(January 30, 2017) Daniel Barrera has landed a summer collegiate baseball play-by-play job that in many ways is better than lower-level affiliated league opportunities. Relatively great pay. Free housing. Lots of reps and a season that is short enough for him to take leave from his full-time, non-broadcasting job. Barrera has been hired as the voice of the Casper Horseheads, one of three franchises in the new Expedition summer collegiate baseball league.
The other Expedition League teams are in Aberdeen SD and Gering, NE.
Besides broadcasting all Horseheads games, Barrera’s duties include hosting pre and post game shows and some media relations and sales duties. He learned of the Casper opportunity after an Expedition League executive contacted STAA for help finding broadcasters. STAA emailed the opportunities to its members. Barrera applied for all three. When he hadn’t heard back within two weeks, he searched the Internet for a phone number for Chuck Heeman, the person in charge of hiring. They spoke. One month later, Barrera interviewed and was offered the Casper job.
“The fact that the position is paid is what really attracted me to the job in the first place,” says Barrera. “Because I already have a full-time job with benefits, I told myself that I would only resign from my office job for an affiliated job.
“At this point in my life there is a lot to think about in terms or what type of position to take (school loans and debt, health insurance, car payments, etc.). I felt leaving the security of my office job for a shot at calling baseball would only be worthwhile if I was hired with an affiliated team because there would be a connection to a major league club, possibly more stability, and the likelihood that I could turn my part-time position into full-time down the road or be in a market big enough to find other opportunities to keep me afloat financially.
“This mindset changed when I saw the listing that I got hired for. $1500 a month in any of the markets offered would likely keep me at my current standard of living (in the very expensive San Francisco Bay area).”
Also enticing to Barrera is the Expedition League’s travel schedule.
“Looking at the league footprint I realized that I could travel to places I’ve never been before and really hadn’t planned on visiting. It was very exciting to imagine the possibilities.”
Barrera believes that following up his application was key to landing the Casper job. “I was persistent, found phone numbers, called, sent follow-up emails, and essentially made the employer take notice.”
Barrera is a 2017 graduate of San Jose State University where he broadcast various Spartan sports on the campus radio station. He joined STAA last spring.
“Putting in the work to succeed is on me,” he says. “However, what I’ve found so far in sports broadcasting is that there are many things you can’t control. STAA helps you navigate what is out of your control and fills in the little things one might overlook that can have a difference and make you luckier than others in an industry that requires hard work, talent, and perhaps most importantly, luck and good timing.”
Thanks to hard work, talent and timing, Barrera will spend this summer calling baseball in Mike Lang Stadium, a 2,600 seat venue with first-class press facilities that is the former home of the Colorado Rockies’ Class-A short season team.
“It didn’t seem like I would be able to find a better opportunity anywhere else, including affiliated baseball,” Barrera grins.
(Visit Daniel’s website).