With two recent adoptions, five kids in the house and MLB on hold, Brewers' Eric Sogard savors family time
In this pandemic-driven “safer-at-home” age of togetherness, imagine having three children ages 18 months and younger. And, oh yeah, two other children ages 4 and 6. Think you could handle that?
Eric and Kaycee Sogard not only can handle it, they are loving it, which is why they adopted two babies in less than a year’s time. The newest, a son named Rye, was born and adopted on March 11, the day before Eric’s baseball season with the Milwaukee Brewers was put on hold as spring training camps were closed by the spread of COVID-19.
“It has been the silver lining to all of this,” the 33-year-old infielder said during a Zoom session with his wife from their home in Glendale, Arizona. “I definitely miss baseball, but having this extra time with the family has been great.
“Last year we adopted (newborn daughter) Leyla at the end of April, so I only got to see her once or twice the first month because I was traveling (with the Toronto Blue Jays), and Kaycee had to stay here in Arizona. To be here with Rye and all the children is certainly a blessing.”
Sogard arranged to be away from the Brewers’ spring camp March 11 and 12 so he and Kaycee could make the 1½-hour drive northeast from Phoenix to Payson, Arizona, for the birth of their new son. While traveling for an earlier visit to meet the birth mother, the Sogards saw a sign for the tiny town of Rye, population 108 at latest count.
“We had been thinking about names for the baby and we couldn’t come up with anything,” Kaycee said. “We saw the sign for Rye, and I was like, ‘I kind of like that. That’s a cute name. What about Rye?’ And we ended up going with it for his name.”
By the time the Sogards returned to Phoenix with their latest family addition, the world of baseball had changed dramatically due to the sudden spread of the coronavirus. The Brewers were supposed to play split-squad exhibition games March 12 against Colorado (home) and Arizona (away) but they were canceled by rain.
Shortly afterward, the remainder of the Cactus League season was called off, as was the Grapefruit League schedule in Florida. The next day, players were given permission to return to their homes, with the start of the 2020 season postponed indefinitely.
“We were watching it unfold on TV while we were at the hospital (in Payson),” Kaycee said. “Things happened fast. Eric was nervous about having to miss a few days and then, as it turned out, he didn’t miss anything.”
'We knew we wanted a bigger family'
Just like that, the Sogards found themselves unexpectedly at home together with their burgeoning family, with a roll call that now includes daughters Saydee, 6, and Priar, 18 months; son Knix, 4; Leyla, who turned 1 on April 27; and Rye.
“People have told us we are crazy,” Kaycee said. “We’ve heard that a few times. We also hear ‘your hands are full’ a lot. We have a sign that says, ‘If you think our hands are full, you should see our hearts.’
“Baseball doesn’t stop our family unit. We knew we wanted a bigger family. We weren’t going to wait until Eric was done with baseball to do that. We know (baseball) will be gone one day and then we’ll just have our family together. I think about what it’s going to be like in the future at our Thanksgiving table.
“Priar and Leyla will actually be in the same grade at school so they will always be together.”
With three biological children of their own, the Sogards could have put the brakes on for a bit after the birth of Priar. Instead, they chose to hit the family accelerator through adoption, already a cherished process in Kaycee’s family.
“I have two sisters that are adopted, Bella and Natalie,” Kaycee said. “They are 12 and 13, so they’re a lot younger than me and my other (biological) sister (CJ).
“Eric and I were dating when my parents adopted the two younger ones. My (first adopted) sister was the first baby he ever held. So, we’ve been exposed to adoption for a long time. Me and my youngest sister are 20 years apart.”
As for her parents’ decision to adopt as empty-nesters, Kaycee said, “I wasn’t very surprised when they told me. My parents are very young at heart and are great people. I knew they would do something like that. It has been nice because (the adopted sisters) are closer in age to our kids. They’ve already done some babysitting. My parents live just down the street from us in Glendale.”
Of his eagerness to expand his family from the outside, Eric said, “On the adoption side, just being able to witness them being raised in Kaycee’s family home and the love they brought to their family was truly something special and something we’ve always wanted to do if it was possible. We were blessed with three truly amazing children and they made this possible for us, really, just how good kids they are.”
