Iowa legislator J.D. Scholten captivates baseball world by playing at age 44 – and winning

SIOUX CITY – Sioux City Explorers pitcher J.D. Scholten is in the team’s bullpen along the left-field line at Lewis and Clark Park, getting ready for his start against the Lincoln Saltdogs on Aug. 1.

It’s about 20 minutes before the game, and Scholten, who has been stretching in the outfield, barely breaks a sweat on the muggy night as he uses a resistance band tied to a fence to stretch his arm.

“I don’t feel 44,” Scholten says.

But Scholten is indeed 44. And that’s not the only unusual part of his story.

Scholten is also a member of the Iowa House, representing District 1 as a Democrat in the Legislature. While campaigning for reelection this summer, he's pitched for an Independent League team – and become one of the most captivating stories in baseball.

He isn’t just pitching. He’s winning. And throwing better than ever.

"I've never seen anything like it," Explorers broadcaster Dan Vaughn said.

It’s hard to believe. Scholten has earned a spot in Sioux City’s starting rotation, despite being nearly twice as old as his teammates and competition. He’s one of the team’s most consistent pitchers and among the best in the league.

“This is so darn special,” Scholten said.

Scholten begins his professional baseball career after college

Growing up, Scholten had aspirations of being a professional baseball player. He had all the tools as a lanky right-hander who owned a variety of off-speed pitches to complement a fastball that topped out at 93 mph in college. That skillset made Scholten a standout at Sioux City East High School and at Morningside University in Sioux City, where he played for his dad, Jim. He later transferred to Nebraska, where he pitched for the Cornhuskers and led the team in earned-run average in 2002.

“He was real good,” his father said.

So good that professional opportunities presented themselves. Scholten wasn't drafted, so he went the Independent League route, playing for teams not affiliated with a Major League Baseball franchise. The first opportunity was with the Saskatoon Legends for half a season in Saskatchewan, Canada. When the league folded, Scholten moved back to Iowa and pitched for the Explorers for the second half of the season.

Scholten was always looking for a shot to pitch. When Scholten got a job in Seattle and moved to the West Coast, one of the first things he did was look for teams to play for. He spent the 2013 season pitching for the Northwest Honkers. Scholten also pitched in Belgium, France and Cuba until he retired at age 34.

"The arm wasn't feeling great, and it's hard to find someone to play catch with when you're 34," Scholten said.

Scholten moved back to Iowa and soon ran for Congress in 2018 and again in 2020, but lost in Iowa's most heavily Republican district. After not picking up a baseball for years, he showed up at the Iowa State Fair and participated in a speed pitch contest. Scholten threw more than 80 mph, winning a large minion doll. His urge to pitch started to return.

It became more intense during the COVID-19 pandemic when most events and activities were canceled. He passed the time by watching YouTube videos of pitchers. He studied their mechanics and began to ask himself: "What if I had done this or done that? Could I have pitched even better?" He bought a couple of dozen baseballs and a net and started throwing in his backyard.

Scholten liked what he saw. So he called his town-ball coach and asked if he could play for the team. Scholten racked up 10 wins his first season back on the mound in 2021. Off the field, he found success as well. In November 2022, he won his state legislative race, running unopposed in Iowa's District 1.

Not wanting to give up baseball quite yet, he asked what his legislative obligations were that first summer. "None," he was told. So he reached out to teams in Europe to see if anyone needed a pitcher. Scholten signed with the Twins Oosterhout in the top tier of professional baseball in the Netherlands.

"I learned a ton about myself as a pitcher," Scholten said of the experience.

When Scholten returned to the United States, he kept pestering teams about playing. One of them was his hometown Explorers. Scholten had played for the team in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007 and had thrown for pitching coach Bobby Post once in 2009. But Scholten had gotten older and lost some velocity on his fastball by then. He wasn't the pitcher he used to be. The Explorers passed on him.

Scholten "wasn't really better than anything I had at the time," Post said.

Scholten gets a surprise start for the Explorers and earns his way into the starting rotation

Scholten was sitting in the stands at Lewis and Clark Park on July 5, taking in the game as a fan. As he ate a brat and drank some beers, the Explorers struggled. They burned through four members of their bullpen in a 17-6 loss to the Milwaukee Milkmen. Scholten was stopped as he and a friend were leaving the park.

"Somebody said, 'You should probably wear a uniform,'" Scholten recalled.

Turns out the person was right. The next day, Explorers pitcher Jared Wetherbee, the scheduled starter for that night's game, arrived at the stadium and told the team's staff that he couldn't pitch. The Explorers didn't have many other options on their roster. Sioux City manager Steve Montgomery called college kids he knew in the area to see if any could fill in, but he couldn't find anyone.

