SB Cubs outfielder Brandon Cummins' back story almost out of a movie

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. -

Imagine being told you aren't good enough to continue playing the game you've played your whole life.

It's something that South Bend Cubs outfielder Brandon Cummins plays through his head a lot and it serves as motivation, even though the motivation was sometimes hard to find.

"Baseball is a game of failure, you're going to fail, and sometimes it's going to seem like you won't stop failing," Cummins said.

Another message Cummins takes with him to the baseball field.

"It's all I've done every summer," Cummins said.

However, the game of baseball, didn't always love Cummins back. The Cleveland, Mississippi native flourished in high school, but it didn't yield any offers from colleges, so Cummins had to go to community college. After finally getting a spot at Delta State, a division II school in Mississippi, Cummins found his stroke once again.

"I hit .350, I broke the triples record, 12 doubles," Cummins said.

But those impressive stats didn't lead to him getting drafted in the MLB draft, a real blow to the confidence of Cummins.

"After the draft, I started to play back my career, it's probably because of this, I wasn't big enough or I didn't hit enough home runs, I just don't have the stuff," Cummins said.

Cummins didn't stay away from baseball for too long, joining the Mississippi Braves, the Atlanta Braves AA affiliate, but not as a player, but as an intern, helping sell tickets.

"I wanted to be around baseball even though I couldn't play," Cummins said.

Until one day.

"Just sitting at my desk, I'm supposed to be doing work but I Was so bored, just started searching major league baseball tryouts, all the camps had closed but one of the related searches was independent league baseball."

Cummins found a tryout and eventually signed on with the Southern Illinois Miners, where he hit .350 and earned himself another tryout the following spring.

"Later on, he [the scout] said keep your phone by you, in case something happens and when he said that, I was holding it like this," Cummins said. 

Then the call came in.

"He said, how would you like to be a part of the Chicago Cubs? I said stop lying, he's like no I got you a spot at spring training, starting thanking him, started crying," Cummins said.

A long road from selling tickets to now playing right field for the South Bend Cubs, a chance for Cummins to finally show what he's got.

"I've never had the opportunity to be like, we have to have this kid, I've never been that guy so it's always been about proving myself, even in college, small kid nobody wanted me," Cummins said.
"For me to not get drafted, go to indy ball, and now to here, it was like everything's starting to play out. ((butted)) I don't know how it played out this way, I'm just thankful it has."

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