2 days ago
Providence's Kris Honel, a Chicago White Sox first-round pick, pitches in for Beecher Muskies. ‘Until I'm 50.'
Former Providence right-hander Kris Honel and his father, Mike, have gone through a lot together and are close, but even Mike didn't know how long his son planned to stay on the mound.
Honel — a pitcher who was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, by the Chicago White Sox in 2001 — had Tommy John surgery in 2005 and never made it to the major leagues.
But after being away from the game for more than 10 years, he's giving baseball another shot with the Beecher Muskies.
'I plan on pitching until I'm 50,' the 42-year-old Honel said before a July 31 pool-play game in the National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series. 'As long as my arm and my body hold up, I'm going to pitch.'
Mike, who has seen the highs and lows of his son's career, was surprised to hear that.
'He wants to go to 50?' Mike said. 'He said that? If he can do it, God bless him. I think 50 is a stretch. But he still likes going out there and loves competing.
'I guess until they tear the uniform off you, you might as well do it.'
The 6-foot-4 Honel is not ruling out a return to professional baseball, either. But he knows there's a long way to go if he could pull off such an improbable feat.
'My velocity is in the mid-to-upper 80s again,' Kris said. 'That's crazy. Every outing I pitch, I'm getting better and better.
'It's not my immediate plan. But if I start throwing in the low-to mid 90s again, maybe I'll start thinking about it. We're not quite there yet.'
Honel, meanwhile, is having fun playing with the Muskies, an amateur team that won the NABF Major Division World Series on Aug. 3 in Naperville.
In the Aug. 2 quarterfinals, Honel threw a seven-inning, complete-game victory in a 6-1 win over the Addison Braves. He gave up only one run on five hits.
The Muskies beat the Berea Ohio Blue Sox 10-6 the next day to win their second NABF World Series title, the first coming in 2010. Bremen alum Marty Coyle and Bryce Shafer were named co-MVPs. Andrew graduate AJ Le had 12 hits and 12 RBIs for the Muskies in the World Series.
Honel, who lives in the Kankakee area, threw in a handful of games for the Muskies in 2024 after contacting Hall of Fame coach Fred LeSage before the season began.
Honel said he worked hard during the offseason as if he were heading to spring training.
'It's coming around for him,' LeSage said of Honel. 'His stuff is really good. His fastball is good, but his breaking ball is really good, and when his breaking stuff is on, he is unhittable.'
Honel said he has been coaching young players as well as mentoring high school players. That helped pique his interest in returning to the mound competitively.
After the 2001 draft, Honel played in affiliated ball from 2001 to 2008 but never rose above the Double-A level. He was 5-7 with a 6.56 ERA in Double-A Birmingham before he opted for surgery. He played in independent leagues from 2009 to 2011 before hanging it up the first time.
He said he's proud of his career.
'I lived out my dreams,' he said. 'Did I get to that mountaintop where I wanted to be? No. But at the same time, I was pretty high up there. I was on the big-league roster when they won the World Series.
'I rubbed elbows with and got to play with some of the best players of this generation. I competed against them and did well against them. That's something I will always cherish and never take for granted.'
