Mahon making most of opportunity

It has been a productive two years for Tucson Sidewinders reliever Reid Mahon, who is now just one step away from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Not many baseball minds saw that coming.

In 2006, he was a nondrafted free agent out of the University of Minnesota. His hometown Minnesota Twins offered him a tryout. Arizona went a step further and offered to sign him.

"The Diamondbacks called and said we want you and this is what we're going to give you," Mahon said. "Just being given the opportunity and not having to go through the tryout process was a bonus in itself.

"I understand totally why I wasn't drafted. If I had come out of a Southern school and I threw hard, maybe. But I am not going to lie. There are no scouts that want to sit in the cold and watch baseball. It's a given to me."

Mahon, 25, made his Sidewinders' debut Wednesday night, pitching two scoreless innings to earn a save.

Mahon, a right-hander, finished 2-3 with a 4.25 ERA in his first pro season with Class-A Yakina last year.

He started this year at Class-A South Bend before moving on to Class-A Visalia and eventually Double-A Mobile. He was a combined 6-5 with 21 saves.

Mahon said he's motivated every game he suits up to play.

"Not too many people get to do what they love for a job," he said. "I truly love to play the game and not too many people get to do it.

"It's something I don't have to do. I don't have to play baseball. I have a college degree and I can go get a job that plays a lot more than a minor league salary. This is what I chose to do because I love it."

Mahon has a bachelor's degree in communication studies. He turned himself into a prospect with 18 saves and a 3.05 ERA at Mobile.

"I guess you can say I've become an opportunist," Mahon said. "I just go out and have fun with it instead of making it a life-and-death situation. It's just one more day at the ballyard. One more day with the jersey on my back.

"Obviously, I want to get better. I would love to play in the major leagues. For right now, I content at the path I am taking and the opportunities the Diamondbacks have given me."