Philly native driven to succeed in Phillies' system

CLEARWATER THRESHERS relief pitcher and local budding hero Jeff Singer was chatting on the phone with a reporter from his room at a Days Inn in Tampa a few hours before he had to report to the ballpark for yet another Florida State League road game.

Or was he at a Red Roof Inn in Fort Myers?

No, wait. It was a Hampton Inn - and it was in Kissimmee.

Life in the minor leagues is about long bus rides, $60 motel rooms (with the group rate) and, coming soon, scorching heat. Sometimes, it's hard to keep the towns straight. But Singer would have it no other way. It beats washing cars.

A Philadelphia native, Singer shares an apartment with two teammates, clears about $250 a week and is the toast of a car dealership a thousand miles away at Frankford Avenue and Meridian Street in Mayfair. The 23-year-old lefty, who on Thursday was named to the Florida State League North Division All-Star team, is second among Phillies minor leaguers with 11 saves, which also led the Florida State League heading into Friday's games.

"I don't necessarily follow minor league baseball, but it's kind of cool to hear what's going on," said Mike Nemec, a financial controller at Dunphy Ford. "I've known him a long time. It would be great to see it work out for him."

Singer's road to professional baseball was as winding as Kelly Drive and often more confounding than the Schuylkill Expressway. He grew up in Northeast Philly, played high school ball at Holy Cross in Delran, N.J., then went to three colleges in four years (Gloucester County College, Monmouth and Rutgers-Camden).

There were 1,215 players drafted after Singer's eligibility was exhausted in 2015. He was not one of them. Singer returned to work as a lot man at Dunphy, where his father Mark sells used cars from one of the three small offices in the shack right across from a Wawa.

"Hanging with my dad, learning a lot about the business, it kind of helped me keep my head on straight," Jeff Singer said. "Rather than sitting at home in my living room thinking about my next move, I had to think about what I had to do at the lot."

Those duties included gassing up cars, making deliveries and grabbing a washcloth. Does he think about those days at the lot with each save he piles up?

"I try not to, honestly," he said, quite seriously.

It's this type of focus that is precisely what service manager Bruce Lawless had in mind when he showed off a video of Singer washing cars. Lawless playfully derided Singer while using language so salty it made it impossible for us to post on Philly.com.

"Who wants to wash cars the rest of their life?" Lawless said. "We knew he was a good pitcher. We all pushed him. Everybody pushed him."

Picture Matt Damon from the movie Good Will Hunting. But instead of being a math prodigy working as a janitor or at a construction site, Singer was a baseball prospect cleaning cars and running errands.

After college, Singer pitched in the Rancocas Valley League, which got him noticed by Phillies scout Rowland George, who recommended him to the Camden Riversharks. Singer showed well in independent ball and at a subsequent tryout in Connecticut. On Oct. 15, 2015 – his grandfather's birthday – Singer was signed by the Phillies.

Singer quickly moved through the lower rungs of the Phillies' system last year, posting a 0.33 ERA in 272/3 innings of relief combined for Williamsport and Lakewood. He was promoted to Clearwater, where he posted a 4.97 ERA. But take away the one bad outing he had for the Threshers (four runs in two-thirds of an inning) and his ERA sinks to 2.25.

Singer's been at Clearwater all of this season and, with a fastball that's in the 93- to 96-mph range, has converted 11 of 12 saves. He has 33 strikeouts (and 11 walks) in 28 2/3 innings and a 1.57 ERA for the Class A Threshers, picking up his third win of the season Friday night in two innings of work.

Singer (6-foot, 200 pounds) had never been a closer before this season.

"He's been really sharp the last few weeks," said Joe Jordan, the Phillies' director of player development. "His slider is getting better. We couldn't ask for anything more. He's got three good weapons (fastball, slider, changeup). He's a prospect for us."

As with all young players, maintaining consistency will be the key to Singer's possibly climbing the minor league ladder, Jordan said.

Randy Wing, who lives at 8th and Diamond in North Philly, was one of Singer's closest co-workers at the car dealership, despite being 11 years his elder. Wing quickly recalled the daylong drives the two would take when delivering cars to auction houses.

"I remember the day he was leaving and I said, 'Dude, just show them why they signed you. Make them know why they chose you. Grind hard and continue doing what you're doing,' " he said. "I don't want to see him back here in the summers. I want to see him up (in the major leagues) and watch him on TV, so that I can say that I worked with that guy."

There was no signing bonus accompanying Singer's first contract, just an opportunity. To make any money out of all this, his dad said, he'll have to reach the majors. Jordan said Singer has "a real chance to pitch in the big leagues."

"I need to get lefties out, continue developing my slider, which I'm really getting confidence in," Singer said. "Just keep throwing the way I'm throwing. Closing is fun. I'm definitely enjoying it."

But sacrifices are being made. Singer's rent went up to $350 a month when roommate Austin Davis moved out after getting promoted to Double A Reading in early May. Many of his teammates are in similarly tight spots, but not all. Starting pitcher Cole Irvin, a fifth-round pick in 2016, received an $800,000 signing bonus. Outfielder Cornelius Randolph, the Phillies first-round pick in 2015, got a $3.2 million bonus.

"I've told him that a lot of these guys signed for big money," said Mark Singer, Jeff's father. "When they bring out their debit card, there's a lot of zeros [in their account]. 'For you, there isn't.' And he knows that. He's doing some great things, and I don't want him to have to worry about anything else except throwing that ball, working out and doing what he's doing."

When the quarters get cramped and the T-bone steak has to be skipped for a cheeseburger, all Singer has to do is swing by Dunphy's Facebook page for some inspiration. Next to a swell deal on a Ford F-150 pickup truck, is a link to Singer's two-inning save against St. Lucie last week. The whole dealership is buzzing.

"I just did two posts today," Kim Garrity, an assistant controller, said recently. "I really see him going far. He's climbed up so rapidly. It's pretty friggin' awesome."

barkowe@phillynews.com

@EdBarkowitz