From rehab stint to Houston Astros World Series champion: The exceptional story of Evan Gattis who worked odd jobs before foraying into MLB

Utility man Evan Gattis may not have been the best player that ever was, but his road to MLB was certainly among the more interesting. A late bloomer to be sure, Gattis' story reaffirms to age-old adage that giving up is never the answer.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Evan Gattis showed tremendous promise from a young age. A star player at Bishop Lynch High School in Dallas, he was offered a scholarship to play varsity ball at Texas A&M.

Unfortunately, Gattis began abusing cannabis and alcohol as a senior in high school, and never showed up to Texas A&M. After attending rehab to manage his addictions, Evan Gattis enrolled at Oklahoma Seminole Junior College, but soon withdrew after injuries kept him back from reaching his full potential.

After dropping out, Gattis spent years doing menial jobs, and not paying much attention to baseball at all. His gigs included working as a ski lift operator in Colorado, a parking valet, and even a janitor.

"Evan Gattis was a janitor 10 years ago. Today he’s a World Series champion. He is the American dream." - Cloyd Rivers

Eventually, Gattis ended up in Santa Cruz, California. There, he became aquainted with John Wheeler, a spiritualist who became a mentor. Aware of Gattis' baseball talent, Wheeler encourages him to pick the bat back up again.

After re-enrolling at a Texas College, Gattis' play began to draw attention from MLB teams. The Atlanta Braves ended up selecting him in the 23rd round of the 2010 draft. In 2013, his first season with the Braves, Gattis hit .243/.291/.480 with 21 home runs and 65 RBIs, earning a seventh-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

In early 2015, Gattis was traded to the Houston Astros. In 2016, he hit 32 home runs and 72 RBIs, the best offensive stats of any player not named to an All-Star team that year. As a 29-year old, Gattis was finally making a name for himself in the big leagues.

In 2017, Evan Gattis' Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the franchise's first career World Series.

Evan Gattis' story gives hopes for ballplayers everywhere

While going off the rails as a promising high school senior is far from adviseable, there are plenty of aspiring stars who feel they have no chance. If Gattis' story teaches us anything, it's that it is never too late to shine.

His World Series win was the culmination of years of toil at every level of the game. Although Gattis has since retired from MLB, his story will likely always serve as an inspiration.