CBN Sports
Oakland A’s Prospect Ready to Show Passion for Baseball and God
By Shawn Brown
The 700 Club
CBN.com -Outfielder Billy Burns is on the cusp of achieving his dream of becoming a mainstay on a major league baseball team. Now in Triple-A, this speedster is currently turning heads and knocking on the door of the Oakland A’s active roster. Though he has his critics, Billy isn’t too worried.
Shawn Brown, 700 Club Sports Reporter:
“People have said this about you: They have said, you are too small, lightning fast, a little weak in the arm, not to expect a lot of homeruns, but you can get on base. How do you respond to that?
“Really, it’s not up to me. If God wants me to make it, I’m going to make it no matter what kind of disadvantages I have on the baseball field or what weaknesses some would say I have. God’s going to put me in a position that is going to allow me to make the best of that opportunity; whatever that opportunity may be for baseball.”
As a star athlete in high school, Billy thought baseball was everything. Things were going so well for him; he didn’t think he needed God. “I think the main reason was because I was living for myself. And when you’re living for yourself God kind of gets pushed aside for that time in your life. And that’s what happened with me. I was doing well. I had good grades. I had pretty girlfriends. I was successful at sports.”
Even with his popularity and bright future, he says he still didn’t feel complete. “There was always an emptiness. There was always something missing, a loneliness almost in my heart. Those things could never fill that void I had in my heart. And I didn’t know why it would never fill that void. I would train harder for sports and that would bring me more popularity. The girls would be attracted to me because of that reason mainly, and it was just a never ending cycle. And I loved playing sports but at the same time, I needed more.”
Billy went to Mercer University on a full scholarship. He hoped to get exposure with baseball scouts early to possibly get drafted by his junior year. When he got there however, his plan wasn’t working out. “Freshman year I struggled quite a bit baseball wise, which took that aspect out of my life. That happiness that baseball was giving me, it took that away from me, which gave me an opportunity to explore why I was so unhappy with that.”
Billy continued to struggle into the start of his sophomore year. He was angry and frustrated. “When you have baseball as one of your identities in life, then all of a sudden it’s taken away from you, you start to search. You wonder why and what you’re doing wrong. That led to a lot of anger in my own heart. And just wondering why I was doing so poorly at that time.”
So Billy went for a run to clear his head. “There was so much anger and so much energy running through my heart and in my veins that I couldn’t stop running. I just had to run. I tried to run it off but it just didn’t work.”
Finally, Billy stopped running. “There was trees, and it’s kind of a grassy area; a really beautiful place. (I) was just exhausted physically, emotionally, spiritually, everything. I got down and I prayed to God and I ask Him for help. I asked Him to come into my heart, I ask Him to just take over my life.”
Billy surrendered his life to Jesus. That’s when his perspective changed. “When I got up after doing that, I felt like a weight was lifted out of my chest. I just felt like I can breathe. I was just like, ‘OK.’ Like, ‘I can do this. This might be something that I need to keep exploring…keep trusting.’ From that point on, it wasn’t about me so to speak. It was more about finding my faith. Finding where I belonged in God’s plan and so I began to pray more and that began that relationship with God. And with that relationship came more answers or open doors. And I just had to walk through them.”
Billy’s play on the field completely turned around. In 2011, he was drafted by the Washington Nationals organization. Then in 2013, he signed with Oakland. “It was small steps at first but then it became more giant leaps where I would trust God. Even during games, I would get so mad at myself for striking out, but now that I had God on my team, if I struck out I’d be like, ‘Look, I know You’ve got me. I’m under control here.’ So I would be I would be okay with it more. Not that I like striking out but I could deal with it better. And I could understand that God’s got a plan for me.”
On July 28, 2014, Billy got a taste of playing in the big leagues when he was called up to the A’s active roster for 3 games. As he continues his pursuit, he says he hopes fans will see that he’s more than just a baseball player.
“I would hope they say: ‘Billy Burns, he’s a good Christian and he plays baseball.’ I would hope that they wouldn’t say, ‘Man, he’s a great baseball player, oh and I think he’s a Christian too.’ Something like that. I would want them to see my religious side first. And then realize that God’s given me the talents to play baseball on top of that and use that for His glory.”
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