Then he remembered Scholten. The two had traded emails for months, and Scholten repeatedly told Montgomery that if the team ever needed an arm, he'd be willing to pitch. With the Explorers desperate for a pitcher, Montgomery picked up his phone.

Scholten, who was volunteering at a local music festival, missed calls from Montgomery and Post. When Scholten finally got a break from delivering water and ice, he was stunned to hear about the opportunity. The timing couldn't have been worse, though: He'd had an intense workout and threw a 60-pitch bullpen the day before. He worried he might not have the strength to pitch competitively. Montgomery and Post were desperate, though.

"He's like, 'Are you joking around,'" Montgomery said. "I'm like, 'No, I'm dead serious.'"

Scholten was game. But he had to find someone else to fill in for him at the festival. After about 10 minutes, he called Montgomery back and agreed to play. Scholten rushed to the stadium, signed a blank contract and was named that night's starter.

He was outstanding, allowing just one run while pitching into the seventh inning of an 11-2 win over Milwaukee. Montgomery lifted Scholten with two outs in the seventh, and the crowd gave him a big ovation. Fans, relievers in the bullpen and coaches and players on the bench stood up and cheered as he walked off the field.

"What they witnessed, I couldn't believe," Montgomery said.

That was just the start.

Scholten quits his job and goes all-in on pitching for the Explorers

The Explorers turned to Scholten for a second outing on July 11. He delivered again, allowing just one run on seven hits in six innings of work to get the win and improve to 2-0. That led to another chance. And another.

Nine days later, Scholten tossed another gem, allowing just two runs, one earned in 5⅓ innings of work to move to 3-0. During a start on July 26, he allowed three earned runs in 4⅓ innings and got a no-decision. And on Aug. 1, Scholten scattered nine hits in 6⅓ innings to stay perfect with a 4-0 record. Scholten didn't suffer his first loss until his sixth outing, when he gave up seven runs in six innings on the road against the Kansas City Monarchs Tuesday.

With his hot start, Scholten became a topic of conversation nationally in the baseball world. The Baseball Hall of Fame took notice, too, asking Scholten to send his Explorers cap to the museum in Cooperstown, N.Y .

His stuff isn't flashy, but it is effective. His fastball doesn't reach 90 anymore (it's more like the mid 80s), and he doesn't try to overpower his opponents. Instead, he attacks the strike zone and uses the knowledge and experience he's acquired over the years to get batters out. If he sees someone struggling to hit a curveball, he'll continually throw one until the batter proves he can hit it. Scholten is winning in a league full of players who have been part of affiliated ball, with some even making it to the big leagues.

"He's the Greg Maddux" of the league, Post said, referring to the Hall of Fame pitcher known for his brainy approach and pinpoint command.

The comparison is apt. Scholten isn't afraid to give up hits. His goal is to induce soft contact. While most pitchers in the league are focused on overpowering opponents and showcasing a flashy fastball to get the attention of Major League Baseball scouts, all Scholten wants to do is get outs and help his team win.

And he's done plenty of that lately. So much so that the Explorers have kept Scholten in their rotation, even with their bullpen back to full strength. He's been that good.

"If you're a young ballplayer and you want to know how to pitch, that's exactly how you do it," said Sioux City catcher Jake Ortega.

Ortega recently turned 28. Though Scholten is decades older than his teammates, he's fit right in, and they've become friends. Some ask him about important political issues, such as health care. Scholten is happy to chat with them about anything.

Just like them, he's focused on his baseball career. Scholten recently quit his job as an analyst at the law firm Cuneo, Gilbert and LaDuca LLP so he could go all-in on the game he loves. He knows the opportunity to do this may never present itself again, so he's trying to make the most of it. That includes traveling with the Explorers on a recent road trip and collecting a $1,400 monthly paycheck.

It's not glamorous – during the team's most recent trip, the bus caught on fire – but he's enjoying the experience.

"I just want to soak it all in," Scholten said.

He's had a lot to enjoy. During his Aug. 1 outing in Sioux City, fans flocked to the dugout to get his autograph. Montgomery joked that Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris would pick Scholten as her running mate.

Joking aside, Scholten is still a working politician. He's campaigning for the Nov. 5 election and knocks on doors when he can. The day before his fourth start, he spent 45 minutes going door to door. His baseball career helps with name recognition.

"I have been getting like, 'Hey, aren't you pitching tomorrow?'" Scholten said.

Scholten has worked years to fulfill his dream of playing baseball again.

"Being able to play professional baseball has really been the only part that has been truly in my heart," he said. "I love being a state representative, but playing baseball fulfills my heart."

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa legislator J.D. Scholten captivates baseball world by playing at age 44 – and winning