Jace Conrad's hard work with the Bowling Green Hot Rods paid off with a call up to the Florida State League. Grinders will grind.

After reaching the Midwest League All-Star Game, where he clocked a double off the wall only inches away from a home run, it appears the Tampa Bay Rays are ready to move him up another notch in their organization. Conrad's brother, Grant, said on Facebook that his little brother is likely headed to play for the Charlotte Stone Crabs (Advanced A) in Port Charlotte, Florida. It's time to leave Kentucky and head to the beaches of Florida. Who could be upset about that upgrade?

He might have some time to build up a nice summer tan, but knowing Jace, most of it will come from toiling under the hot sun to get that next call up. His bat was getting done in the All-Star Game for everybody to see, but it wasn't just his offensive stats that got him the nod and the call up. He's been performing flatout prestidigitation with the leather.

His career fielding percentage at second base is .986 through 626 innings combined. To further display his deft glove work, want to guess his fielding percentage at every other position he's played a combined 242 innings? Try a perfect 1.000.

There is still no official confirmation from the Stone Crabs or Tampa Bay Rays via their website or social media feeds, but if Conrad and his family feel safe enough to talk about it on the internet, they wouldn't get everybody's hopes up for nothing. This isn't the first or last time Jace will get news like this, but it doesn't mean that every milestone shouldn't still be celebrated.

Before getting back to the grindstone, he should take a little bit of time to acknowledge his progress. There's a lot of sweat, toil, and unspoken stress that goes into building a career in baseball. These are the moments that make it worth it.

Tony Robichaux would be proud, but he probably knows how much work there is still left to be done. With Conrad's drive for success and disdain for failure, there will always be a next level to reach. It's a matter of looking for the next handhold.

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