Why Did Josh Murray Quit Baseball?

One of the best things about The Bachelorette is seeing the professions the contestants submit, like Josh Murray: Former Pro Baseball Player, which we see under their name in every interview confessional of the season. This time around, we were given some vague descriptions like "beverage sales manager," "explorer," and, probably the best job description ever: "pantsapreneuer." It's always mystifying when someone submits their profession as "former" something, and it raises questions as to what they do now, and what made them stop doing whatever it is that they're telling us they no longer do anymore. Josh, one of Andi's final three, did just that. We've seen that he's a "former pro baseball player" all season, but when someone who isn't that old stops a sweet gig like that, we need to know why.

Josh went into his baseball history a little bit during his hometown date, when he took Andi to a baseball diamond and explained that it was hard to revisit this part of his past. He told Andi that his brother Aaron Murray excelled in football and looked like he was going to go pro (and Aaron has), so Josh quit to focus on his brother's success. This explanation ended up being completely in line with an interview Josh gave in 2010, but that still doesn't answer exactly why he quit playing baseball.

Josh (he went by Joshua Murray then) showed a lot of promise as a drafted-out-of-high school shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers, according to CBS Sports. Picked in the second round and 48th overall, things were looking up for him at the beginning. He played on the team's single A (translation: lowest level minor league) team and rather quickly learned that the process wasn't all smooth sailing, and getting stuck in the minors is a pretty common occurrence for promising baseball players. After five years, Murray says in the above interview that he was pretty convinced about the fact that he would never be playing in the big leagues, and cut his losses to enroll in college close to home and family.

He said: "I fell out of love with baseball after one year in the minors. It was tough being away from family. I always thought about my future, getting married, having kids, what would if I do if I'm traveling all the time? I can't see Aaron. I can't see my sister, Stephanie. I can't see my mom and dad. It wasn't worth it."

After a few years attending college at home, he transferred to University of Georgia to finish a business degree. He later showed his athletic chops there as a walk-on safety for their football team. The real star there, though, was Aaron, who was an extremely successful college quarterback, and was drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs after playing at UGA. But before going pro, Aaron did get to share some brief time on the field with his older brother.

Josh now works in financial services and stays out of the spotlight so his brother can take it. Except, you know, going on a national television show where he's working to start that family he didn't want to spend his life traveling away from as a baseball player.

Images: ABC; instagram.com/joshmurray11 (2)