Whether catching or batting, Chris Sargent Jr. rarely lets his emotions get the best of him regardless of his performance. The San Antonio Missions’ catcher is driven by his faith in God, and he takes pride in being a steady presence for his teammates. From reassuring pitchers, to making timely throws against baserunners, to even some frustrating at bats from time to time, Sargent Jr. remains grateful and approaches every day with appreciation for the opportunity to make a difference through baseball.
This perspective has aided Sargent Jr. to embrace the catching position in baseball, an oftentimes overlooked yet critical position as the athlete remains scrunched down in between balls and strikes. It remains a challenging position to stay vigilant in, but Sargent Jr. wouldn’t have it any other way as he desires the leadership role that comes with being a catcher.
“Being a catcher is the most important position but the most [overlooked],” Sargent Jr. said. “You got to take beatings, you can’t take your at bat out there, because then you’re not locked in out there. You have to stay locked in.”
“It’s a little more of a leadership role behind the plate. You get to see the whole field, you’re kind of the captain of what you see,” Sargent Jr. said. “The purpose is to keep the pitcher and everyone else locked in, understanding what guys are best at with the coaching staff.”
As stressful as the position may seem, Sargent Jr. thrives in it. The responsibility of being depended on in addition to the team bonding opportunities to build trust between himself and the pitching staff keeps him motivated to truly embrace the gritty role and blossom into a controlled leader for the Missions.
“You have to be able to separate your at bat by about five seconds, grieve on it for 2-3 seconds, then go back out there to be the foundation for the pitcher to trust, and be in the best shape I can be mentally to help them get through the game,” Sargent Jr. said.
Sargent Jr. said his favorite part about his gig is throwing baserunners out and staying emotionally stable for his starting pitchers regardless of how good or bad they play. He is passionate about being their rock to lean on when throughout the emotional rollercoaster of a ball game.
“You have to have a firm foundation for the pitcher even if they give up a home run, you have to reassure and give them confidence,” Sargent Jr. said. “Starters have one day a week and that’s their World Series that one day, so I take pride in controlling my emotions.”
“If you can control your emotions, you’re going to be the best player you can be because this whole game is about the mental side of things,” Sargent Jr. said. “Everyone here has the ability to play in the big leagues, it’s the ability to turn it on and turn it off when they need to.”
Sargent Jr’s mental fortitude was built throughout his long, bumpy road to professional baseball. After establishing himself as a hard hitting first baseman at The University of Southern Mississippi in hopes of getting drafted in 2023, Sargent found himself working in chemical plants and construction feeling as if he was lacking purpose in life.
“When I got away from the game, seeing how different life was… Getting away from it all, going to work, seeing life from a different perspective. It was a reality check. I still wanted to be on the field, still had the urge, still felt like I had more to give to the game,” Sargent Jr. said.
Sargent Jr. found himself still hungry, wanting to scratch the itch of playing professional baseball again during a difficult point in his life. Sargent Jr. found an opportunity with the Ogden Raptors of the independent Pioneer League, also known as “Indy ball.” Sargent Jr. claimed this was the most memorable part of his journey, being thankful to find happiness again in life and to break free from the shackles of work.
“Even though it was a grind, it was a different perspective to find that happiness within myself again and just have fun. In college you know it’s like ‘I wanna get drafted, I wanna get drafted’, but at the same time it may not happen,” Sargent Jr. said. “Just to get back and have fun in a different perspective, you can realize how the game can take you in different ways through life.”
Having fun is one way to put it when your batting average is over .380, hitting 30 plus dingers and going for more than 100 RBI’s in 80 games. Sargent Jr. was named the Pioneer League MVP in 2025 after returning for another season with monstrous numbers. However, even with impressive statistics, Sargent Jr. remained doubtful, wondering how much more he needed to prove to get to the next level.
“Then all of a sudden a very important guy in the Padres organization decides he wants to come watch and he found me,” Sargent Jr. said.
That very important guy was Logan White, Director of Player Personnel for the San Diego Padres and Senior Advisor to the General Manager. Because White saw him in the Pioneer League, the Padres gave Sargent Jr. an opportunity to inch closer to his dreams by signing him halfway into the 2025 season.
With as with many doubts and struggles that Sargent Jr. encountered along his journey, he credits his faith for keeping him grounded and resilient.
“Faith’s everything to me. In that period of time everything was tough for me… mentally, spiritually, everything,” Sargent Jr. said. “I think that’s when I really grew the closest to God. Sometimes in life we get sidetracked because life is hard at times, but at the end of the day I know he has a plan for me because at every step I’ve been I’ve always been kinda overlooked in a way. God’s always helped me find the way back to where I needed to be.”
“In reality what I do on the field comes second. If I do bad on the field, yeah you’re a little upset but when you go home and take it to the house then you got people you’re around that it could affect,” Sargent Jr. said.
Although his faith gives him peace of mind and confidence to move positively daily as a Double-A baseball player, Sargent Jr. has hit a bit of a slump offensively in comparison to his outstanding resume. However, his willingness to remain positive and his love for God keeps him unfazed during his struggles.
“I don’t want people to see my negative emotions too much. I’m 0 for 20 here in the past several weeks and they're not going to see a difference in me. What’s me getting mad going to do? It’ll make it worse, make people around me worse,” Sargent Jr. said.
Relying on the same faith that helped Sargent Jr. navigate uncertainty after dominating as a Golden Eagle and a Raptor continues to guide him through the highs and lows of professional baseball. He stays focused on the people who have supported him throughout instead of worrying too much on results.
“Knowing that God’s always with me. I’m grateful to wake up every day,” Sargent Jr. said. “It’s really a true blessing to wake up because millions of people didn’t wake up this morning. I have family, a girlfriend and her family, friends and people that support me and stuck by me because it hasn’t always been easy. I’m grateful for the ability to play the game. My talents are from God.”
For Sargent Jr., he considers his talents to be a God given gift as a bigger platform to spread the word of God.
“At the end of the day it’s about reaching people that feel like their life's over. As long as you wake up, your life’s never over. There’s always a purpose to live. I’ve been there,” Sargent Jr said.
The Wilmer, Alabama native, is still confident he could reach the Majors someday to not only succeed as an athlete but as a messenger of faith.
“Hopefully one day I’ll be on a bigger stage to talk about it even more,” Sargent Jr. said.