro.

His first season, Sandberg was sent to Minnesota’s rookie club in Fort Myers, Fla., of the Florida State League. Garbe, still in Washington, tried to learn every nook and cranny of professional baseball from his buddy.

“He was asking me questions and it was kind of like I was his big brother,” said Sandberg.

Finally, after a year of bugging Sandberg, it was Garbe’s time. The Moses Lake High standout was voted the 1999 Gatorade National Player of the Year, and the Twins selected him in the first round, the No. 5 pick overall.

Before the draft, Sandberg had gained a spot with Elizabethton for his second pro season.

“(Elizabethton manager) Jon Matthews and I were talking about the draft a couple of days before it happened,” Sandberg said. “He told me the team was thinking about drafting a centerfielder from Moses Lake, Washington. I thought he was kidding.”

Like Sandberg before him, Garbe had offers from major colleges, including Stanford.

“I knew I wanted to come play baseball, but it’s also tough to turn down a scholarship to Stanford,” Garbe said.

Again, he turned to the one who had been giving him pointers along the way, to see what his opinion was.

“I asked Eric if it was worth it, since he gave up school last year,” said Garbe. “He’s happy with his decision and that made it easier for me to make mine.”

Both find it odd that two friends from Northwest Washington are together again and playing pro baseball.

“It’s a small world and it’s unbelievable how it worked out like this,” said Garbe, who bats behind Sandberg in the Elizabethton lineup.

Through Tuesday, Sandberg was hitting .267 with six home runs and 24 runs batted in. Garbe, joined the E-Twins after the first few weeks of play, is batting .358 with two homers and 12 RBIs.

Advice from Sandberg has helped Garbe feel a little more comfortable than most first-timers.

“It was nice to go in there and know what to expect and not have the unknowns,” said Garbe, who is hitting .467 for the E-Twins. “When you know what you’re getting yourself into, it’s a lot easier to make a decision.”

Now that they are together again, the two are pushing each other to the limits, just like in summer leagues.

“It’s nice to have somebody that can push you and give you pointers,” said Garbe. “But also be your friend, too.”

STATS FUTURE TWINS? Sandberg .267, 6 HRs, 24 RBIs Garbe .358, 2 HRs, 12 RBIs