Eric, who played high school baseball in Phoenix, starred at Arizona State from 2005-07 under Pat Murphy, now the Brewers' bench coach. During his junior season there, Eric met Kaycee, a freshman softball player for the Sun Devils, and the two began dating. They were married in October 2011.
A second-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2007, Sogard later was traded to Oakland and played for the Athletics until signing with Milwaukee as a free agent in December 2016. After a solid ’17 season, he struggled mightily in ’18 and was released by the Brewers.
Rejuvenated career
A versatile, left-handed-hitter, Sogard rejuvenated his career with Toronto last year, playing so well (.300, 10 HRs, 30 RBI in 73 games) that Tampa Bay acquired him in late July for a playoff push. That showing put him back on the radar of the Brewers, who signed him to a $4.5 million free-agent deal with a club option for 2021.
With plans to expand his family further through the adoption of Rye, Sogard — whose bespectacled visage and diminutive size (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) led to the "Nerd Power" theme quickly embraced by fans — was thrilled to be back with the Brewers, whose spring training camp is a 25-minute drive from his house.
“I love everyone in the organization, and it makes everything run easier with this large family we have now,” said Sogard, who is expected to share time with Jedd Gyorko at third base if and when the 2020 season gets going. “Obviously, it’s challenging (playing baseball) during the year because I’m gone so much. But, if we start playing again and go to Milwaukee, the whole family will come. Our nanny is actually from up there in Appleton.
“Over the years, we’ve found a lot of people who can help in many ways. Having that support system and being able to trust everybody involved is important. Kaycee’s family is close by. Her younger sisters are always willing to babysit whenever needed. My parents are within driving range as well. So, having that help is very much needed, especially during the season.
“During the season is when it’s most challenging, especially when we’re on the road. The whole family moves to wherever the team is (located). We’ll bring our nanny with us and she turns into the ‘husband’ when I’m gone. When I come back home, I’m really excited to be with my family and spend time together.”
There are different avenues to explore in adopting children, both domestically and internationally. The Sogards chose to sign with an Arizona-based agency, which put them in touch with prospective birth mothers. A profile book on the Sogards, assembled by the agency, was used in the initial introduction process.
“The birth mother is the one who chooses the family,” Kaycee explained. “We were chosen twice within a year. Leyla was born the day before we found about her. With Rye, we matched with his birth mom two months before he was born. We got to be with her, get to know her and support her. She became like part of our family.
“To do three (children) so close together, within 18 months, we couldn’t have done that if our first two were hard to raise. They’ve been great. The girls (Priar and Leyla) are definitely like twins. Now, with Rye, it’s almost like having triplets.
“We wanted Knix to have a brother eventually. When you’re pregnant, you don’t have a choice (of gender). We figured God would give us whatever child we were supposed to have. But it’s great that Knix has a younger brother now. He’s going to be the best big brother ever.”
'Truly a blessing'
Beyond expanding her own family, Kaycee decided to further commit to the adoption process by joining the board of directors of the Arizona chapter of Gift of Adoption, a nationwide charitable organization that provides financial assistance to parents in wait. Grants are provided on a nondiscriminatory basis and paid directly to adoption agencies and attorneys working on the child’s behalf.
“The private adoption route can be very expensive,” Kaycee said. “There are a lot of things that need to change with that. It wasn’t a heavy burden for us, but we know for so many families it can be. It was something we already had discussed, a charity or organization we could support and help. ...
“We were blessed to also have biological children and know a lot of people aren’t able to. We’re very happy to help these families with the financial burden that can come with adoption.”
While many confined-at-home parents have been challenged during the pandemic to find things to do with their children, the Sogards have no such worries. When you add three to the brood in a year and a half, boredom is not really a concern.
“It has been truly a blessing to us to get to raise these children,” Eric said. “We knew we wanted four or five, and we knew we wanted to ‘bust them out’ close. We knew it would be challenging but we wanted to do it. It’s going to be fun to watch them grow together and be close together.
“I know when we start playing baseball again, I’m going to miss being with them.”