The roar of a packed Major League stadium may be behind him, but for Matt Capps, the game that shaped his life is still very much a part of who he is.
Today, Capps can often be found on a baseball field in Roswell, encouraging young players, talking with parents, and helping build a program designed to give local athletes the opportunity to grow without leaving their hometown.
For Capps, baseball has always been about more than wins and losses. The lessons he learned throughout his career now shape his work as a broadcaster, coach, and community leader in Roswell.
Growing up in Georgia, baseball quickly became more than a pastime. His father, Mike, introduced him to the game and helped establish the values that would remain with him throughout his professional career.
When asked who influenced him most growing up in the game, Capps didn't hesitate.
"My father for sure."
Those early years laid the foundation for a remarkable professional career. Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2002, Capps worked his way through the minor leagues before making his Major League debut in 2005. Over an eight-year career, he pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals, and Minnesota Twins, earning recognition as one of baseball's top relief pitchers. In 2010, he was selected to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, one of the sport's highest honors. He later spent time with the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks before retiring from professional baseball.
"It’s hard to say one moment in particular as most proud, but pitching in the All-Star Game and representing my team was certainly at the top of the list!"
"The Pirates drafted me and gave me the opportunity to be a big leaguer for the first time. Honoring the chance they gave me to live out my life long dream was very special. As I got to know the people of Pittsburgh and understand the grittiness of our fanbase, it made it even more special to wear the black and gold!"
Eventually, Capps knew it was time for a new chapter.
"I still don’t think I’m over the game and competing, but it became clear that the game had moved on from me. I remember a veteran player telling me early in my career that at every point in every player's journey, something tells you that it’s over. Mine was expedited by an injury, but the next wave of players quickly surpassed what I was able to do and I knew my window to compete was closing."
Broadcasting came unexpectedly.
"This is a great lesson in life! Always treat people with respect and how you would want to be treated. I got a call with an opportunity to get into broadcasting by the director for the Pirates. He remembered my name because of how he saw me interacting with fans, employees, and my teammates."
Although baseball has taken him across the country, Roswell became home for a simple reason.
"I grew up in Georgia and would play a lot of my high school summer ball around the Roswell area and always loved being here. My wife and I are good friends with Jimmy Barthmaier (Roswell High School legend) and his wife, Maria. We came to visit them and decided Roswell is where we wanted to be."
That vision led to BSBL, a youth baseball program whose name spells "baseball" without the vowels.
"We wanted to create a place for kids to compete at a high level in Roswell. There are a bunch of good programs around us, but local kids would have to leave the city to compete and we wanted to provide a place that could be home for kids to play from the very beginning of their baseball days from T-Ball and coach pitch with the rec department through high school."
"My hope through our coaches is that the players learn and develop a love of what I believe is the greatest game on the planet. We preach attitude and effort as this game is a very difficult game to play. We want to control the controllables. Our attitude and effort will always be within our ability to control."
Those same values were first taught by his father.
"Attitude and effort were all he preached. We had plenty of skill and fundamental conversations, but I never saw him mad or frustrated if he knew I was giving everything I had."
That same philosophy now shapes the culture he hopes to build in Roswell; a place where young athletes become better teammates, stronger competitors, and better people.
Away from baseball, Capps has also found a passion for real estate and development.
"So many wonderful things about Roswell like Canton Street, our parks and the ability to be outside. I can’t wait for Hillrose Market (a mixed-use development in Downtown Roswell) to be completed and open, but mostly the people and the feeling of community that we have here."
"People may not know that I like the real estate world and seeing things built. I’ve been involved with Hillrose Market and seeing it come out of the ground."
For Matt Capps, the uniform may have changed, but the mission remains remarkably similar: show up, work hard, respect people, and leave the game and the community better than you found it.
"My hope through our coaches is that the kids learn and develop a love of what I believe is the greatest game on the planet. We preach attitude and effort. We want to control the controllables, and our attitude and effort are always within our ability to control."