CINCINNATI -- Just like old times, the Nolan family of Fond du Lac, Wis., will have homemade banana bread waiting when Brewers rookie Caleb Durbin comes “home” on Wednesday night.
Born and raised in northern Illinois and educated at Washington University in St. Louis, Durbin began to feel like a big leaguer on bus trips across Wisconsin during his three summers in the Northwoods League, a circuit that offers collegiate players experience playing with wood bats. Durbin played the final two of those seasons for the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, who will celebrate his ascent to Milwaukee’s Major League infield during their game against the Green Bay Rockers on Thursday night.
To make the experience complete, Durbin will bunk with Renee and Mike Nolan, who hosted him in 2020 and ‘21 when he was on the cusp of a career in professional baseball.
“I knew he was going to make it,” Renee said. “He’s a gritty, determined, hardworking kid. Always was.”
The Nolans have hosted eight to nine ballplayers over the years after their own two graduated high school and went on to college. Hosting Dock Spiders players in their furnished basement was a way to stay connected to sports, and Durbin is the first big leaguer to emerge from that bunch.
He had to buck the odds to make it this far, standing 5-foot-7 and coming from a Division III college program. Playing in the Northwoods League went a long way to making his Major League dream a reality, Durbin said, because it exposed him to hitting with wood bats and to the rigors of a Minor League schedule.
“I always had a chip on my shoulder in that league because I was playing against guys from bigger schools,” Durbin said. “There was always that edge. I wanted to prove myself, even in my last year right up until I got drafted.”
That was in June 2021, when the Braves selected Durbin in the 14th round with the 427th overall pick.
“The day he got drafted, I was sitting out on our porch reading a book,” Renee said. “And all of a sudden he comes up and sets his computer down by me, and he said, ‘I’m about to go.’ I said, ‘What do you mean, you’re about to go?’
“He’s very humble, and he never talked about [the Draft]. We would mention it and he would say, ‘Yeah, some people are looking at me, some teams.’ So when he sat next to me, I got out my phone and got ready to record. So I was there when he got the call from the Braves. I said the poor guy had to celebrate with just me, his host mom.”
Durbin is one of four former Dock Spiders to make his Major League debut this season, with White Sox infielder Tim Elko, Padres right-hander Ryan Bergert and Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson.
Durbin called himself “super lucky” to have landed with the Nolans for parts of those two seasons, and they followed his career every step of the way through the Braves’ and Yankees’ Minor League systems until a December trade brought him back to Wisconsin with the Brewers. When Durbin tallied two hits in his Major League debut at American Family Field on April 18, the Nolans were in the stands.
They will be in the stands again on Thursday night in Fond du Lac for Durbin’s return, when he’s set to sign autographs, take photos and throw a ceremonial first pitch.
“It’s kind of a full-circle moment,” Durbin said. “That was a big opportunity for me. I was really excited about playing there when I had the chance. Being a D-III guy like me, you need to have those summer ball opportunities to stand out.”