BELOIT, Wis.–When Vinny Rottino enrolled at the University of
Wisconsin School of Pharmacy in the fall of 2002, his baseball
dreams were looking like just that: dreams. After a standout career
at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in which he hit .339,
clubbed 23 home runs, racked up 120 RBI and hit a school-record 50
doubles, Rottino was without a team. Passed over in the first-year
draft, he was staring down a long road to baseball glory.

“As far as playing with an affiliated club, I thought [it was
over],” Rottino said. “I thought I might have a chance at playing
with some independent-league clubs. So, I was just keeping in shape
that whole time I was in Madison. I was planning on maybe trying
out for some independent-league teams.”

So, with his baseball career briefly on hold, Rottino decided to
try his hand at the world of pharmacy.

“I had good enough grades to get in and my sister is a
pharmacist,” he said. “She told me a little bit about the
profession and thought it might be a little bit appealing to me. I
went there for a semester and found out it wasn’t. I’d rather play
baseball.”

At the same time he was discovering pharmacy might not be his
cup of tea, Rottino joined the Wisconsin baseball club team for a
semester to stay in game shape.

“I went out and played for the club team just because I love
baseball so much, and I just wanted to stay with the game,” Rottino
said. “That was pretty much my motivation behind playing with the
club team.”

It was then he caught his break, thanks to an old friend. Ex-New
York Mets scout Jack Schiestle, who managed Rottino’s summer ball
team, the Racine Kiwanis of the Land O’ Lakes League, made a few
calls and set up workouts with the Brewers, Padres, Rockies and
Giants. Eager to prove himself, Rottino quickly left school behind
to pursue his dream.

“At that point, it was during second semester of pharmacy
school, so I decided just to drop out and go down there,” Rottino
said. “They were going to take place over the course of two
weekends and I would have been missing too much school, so I
dropped out. The first tryout was with the Brewers. I had a good
showing and got signed.”

Milwaukee did not ink Rottino as a shortstop, the position he
played at La Crosse, however. Rather, it was as a catcher that the
Brewers signed him.

“I never caught ever before in my life,” Rottino said, “but I
have pretty good arm strength and a pretty quick release. So they
signed me as a catcher and taught me how to catch in an extended
spring training last year. Now I’m pretty much a utility guy: I can
catch, play third, play first, outfield, a little bit of middle
infield as well.”

Where he lines up in the field is immaterial to Rottino. For a
kid who grew up in Racine, Wis., the chance to play for his
hometown team was something special.

“I grew up with Paul Molitor and Robin Yount posters in my room,
pretending I was those guys as a little kid, so it’s definitely a
dream come true,” he said. “I used to come to Beloit Snappers
games.”

Now, Rottino finds himself playing for those very same Beloit
Snappers. After signing with the Brewers, he spent the first three
months of his professional career in extended spring training
before heading to the Helena Brewers of the Pioneer League,
Milwaukee’s top rookie-ball affiliate.

“I wasn’t in the starting lineup every day, but worked my way in
and was near the league lead in hitting for most of the year,” said
Rottino, who finished his first season in the minors with a .311
batting average.

From there, it was on to the Snappers, the Brewers’ Class-A
affiliate in the Midwest League. Rottino joins a farm system
currently ranked as the best in baseball by many experts, something
he says is both exciting and challenging.

“It makes competition that much stiffer trying to get to the big
leagues, but they’re an organization where they’re going to move
guys up,” Rottino said. “They’re not going to be the Yankees where
if they have a need at a certain position, go out and buy it.
They’re going to go to their farm system, so that’s definitely cool
to be a part of. There’s opportunity.”

That opportunity is one Rottino is very grateful for. After all,
he could very well be finishing up his pharmaceutical degree right
now.

“Every day I think about that. I wake up and realize I get to
put on a minor league pro baseball uniform and play ball for
money,” he said. “I think about me going to Rennebohm Pharmacy
School and thank God — seriously thank God every day that I don’t
have to do that.”