A Cincinnati native, Purdom's life dream was no different than most boys his age -- to play professional baseball. But after four years of college ball at Indiana State, no Major League club so much as glanced in his direction.

That's when he sought a scout of a different kind: his next-door neighbor.

And, of course, it never hurts when your neighbor is a former Reds hero.

"Billy Hatcher used to live next door to me," Purdom said. "And he knows [Reds director of player development Tim] Naehring. So [Hatcher] called him, and they came and watched me. It was the first team I worked out for, and fortunately, they signed me."

Fortunate, yes. But not nearly as fortunate as having Hatcher as a neighbor.

Hatcher is best remembered for his performance in the 1990 postseason, when he set a World Series record by batting .750 and tied another record with seven consecutive hits in a four-game sweep over the heavily-favored Athletics.

Twelve years removed from the organization and living in Tampa, Fla., Hatcher is still helping the Reds build for the future.

And the beneficiary of this is a kid who still refers to Hatcher as his "older brother."

"I've always felt I was good enough to play," Purdom said. "I just needed the opportunity. And I made the team out of Spring Training.

"I mean, it stunk not getting drafted, because I wanted to play baseball my whole life. But then I got the opportunity to work out in front of Tim Naehring and [assistant director of player development] Grant Griesser, and fortunately, they gave me a chance to play. So I'm where I am whether I got drafted or not."

And Purdom made sure to take full advantage of his fortune, earning himself a backup catching spot at Class A Dayton out of Spring Training.

But Purdom's luck didn't stop there. Just a few months after joining the Dragons, the starting catcher went down with an injury, opening yet another door for Purdom to step through.

"John came in, [and] he was our backup catcher to start the year," Dayton manager Alonzo Powell said. "We had an injury, and he took advantage of the opportunity to work himself into the everyday lineup. And he's been, probably, the biggest surprise on the team this year."

Well, a surprise to everyone but himself.

Purdom batted .277 with 39 RBIs this season in Dayton, good enough to earn him a promotion to Double-A Chattanooga before the season's end. But he really impressed his former manager with his defensive skills behind the plate.

"He's been consistently hitting the ball, doing well, driving in key runs, and he's done an outstanding job behind the plate," Powell said. "Catching is tough at this level, especially with the travel and with the pitchers being all over the place at times. And he's handled our staff and done a great job.

"He's throwing the ball well consistently. His throw times are from 1.9-2.0 [seconds] to second base, which is right around the Major League average. He does a great job blocking balls and calling the game, and we're very happy with John."

Not bad for someone who hadn't played catcher before this season.

Purdom has had to log countless hours of practice to get to the level of play that he's reached. The 24-year-old is still learning how to manage a game from behind a plate and how to remain disciplined and consistent when he steps beside the plate.

"Just playing every day helps," Purdom said. "You sit on the bench three, four days, then try to come in and hit or even try to catch -- everything's harder. But if you can play every day, you get in a rhythm, get your timing down."

And that's exactly where Purdom is now -- in the rhythm of making the most of every opportunity given to him.

Purdom realizes that he's caught one break after another. But because of it, he has a slightly different perspective on baseball. Purdom now understands as well as anyone how precarious this game can be, and how just one slight twist of fate can change everything.

"It makes it awesome that I'm not drafted but I'm starting on a team," Purdom said. "I will never take anything for granted -- ever -- with baseball. I mean, if you start taking things for granted, you're in trouble anyway. But just because of where I came from and how I got here -- I mean, I could be sitting on the bench tomorrow if they draft somebody who they think is better."

But at least Purdom could tell of how he got that chance.

"John is a good story," Naehring said. "He's the type of story that a lot of high school, college and just young athletes look at and have a high hope of what someone can achieve. He's really done a great job for us and put himself on the map. We're anxious to see how far he can go in this game."

So far, it's been as high as Double-A.

And with any luck at all, Purdom won't stop there.

Well, any more luck than he's already gotten, anyway.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.