Joey Locke played in minors, turned instructor, musician
Alabama high schooler Joey Locke signed with the Astros in 1987, skipping a scholarship from the University of Alabama, his hometown Huntsville Times wrote.
A few weeks in, Locke told The Times he was happy about his decision.
"When you wake up, it's all baseball," Locke told The Times that June. "I didn't think practice would be like this, but I don't have any second thoughts. I love baseball, and this is my big chance."
For Locke, however, his chance lasted three seasons. He made high-A.
Locke's career began that year in 1987, taken by the Astros in the fourth round of the draft out of Sparkman High in Alabama. Locke was also credited as Roger Locke and Joe Locke.
Locke started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League. He saw 13 starts and went 3-3, with a 4.73 ERA. He moved to single-A Asheville for 1988. He went 3-7 there, with a 6.56 ERA.
His season at Asheville, however, also came with shoulder pain. He later had surgery and lost all of 1989 recovering.
"A lot of people ask me about going to school, but this isn't over yet," Locke told The Times in July 1989, mid-recovery. "I've been given a second chance and Houston has spent a lot of money on me."
Lock did return to the field, but his return proved brief. He saw three outings in 1990 back in the Gulf Coast League to end his career.
Locke later went into baseball instruction. He also tried a different career, as a country music singer and songwriter. He opened the Diamond Play Training Center in Madison, Alabama, in 2000. In 2006, under the name Roger Dale, he released his second CD, "Keep on Keeping on."
- Huntsville Times, June 21, 1987: Locke Takes Stock, Drops Mental Block
- Huntsville Times, July 2, 1989: Question
Made the Majors:1,431-31.7%
Never Made Majors:3,091-68.3%-X
