Farmhand to farmstand: Former Yankees draft pick now raises ultra-pricey Wagyu beef
Pete Eshelman has come a long way since manning first base for the New York-Penn League's Oneonta Yankees in 1976.
A 23rd-round pick out of Williams College, Eshelman hit .287 in 58 games that season before suffering an injury and ultimately landing in New York's front office. There, under George Steinbrenner, he developed corporate strategies that would serve him well first in the entertainment insurance business and now in the unique Wagyu beef industry.
Eshelman's farm in Roanoke, Ind., is one of just a handful in the country that raises cows in an "all-natural, stress-free" environment. It's a painstaking process, but a worthwhile one: Beef from one Wagyu cow can sell for up to $30,000 at retail.
"It's not only one of the greatest tasting meats in the world," says Eshelman. "But it's also the most expensive meat in the world."
Would you expect anything less from a former Yankee? See more of Eshelman's story at Bloomberg.
-- Matt Monagan / MLB.com