BANGOR – Timing is everything in baseball.

Little more than two weeks ago, Edwin Thompson was looking for a place to play baseball. The Bangor Lumberjacks were looking for an outfielder.

This is what led Thompson, a four-year letterman at Jay High School who graduated in 1998, to sign with the Lumberjacks on June 28. Both Thompson and his new team got more than they bargained for.

“He’s probably been our biggest pleasant surprise this year,” Bangor general manager Curt Jacey said. “We’ve had some injuries and some players go down, so it’s nice when you can find that hidden gem.”

Providing a spark

This 23-year-old gem has been trying to reveal himself to major league organizations ever since he graduated from Webber University in Florida this past spring. He’s attended tryouts up and down the East Coast, hoping to get an offer.

During his last tryout with the Pirates at the University of Southern Maine, someone told him the Lumberjacks were looking for outfielders. Thompson talked to Bangor manager Kash Beauchamp, who invited him to take batting practice with the team, which moved to Bangor from Glens Falls, N.Y. this year and plays in the independent Northeast League.

“I really didn’t know what to expect because the talent level was really high,” Thompson said. “A lot of these guys have five or six years of (professional) experience, but it’s baseball. If you can play, you can play.”

Beauchamp put Thompson in the starting lineup the day he signed. He went 1-for-3, then the following day, went 3-for-4, knocked in his first run and was a home run short of a cycle. He’s been a regular outfielder or DH ever since, batting sixth or seventh in the lineup, and is currently hitting .278 through 17 games.

But Thompson’s impact has gone beyond the numbers, Jacey said.

“Our fortunes turned around once he signed,” Jacey said.

“When he came in, we were kind of at a low point, and I think he provided that spark for us on and off the field, and it’s very contagious,” he added.

Thompson’s enthusiasm breathed new life into a team whose 22-man roster had been depleted by injuries. His work ethic reinvigorated many of the players on the team, Jacey said.

None of this surprises Chris Bessey, Thompson’s former coach at Jay. Thompson hit .509 there and was an all-state selection junior and senior seasons, even though there were arguably many more talented players on the field.

“If we’d let him, he probably would have hit in the cage in the gym around the clock,” said Bessey. “He wasn’t a superstar. A lot of people I talk with when I mention Edward’s name say, ‘I don’t remember Edwin playing.’ Well, I do.”

John Winkin, the legendary University of Maine coach, remembered him and called Jacey after the Lumberjacks signed him to congratulate the team. Jacey was impressed by Winkin’s endorsement, but was even more impressed when he saw Thompson patrol the outfield with his 6-2, 195-pound frame.

“He’s a smooth athlete,” Jacey said. “He kind of glides in the outfield when he runs.”

Getting better every day

Thompson didn’t glide his way through college ball, though he sometimes made it look that easy. He played at Howard University his freshman year and transferred to Maryland for his sophomore year, then moved one to Webber for his junior and senior years.

“That not a real easy way to go about things, moving from school to school like that. But the coaches who brought me (to Howard and Maryland) left after one year, so I’ve had to be really self-motivated,” Thompson said. “My attitude was ‘first one there, last one to leave’ in high school, and I take that same approach here.”

“The main thing was, I just wanted to play every day,” he added. “That’s the only way you get better.”

To that end, Thompson played whenever and wherever he could. When the college season ended, he would work out with the Jay High School team. He spent summers playing in a wooden-bat league in Virginia similar to the Cape Cod League.

The hard work paid off his senior year at Webber. The team was ranked in top 25 nationally in NAIA and set school a record for wins. Thompson set a school record for doubles, hit .324 and was named all-conference in Florida Sun Conference.

Undrafted last month, Thompson tried out for the Devils Rays, Phillies, Orioles, Red Sox and Pirates, but always knew that he might have to seek an alternative route to his dream of playing in the big leagues.

“I always figured if I didn’t get picked up by an organization, I could play independent ball,” Thompson said. “The competition is really good as far as the pitching goes.”

“The way they pitch here is a lot different than college,” he added. “The sequences and the way they mix their pitches takes some adjusting, but so far, I’m doing all right.”

One of Maine’s own

Playing in Bangor has been a bonus. As the first Mainer to play for the Lumberjacks (former Lisbon star Jeremy Shorey tried out for the team but was cut in preseason), Thompson has become an instant fan favorite. Family and friends, including coach Bessey, have made the trek to Mahaney Diamond, the Lumberjacks’ temporary home on the University of Maine campus, to see him play.

“That’s the best part because a lot of people haven’t seen me play since high school,” he said.

Playing a two-hour drive from home is nice, but he hopes one day that they’ll be coming to see him play at Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium or “The Vet” in Philadelphia. It’s not as unlikely as some might think. Earlier this week, the Seattle Mariners bought Tim Rall, a left-handed pitcher for Bangor, and placed him on one of their Single A minor league teams.

Thompson, like every other on the Lumberjacks’ roster, sees Bangor as a means to an end.

“My ultimate goal is to get to the big leagues, obviously, but right now, I just try to get better every day,” he said. “That’s how I’ll get the opportunity.”

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