Slade Heathcott

Slade Heathcott

Development Advisor

Slade Heathcott is a former professional baseball player, drafted out of high school by the New York Yankees in the 1st round of the 2009 MLB draft. After 6 years and 7 surgeries, a childhood dream came true when he made his MLB debut on May 22, 2015, as the starting centerfielder of the New York Yankees. His baseball career came to an end at the conclusion of the 2018 season, and he began a new chapter as a pilot, philanthropist, and activist. The first 501(c)3 work that Slade actively begin started back in 2014 with the I Am More Foundation, founded around the belief that we are ALL capable of being more than any given circumstance that life presents us. Slade has dedicated his time to more than fifty 501(c)3 organizations and is a co-founder of More Than Baseball.

It took about 18 months after retiring from baseball and his first MVP session to finally realize what was missing from his life-- “my team”, he says. As an athlete, Slade took the transition with the same mentality he had been taught his entire career, suck it up and get the job done for your team. MVP brought back accountability and support. MVP members quickly showed him that vulnerability isn’t weakness as he had believed his whole life--it is the definition of strength and maturity.

“Having a long line of family that has served this nation with various branches and positions, made my interests for joining the armed forces begin from a young age. I still remember the day in my head the first day that I wanted Top Gun, I knew from that moment on that I wanted to be a fighter pilot when I grew up. To be fair, I do remember wanting to be like Emmitt Smith and Mark McGuire however I truly planned on trying to apply for a flight spot and join the Air Force. My senior year it became evident that I was going to have a chance to be taken in the first round of the 2009. MLB draft. At this time and for many years after, I was a baseball player named Slade Heathcott. In 2014, during my recovery from a 6th surgery I found out that I was going to be a Dad to a little boy. Up until this moment in life my life had been just about Slade Heathcott. In high school, I had a very challenging relationship with my parents. My dad was in and out of jail related to everything associated with drug addiction and my mother was struggling to make ends meet for two teenage boys active in sports. Starting my senior year, I was hiding the fact that I was sleeping out of my truck at the high school baseball field. I bounced around a couple of houses from time to time but primarily lived out of my truck working 2 jobs to cover expenses and school supplies. Now looking back, I have always known that I had the most amazing family I could have ever asked for. It may not have been the typical “blood” type of family but it was a hell of a support system. The families and people in Texarkana were there for me when I needed and even when I didn’t want them. The community came together and bought me clothes, food, even medical attention at times.

When I retired from the game at the end of 2018, I was “tough.” It took about 18 months and my first MVP session to finally realize what I was missing, my team! As an athlete, I took the transition with the same mentality as I had been taught my whole career, suck it up and get the job done. My whole life I have been on a team, working together for something larger than any one of us. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the rest of the professional world rarely operates as a team. Not only when you are on a team you have accountability, but you have a support group that is pushing in the same direction together. MVP game me the chance to have this support and accountability again, to feel as I am part of a team pushing for something larger than myself. MVP members quickly showed me that vulnerability isn’t weakness as I believed it was my whole life, it is the definition of strength and maturity. I am very thankful and blessed to have the opportunity to be on this team pushing to address and conquer a much larger pandemic of depression and suicide.”