Photo by Doug Koontz After being released by the Minnesota Twins organization, Walkersville gradaute Dan Leatherman did a lot of traveling and eventually ended up with the Hagerstown Suns. Here, he signs autographs before a home game against the Delmarva Shorebirds last week.

He didn't know if he still had a career in professional baseball.

Today, the right-hander is part of the Washington Nationals organization as a relief pitcher with the Class A Hagerstown Suns. He not only is able to continue his pro career, but he can better take care of his wife and two young children because he plays for an organization that has three minor league teams in the region.

"It was actually a blessing," Leatherman said of his release. "Right now money is very tight in our family because of the economy. I may have had to quit baseball because of money issues. If I had been making the money we make in the minors, it would have been tough to have an apartment and try and take care of my family. But when Washington called, it was like a big relief came off my shoulders because I knew I was going to play baseball again for an organization that is close to my house."

Leatherman lives in Walkersville with his parents. Even if he should get promoted to high Class A Potomac or Class AA Harrisburg, he won't have to move his family.

"If my parents weren't able to help us out financially, I wouldn't be playing baseball right now," he said.

Leatherman sat in the stands at Hagerstown Municipal Stadium prior to a game against Delmarva last week and talked about his career. He signed with the Twins as a free agent in June of 2006 after one year at West Virginia University and two years at FCC. He was 11-5 with a 3.00 in two years with the Twins organization. Last year he was 7-4 with a 3.89 ERA and five saves at low-A Beloit.

He went to spring training this year and started out with the Class AA team. He said he had three decent outings. Then, he was told to report to the office of Jim Rantz, the Twins director of minor league operations.

"You don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing," he said of going to see Rantz. "They could tell you are going across the street to the big league camp, they could tell you are staying at Double A, they can tell you anything. But I could tell when I walked into the room it wasn't a good situation."

He was told he was being released.

"Basically, they told me they didn't have a spot for me," he said. "They didn't want to send me back to low Single-A, but they didn't have a spot for me in the Florida State League. I was not a draft pick, I was a free agent that didn't get much money. I was one of the first guys to go."

They also told him that they liked him and would let other organizations know he was available. By the time he got back to his hotel room, the 22-year-old Leatherman already had phone calls from several independent teams.

He remembers packing up, saying goodbye to some of his friends, but not others who were on the field, and taking the 18-hour drive from spring training at Fort Myers to Frederick .

"Driving home, I had a lot of time to think about everything, I had a lot of mixed emotions. But first instinct was to be angry," he said. "But it happens. I'm not angry at Minnesota now. They actually did me a favor, instead of keeping me and letting me stay there (in Beloit) and I guess you could say rot, they had enough respect for me as a pitcher to let me go and get picked up by someone else."

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LEATHERMAN HIRED AN AGENT and began to think about independent ball. He feels he became too complacent and being released helped motivate him. He never thought about quitting.

"I knew I would hate myself if I did that because the big leagues and the minor leagues are so far away, but also really close," he said. "You can have one good season and you can almost be there, and you can have two good seasons and you can be there. Or you could have one bad season and be gone."

In early April he signed with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Northern League. They made him a good offer, one where he could afford to take his family to live in Canada. In early May he drove 25 hours to Canada. A few days later he was headed back to Florida.

The Nationals had called and were interested. He signed with them and went to extending spring training.

"I was doing a lot of traveling at the time," he said.

He spent about a month in Florida.

"I was kind of getting a little bit discouraged," he said. "I was there for longer than I expected. I didn't know what was going on and hadn't been told too much. I didn't have any idea where I was going to be."

Then on May 28 he got the call to report to Hagerstown.

"Hagerstown was only 45 minutes from my home," he said. "But I didn't care where they put me as long as I had a job. As long as I have a jersey, I am all right."

"When a spot became available here, he moved up and fit right in," Suns pitching coach Paul Menhart said.

A set-up man, he is 1-0 with a 1.40 ERA in nine games. He has just two walks in 19 1-3 innings.

"He has the ability to throw three quality pitches, all for strikes," Menhart said. "He's been a set-up guy, but could close. He has a lot of confidence and is a good student of the game. He has gotten a second chance and he's taking advantage of it."

If Leatherman continues to do well, he could move up to Potomac of the Carolina League and one day be pitching at Harry Grove Stadium against the Keys. He grew up watching the Keys and Orioles.

"That would meant a lot, because I would have a lot of people supporting me," he said of pitching in Frederick . "My senior year we won the state championship in high school and nothing can replace that emotion. But that (pitching in Frederick ) would be pretty close. When you come back to your hometown and are playing pro ball, a lot of people look up to you."