The playing careers of most Harvard athletes rarely extends past senior year.

Not so for John Birtwell ’01. The former Harvard ace has found a spot in the professional ranks—as closer for the Oneonta Tigers, the short-season, single-A affiliate of the Detriot Tigers.

And about two weeks ago, he saw his own baseball card.

“It’s not the most flattering thing in the world, but I was actually on a baseball card,” he said.

Birtwell’s move towards the big leagues occurred in whirlwind fashion last June when the Tigers plucked him in the 30th round with the 897th overall pick just two days before commencement. Two days after receiving his diploma, he was at mini-camp and by June 15, he was signed.

Just like that, the 1999 Ivy Pitcher of the Year was playing baseball for a living.

“It feels like I’m just cheating the system,” Birtwell said. “The whole world’s going in one direction and you’re going in another. It is baseball, but it’s still a job.”

It may not be a 9-to-5 gig, but Birtwell has begun to settle into his role as Oneonta’s stopper. Birtwell admits it’s been an adjustment after being the staff workhouse and No. 1 starter at Harvard last year.

“The difference is that now you have to learn from the things that you want badly and put them out of your head as fast as possible,” Birtwell said. “As a starter, you get five days in between to do that. [As a closer], if things don’t go well, you still have to go in the next day.

“I personally feel more suited to a starting role,” Birtwell added. “[The Tigers organization] thinks that the way I throw, relief work and closing is going to be a good idea. But next week, things could be completely different.”

For now, the Tigers prefer using Birtwell out of the pen—and all of the time. Birtwell made 23 appearances for Oneonta last year, more than anyone on the team. He notched seven saves and finished with a 1-2 record and 3.76 ERA. He also had 43 strikeouts, fifth-best on the staff.

His pitching nearly helped lift Oneonta into playoff contention in the New York-Penn League. The Tigers finished with a mark of 37-37, good for third place.

“[Birtwell] had a closer-like mentality,” said an American League scout who watched him pitch last summer. “He was really aggressive. He came right at you.”

For the past several weeks, Birtwell has resided in Lakeland, Fla., site of the Tigers’ spring training facility. Before the big league club broke camp for opening day, Birtwell was practicing alongside major league ballplayers. For Birtwell, the experience dissipated some of the mist surrounding the stars.

“It humanizes everything,” he said. “It brings it down to a level where you can see the top.”