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By Bob Levin stltoday.com | Posted: Thursday, March 15, 2012 2:15 pm | (Loading) comments.

Many little boys in St. Louis dream of playing in the big leagues for their beloved Cardinals. Perhaps some imagine their team winning the World Series and see themselves riding in the championship parade before thousands of cheering fans. Call it childish fantasy. For Cardinal pitcher Kyle McClellan, however, call it reality.

Since the Hazelwood West graduate was drafted by the Cardinals in 2002, he rose quickly through the minors to become a versatile reliever. Last season, from both the starting rotation and bullpen, he contributed significantly to the success of the 2011 World Champions.

McClellan spoke with me by phone last week from spring training in Jupiter, Fla. As one might expect from a fierce competitor, his responses to my questions were energetic and to the point, delivered without hesitation like a series of fastballs. Our conversation focused largely on the integration of baseball and his Christian faith.

"My belief has really humbled me and allowed me to see a bigger picture," he said. "When you have a lot of people telling you how great you are, everybody pulling for you, 40,000 people watching, it's easy to get a big head. But in life, I'm not necessarily here to be a baseball player. I'm here to grow. Baseball is obviously what I get paid to do and we're called to do the best we can with the opportunities given to us."

The sad tale of fame and fortune contributing to the undoing of professional athletes is all too common. McClellan tells a different story.

"If not for being in baseball," he said, "I wouldn't be where I'm at spiritually. The guys I'm around have a big influence. We have a lot of believers on this team. Our chapels are full. We've got guys that come early in the morning before workouts to meet and talk about life and God. Learning people's struggles and strengths, hearing their stories and applying them to myself you just pick up so many things throughout the year."

McClellan, who has a 9-month-old daughter, emphasizes his desire to be a good husband and father. He said he tries not to allow the stress of competition affect him at home. For a pitcher, after all, success can turn into crushing failure in the instant it takes an errant pitch to reach the plate. I asked how he copes with such ups and downs.

"It's about understanding that there's more important things than baseball," he said. "We talk all the time about having baseball be the center of what we do, but not being the center of who we are as a person."

Like a finesse pitcher painting the corners of the plate, McClellan effectively differentiates between the ruthless performance demands of major league baseball and the unconditional love of God. Curiously, he uses his dog to illustrate the point.

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SPREADING THE WORD: Cardinal pitcher Kyle McClellan talks about baseball, life and faith